Fallout Season Two, Episode 4 "The Demon in the Snow" review

War never changes, but it does arrive with sound and fury. This episode begins on the Alaskan Front — yes, that Alaskan front. We see Marine Cooper Howard deployed in a T-45 suit (which you might recall from the game are kinda trash - something the show reinforces handily) facing down a terrifying and overwhelming threat — a pack of Deathclaws.  They are terrifying to behold, and even in power armor, there best option is to run away.

Back in the kiddie-ghoul-run cap-farming enterprise, Thaddeus and Maximus come up with an elegant solution to their dead Commonwealth rep problem.  Sometimes averting war is a messy business, and only every great once in a while, hilarious.  

Lucy and The Ghoul, outside of New Vegas, gets a little help from the NCR — that's the New California Republic, for those who might need a refresher. This little splinter group devotes themselves to the deluded idea of bringing "justice to the wasteland"; something that'd likely be a whole lot easier if there was more than two of them. What they lack in numbers they certainly make up for in weapons, however, and they're kind enough to let Lucy stock up before she heads back out. They were also kind enough to give her a little something else: a fun little addiction to drugs. What ensues is far too funny to spoil, but this one, two, three punch of these three scenes is a fantastic start to this mid-season episode.  

Back in Vault 33, the water chip problem is still very much an issue in search of a solution, and it's not going well.  That's not stopping the Products of Inbreeding Club, handing out extra rations for the would-be members. Are they there for the delicious snacks, or the deviant behavior therapy? Judging by the numbers, you'd hope it's the former. Reg’s behavior also solidifies a growing problem for Overseer Bev. She’s losing control of the vaults, and fast.

The rest of the episodes is a whirlwind, bouncing back and forth between these scenarios, moving all of them forward in meaningful ways. The little group from 31 is making their blissfully ignorant way in the world.  They've never really faced hardship, but that's sure to change. Maximus and Thaddeus are flirting with disaster, moments away from setting off a massive Brotherhood-wide war. Lucy and The Ghoul finally get into New Vegas, only to find new threats lurking where they're trying to go in the city. Even the Products of Inbreeding Club is facing challenges that having fancy cakes won't fix.  

This season installment is a great one because it really lets us see New Vegas in all of its squalor/splendor. If you're a fan of the game, you'll recognize some familiar (greasy) faces. If you're a fan of ultra violence, there's plenty of that set to happy music. The final moments of this episode have been somewhat telegraphed, but worthy of the mid-season placement.

This road to Vegas has been a long one, and one fraught with peril, but some of the bigger threads are coming to resolution, and surprisingly not in the way you might expect. Allegiances are challenged, unlikely alliances are made, and we can start to see where this season might ultimately end up. Mid-season installments can be closer to filler, but this one doesn't waste a single moment.  

The only note I'd have for this particular episode is for the group coming out of 31. While I appreciate that they're all Jr. Executives, full of confidence and swagger, they do seem a little too confident for folks who just stepped into an irradiated world full of roaches the size of an end table. Maybe they'll lose a bit of that as they encounter the realities of this new world. Some of their personalities, including a new one that seems to be wary of Norm, will be intriguing to watch develop.