Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Fallout Season 2 Episode 2.
The first episode of Fallout Season 2, “The Innovator,” caught us up with the majority of the cast, from Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) trying to hunt down Lucy’s father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), to the wild goings-on in Vaults 31, 32, and 33. But one character was noticeably absent: Maximus (Aaron Moten), the Brotherhood of Steel member who was previously left behind by Lucy and praised by the Brotherhood for his believed hand in the death of Lee Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury). Episode 2, “The Golden Rule,” revolves around a changed Maximus, who is once again alone in this world and has gone on to embrace the family that the Brotherhood can provide.
‘Fallout’ Season 2 Episode 2 Begins With the Destruction of Shady Sands
“The Golden Rule” begins with a flashback to a young Maximus living on the surface with his family in the community of Shady Sands. Even though we can see the destruction outside the town’s limits and soldiers walking around, Shady Sands seems idyllic in comparison to the rest of the Wasteland. It’s thriving too, as Maximus’ father (Bashir Salahuddin) has found clear, unradiated water, which could mean expansion and more crops — that is, until a strange man with a caravan comes into town, mumbling over and over, “Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter.”
Maximus and his father find the townspeople gathered around the muttering man, who has fallen and is now bleeding from his eyes. Maximus’ dad sees a device on the back of the man’s neck (the same one that was used in the premiere), and discovers that the man’s caravan has a nuclear bomb in the back. Maximus tells his son and the entire town to go home as he tries to defuse the bomb. However, it’s no use, as a failsafe is activated and a timer starts counting down, with only three minutes remaining.
Maximus’ dad runs back home and frantically starts emptying their refrigerator to put Maximus inside, hopefully to keep him safe from the oncoming blast. Maximus’ dad tells him that he’s a “good boy, and one day, you’ll be a good man.” In what will be his last words to his son, Maximus’ dad states that if we can leave the world better than we entered it, we did okay. With that, he closes the refrigerator, and in the last few seconds, husband and wife embrace each other as the bomb explodes in the distance. Shady Sands — proof to the Wasteland that the world could return to what it once was — is no more. Inside Vault 33, we see a younger Hank setting his Pip-Boy down before reading to his two kids. The device features the message: “Detonation Successful.”
Maximus Embraces the Brotherhood of Steel in ‘Fallout’ Season 2 Episode 2
In the present day, a hardened Maximus, within his Brotherhood of Steel suit, shoots and violently kills ghouls without any emotion. In an office, Maximus and his partner find a device, which they take with them, before heading back to the Brotherhood’s flying airship. As he makes his way onto the base, the other Brotherhood members praise his return — he’s clearly become a hero to this organization since the events of the Season 1 finale. Maximus is met by Elder Cleric Quintus (Michael Cristofer) before handing over the device, which Quintus says is “the key to our new home.” Quintus reveals how the Brotherhood has become fractured over various chapters, and now, he wants to unify these disparate groups under his leadership. Underneath their airship, the Brotherhood unveils their home hidden under the sand: Area 51. Together, Quintus tells Maximus that they’ll make this world better, before referring to Maximus as his son.
The Brotherhood enters Area 51 with as much care as you’d imagine from a bunch of clunky militaristic assholes in power armor. They’re more excited about an actual icebox than the actual frozen alien inside, they almost explode grenades inside, and they shoot a car that was preserved inside until it blows up. However, they also prepare the cold fusion within the building, which will likely only be used for bad things. In what feels like a remnant of his father, Maximus tells a young cadet that while the Brotherhood’s mission is to save the fallen world, sometimes larger plans like that can get overwhelming, but you should start by bettering yourself. Maximus’ friend Dane (Xelia Mendes-Jones) addresses how Maximus has changed, how he’s taking the Brotherhood more seriously than he used to. Dane reveals that Quintus’s meeting with the other factions wasn’t reported to the Commonwealth and is an attempt to break the chain of command and claim power. But Maximus is unfazed, focused on his goal of helping the Brotherhood stop history from repeating itself, as the other factions make their way to Area 51.
New threats emerge as the world of ‘Fallout’ expands, putting our heroes to the ultimate test.
Quintus later holds a dinner for the heads of these other chapters, who have made their way from the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Coronado. The other heads note the lack of Commonwealth representation at this event, and while Quintus knows they’d take the relic for themselves, the others are worried about civil war with the Commonwealth, which would demolish the factions. But Quintus believes that united under his banner, they could overcome the Commonwealth. As the other chapters squabble, Quintus unites them by presenting them with power in the form of massive amounts of weaponry. Together, they decide to betray the Commonwealth, unifying under Quintus’ plan.
Back at Area 51, Brotherhood of Steel members are fighting each other in their suits, which Maximus couldn’t be less interested in. As Maximus leaves, a man picks a fight with him, wanting to battle without suits. Maximus can’t even take his jacket off before the man starts beating him down. Maximus gets off the ground and fights back, but the man pulls a knife on him. When it looks like Maximus is done for, he grabs the knife, slits the man’s gut open, and kills him. This isn’t the Maximus we knew last season, and as Dane watches on, he realizes this as well. No sooner is the fight over than a helicopter lands, and a man (Kumail Nanjiani) disembarks, saying he’s Paladin Xander Harkness, a liaison from the Commonwealth. He hears they’re discussing a civil war, and that he didn’t get his invitation, but he does seem impressed with Max’s recent kill.
Lucy and the Ghoul Are Back on the Road in ‘Fallout’ Season 2 Episode 2
As one would expect, things aren’t going great between Lucy and the Ghoul. Lucy mentions that the Ghoul is rude and that if his family is alive, they probably wouldn’t appreciate the kind of person he’s become, stating that a little bit of kindness could go a long way. Almost as though the world wants to prove the difference between these two, the pair hears a woman screaming inside a destroyed hospital. Lucy, of course, wants to go help, and the Ghoul wants to keep moving, adding that before the war, he was just like Lucy is: stupid.
The duo make their way into the hospital basement, where they find a woman the Ghoul calls a “Tunic,” claiming they’re too far west and that their kind doesn’t deserve saving. While Lucy aids the woman, the Ghoul finds a male Tunic and slits his throat, eating a piece of the dead man’s flesh. But The Ghoul can tell something’s off in this “meal” and discovers a green, oozy wound on the man’s back. It turns out the hospital is full of poisonous, mutated Radscorpions. Killing a few smaller ones leads to them stumbling across a much bigger arachnid. Both the female Tunic and the Ghoul are attacked by the Radscorpion’s stinger, but the Ghoul puts a grenade in the creature’s mouth, blowing it to bits.
After the fight, Lucy has to decide who to give her Stimpak to: the Ghoul or this unknown woman. Lucy picks the woman, knowing that she’ll die without the medicine, while the Ghoul won’t. As Lucy and the woman get ready to leave, the Ghoul reminds Lucy of the Golden Rule, but Lucy counters that the rule is for people, and the Ghoul is disgusting and cruel. She’s nothing like him, which is why once she brings the woman home, she’ll come back for the Ghoul. Later on, Lucy tells the Tunic woman that she’s heading to Las Vegas, and the woman warns her against it. As they get close to the woman’s home, it’s an unsettling place, surrounded by guards with torches. Lucy finds herself exploring the area alone before being surrounded by soldiers. Before they say anything, Lucy reiterates that she’s nice. That should get her out of this situation safe and sound…
Bud Askins Has a Final Test in ‘Fallout’ Season 2 Episode 2
In Vault 31, Norm MacLean’s (Moisés Arias) chaotic plan is underway, as he’s woken up the Vault-Tec junior executives who were cryogenically frozen. Norm tries to explain the “change of plans,” saying that it’s been 200 years since they were frozen, and it’s now Reclamation Day. The Bud Askins they’re all asking about is now dead, and they need to find a way out of the Vault. Hearing that they’re all trapped, the employees begin to freak out.
When we catch back up with the group later, Norm is frustrated by the confused group and tells them he’s part of a race of super-managers that is the product of 200 years of genetic engineering. He claims that they are all his employees now, and this is a plan by Bud Askins — and Bud’s final test is to get out of this Vault. Motivated by this and by the promise of “merit dots” (which are just bandages), the group sets out to escape the Vault. This group acts fast, climbing on top of each other, finding a ventilation shaft with a ladder. Norm climbs over these workers, then up the shaft. When he gets to the top of the ladder, he finds himself on the surface for the first time, and with a bunch of Vault 31 junior executives. As he looks at the ocean, Norm states that the surface is beautiful.
If at First Your Mind-Control Device Doesn’t Work, Try and Try Again
Last week, Hank was getting ready to work at the now-abandoned Vault-Tec offices. Now, he enters the Cryogenic Biorepository, where he finds a mouse in the Livestock section. He brings the mouse back to his lab and puts a tiny device on the creature — but, similar to what happened with that man in the premiere, when the device gets cranked up, heads explode.But this doesn’t deter Hank, as he tries over and over again with mouse after mouse, each ending with the same literally explosive conclusion.
Hank ultimately finds a part of the Vault-Tec offices known as “Premium Elite Plus,” full of cryogenic tanks. Later on, Hank has clearly unfrozen one of these people, Steve, and attached a mind-control device to his neck. Hank explains that it’s Reclamation Day, just not the way they expected. Despite having a family, Steve only bought one tank for himself, which is surprising to Hank, who believes family is important to Vault-Tec’s plan for the future. Hank traps Steve’s hands in a device, adding that he’s “improving a piece of outdated technology”: civilization. As Hank cranks up the mind-control device, we see that Steve’s head has also exploded, as Hank promises to try and try again.
The Season 2 premiere was all about setting the pieces in place for what’s to come, but “The Golden Rule” largely focuses away from the Ghoul and Lucy to prioritize Maximus, and it’s a smart choice. This is a fascinating new direction for Maximus, who has seen what the world is like and has found it heartbreaking, resulting in him falling right back into the Brotherhood’s arms. It’s also a great example of how much bureaucracy still exists in this world, from the Vault-Tec junior executives trying to prove themselves to the Brotherhood’s multi-tiered leadership. Power is an essential commodity in this new world, but what the future will look like is the ultimate goal. For a show that can often be a silly, playful look at a destroyed world, we need episodes like “The Golden Rule” to show just how terrifying this battle for power and the fate of the world trulyis in the Fallout universe.
- Release Date
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April 10, 2024
- Showrunner
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Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
- Writers
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Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
- Franchise(s)
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Fallout
- Maximus gets the focus in an episode that changes him in an intriguing way.
- The Vault 31 scenes show the ridiculous bureaucracy that helped bring the world to this point.
- Hank becomes even more terrifying in his quest to control minds.
- Lucy and The Ghoul don’t have much to do here, beyond getting attacked by a radscorpion.
