
A major highlight of the Fallout TV show is seeing items from the video game being given live-action form, and the series' iconic power armour is certainly the highlight. But so far, we've only seen knights clad in the T-60 armour, first introduced in Fallout 4. That is, until this week. Fallout Season 2, Episode 4 finally gives physical form to what many would consider the iconic power armour: the T-45, which adorned the front cover of Fallout 3.
Of course, that's not the only cool video game detail to appear in this week's episode. We’ve been digging into each and every episode and picking out everything we’ve noticed that relates to the source material. You can check out everything we found in episodes one, two, and three, and read on to see every video game easter egg and detail we spotted in episode four of Fallout Season 2, from the T-45 armour to boxes of mac and cheese, classic casinos, and a nod to V.A.T.S.
Characters and Factions
1. During the episode’s cold opener, we’re introduced to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the military forces of China’s Communist Party. The force was America’s enemy during the Sino-American War, a conflict that raged for more than a decade, starting in 2066 and only concluding with the nuclear apocalypse in 2077.
2. The PLA squad is butchered by a deathclaw, one of Fallout’s most iconic monsters. Deathclaws were genetically engineered by the US government, designed to be deployed as part of high-risk, search-and-destroy missions. This particular beast is a male, identified thanks to its fully grown horns. We see another deathclaw in the episode’s final moments, which again is a male, and its dark colouring may potentially point to it being an alpha – a notably long-lived deathclaw.
3. Lucy and The Ghoul bump into the Kings at the entrance to the New Vegas strip. In the show, they have succumbed to becoming feral ghouls, but in the game, set 15 years earlier, the Kings are a human faction of Elvis Presley impersonators. None of the street gang members actually know who Elvis was – their only understanding of the man they call “The King” is gleaned from their HQ, the King's School of Impersonation, located in the Freeside area of New Vegas.
4. When Chet looks through Steph’s belongings, he discovers that she is from the United States Annexed Territory of Canada, rather than being a US citizen. During the Sino-American War, the US annexed Canada as part of its military operations and exploited the country’s resources. The US eventually dissolved Canada as a sovereign nation, a move that naturally provoked tension and riots among the Canadian population.
Locations
5. The episode’s opening takes place on The Alaskan Front, the territory that was the stage for the Battle of Anchorage. A major part of the Sino-American War, the Chinese invasion and occupation of Anchorage saw the US use Canada as a tactical corridor to mobilise its forces and defend the territory – eventually leading to the annexing of Canada. A simulation of this pivotal battle is the basis for Fallout 3’s Operation: Anchorage DLC.
6. This week, we see the exterior of the soda factory that Thaddeus had taken over in the previous episode, and its massive bottle statue confirms that it is indeed the Sunset Sarsaparilla headquarters from New Vegas.
7. Lucy and The Ghoul’s interaction with the Kings takes place at The Strip North Gate, the northernmost entrance to the New Vegas strip. In the game, this is the main fast travel point for the strip itself. Entrance usually requires passing a credit check of 2,000 caps or having a passport, but that isn’t an issue for our duo in the show due to the distinct lack of security.
8. We don’t get to visit any major locations from New Vegas in this episode, but when Lucy and The Ghoul enter the strip, we can see the signs and facades of many iconic New Vegas buildings. There’s the Gomorrah Hotel and Casino, known for its prostitution and sleazy dealings, identified by the silhouettes of two women that flank its main logo sign.
9. The deathclaw emerges from Brimstone, the bar attached to the Gomorrah.
10. Then there’s The Tops Hotel and Casino, which is considered the most “classic” of New Vegas’ gambling offerings.
11. The Lucky 38 Resort and Casino, identified by its towering needle-like design that echoes the style of the real-life Strat building, was Mr. House’s headquarters on the New Vegas strip in the days before the nuclear apocalypse.
12. The Ultra-Luxe Las Vegas Resort is the strip’s most elite venue, home to a gourmet restaurant, and run, at least during the period of the New Vegas game, by the upper-class White Glove Society.
13. Vault 21 was, as its name suggests, a Vault-Tec subterranean nuclear shelter, and functioned akin to the other vaults we’ve seen for close to two centuries. After a deal with Mr. House, though, it was opened up to the public, converted into a hotel, and made part of the New Vegas strip.
Items and Iconography
14. In the opening flashback, Cooper Howard and Charlie Whiteknife are both wearing West Tek T-45 series power armor. This is the iconic power armor, featured on the front cover of Fallout 3 and available to wear across all of Bethesda’s games. As detailed in both Fallout lore and a conversation between Cooper and Bud Askins in season one, the T-45 featured numerous design flaws that made the otherwise powerful suit a liability.
15. Lucy is revived from her crucifixion ordeal via a drip of Buffout. This drug has been a mainstay of the video game series since the original Fallout, and is a steroid that increases strength, reflexes, and endurance. It’s typically dispensed in a bottle of 50 tablets, so this liquid drip version used in the show is a new format for the chemical.
16. You can spot a SPECIAL poster in the background of Reg’s inter-breeding social club. SPECIAL is the ruleset that governs player-made characters in the Fallout games (it is an acronym made up of the primary statistic: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck.) Variants of this poster can be seen in the games’ many vaults.
17. Norm’s gang of clueless Vault-Tec managers can be seen eating packets of Blamco Mac and Cheese, scavenged from an abandoned truck. Blamco’s cheesy packet pasta is a food source frequently found in the games.
18. As noted previously, when Lucy and The Ghoul arrive at the New Vegas strip’s North Gate, they encounter no security. In the game, the entrance is defended by five Securitron gatekeepers. By the events of the show, they have been destroyed – The Ghoul spots their shattered remains through his spyglass.
19. Lucy’s shootout with the ghoulified Kings ends with a stylish slow-motion shot, in which the camera follows a bullet on its journey to blasting a hole through a ghoul’s skull. This replicates the slo-mo cinematic kills of the games’ V.A.T.S mechanic.
20. Maximus can be seen using a laser pistol during his attempt to assassinate Quintus. It is the AER9 model, introduced in Fallout 4.
21. Quintus responds by pulling out a 10mm pistol, which is also based on the design featured in Fallout 4.
Music
22. The scene that depicts Reg’s snack-happy social club features “Rum and Coca-Cola” by the Andrews Sisters, recorded in 1944. The song has not featured in any Fallout game so far, although other Andrews Sisters songs have – namely “Civilization”, “Pistol Packin’ Mama”, and “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” If you do recognise this tune, it may be because you remember it from Mafia 2. Or your own house – maybe you’re into retro tunes beyond their use in video games.
23. Lucy’s shootout with the King ghouls is set to “Cocaine Blues” by Roy Hogsed, recorded in 1947. This has not been featured in the games, despite a Johnny Cash cover of the song being part of a (not very) “official” Fallout New Vegas playlist on Spotify.
24. The closing credits use the song “He’s a Demon, He’s a Devil, He’s a Doll” by Betty Hutton, released in 1950. You may recognise this one from Fallout 4, as its broadcast on Diamond City Radio.
And that’s everything we spotted in the fourth episode of season two of the Fallout TV show. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments. For more Fallout, check out our review of this episode, and stay tuned next week for all of episode five’s easter eggs.
Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.