The Fallout TV show is here and it is loaded with Easter eggs and references to all the games. Which isn't all that surprising as we know that the Fallout TV show is canon, according Todd Howard. There's eight episodes full of clear call outs, knowing winks and more to all the games so far, so join me as I work my way through every episode, and point it all out.
Episode 1
Grognak, Nuka-Cola, and Sugar Bombs on the TV
In the opening birthday party scene there's a little run of shoutouts on the TV including Nuka Cola, Sugar Bombs cereal and, finally, a cartoon of Grognak and the Ruby Ruins, the Pip-Boy game you can play in Fallout 4.
Thumbs up
During the opening birthday party Cooper/The Ghoul soothes his daughter by explaining the nuclear rule of thumb - an urban myth that holding your thumb out like the Vault Boy mascot will tell you if you're safe or not. Supposedly, if the blast is bigger than your thumb you're in danger and need to seek shelter or run. It's not actually true, unfortunately, given how variable bomb yields are.
Prepare for the Future!
'Prepare for the Future' was an advertising slogan originally created by Bethesda for some of Fallout 3's marketing. It then later appeared on the Fallout 4 billboard you can see here at the bottom of the screen, using artwork reworked from a Fallout 3 lunchbox.
You're S.P.E.C.I.A.L.
Lucy's introduction, where she explains all her skills and abilities, is clearly a callback to Fallout's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. character creation system. In all the Fallout games you begin by defining your character by splitting points between Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck, to define what you're good at.
Atomic Command
Lucy's brother, Norman, can briefly be seen playing Atomic Command on his Pip-Boy, a playable mini-game that appeared in Fallout 4.
Vault-Tec bobbleheads everywhere
We first see a Vault-Tec bobblehead in the opening moments of Vault 33, but these little guys pop up everywhere in multiple episodes. Fitting for an ongoing collectible in every Fallout game bar New Vegas (they're mentioned in files but never appear).
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Stimpacks in the bathroom
Everyone knows that if you need healing in any of the Fallout games you check the bathrooms first. So obviously, when Lucy is injured in the Raider attack, she heads straight to the bathroom to grab the medical supplies she needs off the wall.
The Raiders are huffing Jet
Jet is a highly addictive drug in the Fallout games, a chem that boosts your strength and combat abilities. In Fallout 3 it give you more action points to fight with, while in Fallout 4 it slows time. Fun fact: it's made from cow sh*t.
The Pip-Boys are game accurate
When we get a good look at a Pip-Boy screen it's clear that they are game accurate and copy all the tabs you would use while playing - Stats (statistics), Inv (inventory), Data, Map, and Radio. In the game that would respectively let you level up and check statuses, look at all your gear, read notes and files, look where you are or were to go, and play songs. Later, in episode 3, we also see the classic status tab showing the health of Lucy's limbs (all 100% by the looks of things).
Please Stand By
After the Raider attack, Vault 33's back projection fails and we see the classic 'Please Stand By' message. This holding page has been a long running part of Fallout, from marketing to loading screens, and is much a logo for the series as Vault Boy.
The Brotherhood of Steel Airship
The airship that appears in the TV show is a dead ringer for the Prydwen, the massive mobile base of the Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout 4. The Prydwen was the name of King Arthur's ship in a Welsh poem called Preiddeu Annwfn, and in the TV show it's called the 'Caswennan' which is an alternate name for the same ship. Or the coastal sandbank that wrecked it, depending on the source.
They nuked the fridge
There's two potential Easter eggs here. When a young Maximus survives a nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge it could be a reference to the Fallout 4 mission 'Kid in a Fridge' where you rescue a super mutant child (thanks to Chris for pointing that out). But the fact Maximus uses it top survive a bomb also mirrors to India Jones surviving an atomic bomb test by hiding in a refrigerator.
There's a Junk Jet
When the three bounty hunters dig up Walton Goggins' Ghoul character, one of them is carrying a Junk Jet, a Saturday Night Special of a weapon that, as the name suggests, fires any random junk you can load into it as bullets. In the show we see it kill people with doll legs, scissors, a surgical saw, and so on. A similar weapon appears in Fallout 3 under the name Rock-It Launcher.
Episode 2
It's Dogmeat!
Although no one says the name until later, the puppy that Enclave scientist Dr. Siggi Wilzig rescues is Dogmeat, a beloved companion in Fallout 4. Don't worry, he doesn't die.
Is that a super mutant?
It's a blink and you'll miss it moment but when a body on a gurney goes past Wilzig, the giant green hand sure looks like it belongs to a super mutant. While we don't see much more it would tie into the Enclave's work with the FEV or Forced Evolutionary Virus that created them, and the organisations attempts to make a 'cure' that would kill all mutants. Although the fingers moving here suggests this one is very much still alive.
Automated Turrets
When Wilzig is escaping the Enclave lab we see a classic Fallout Automated Turret. This design is almost identical to the Fallout 4 and 76 version, with only the warning screen as a variation.
Assaultrons are out there somewhere
When Lucy's combing the desert she sees a broken RobCo Industries Assaultron in the sand. They appear in Fallout 4 and 76 and come in a range of shooty, stabby, generally kill-y options. Although there's no way of telling what this one was.
That's a Yao guai
The creature that attacks Knight Titus is a Yao Guai, a mutated American black bear that's been a common enemy in Fallout since Fallout 3. According to a quote in Fallout 4 the name came from Chinese prisoners and means monster or demon.
Iguana-on-a-stick
This less than appetising snack is a staple of the Fallout series, and has appeared in every game in some form or another as a handy health boosting treat.
(Not) Megaton
The town that Lucy visits in the show isn't Fallout 3's Megaton because Vault 33 is in LA, along the way from Megaton's Capital Wasteland location. However, the prominent airplane nose is a clear call out to the classic settlement. There's also a RobCo shipping crate in the background, although the robotics company appears more definitively later on.
Brahmin
Like iguana-on-a-stick, Fallout's two headed Brahmin cow has appeared in every game in one way or any other. They're harmless and generally kept in settlements for food, milk, and leather.
Pip-Boys for everyone
When Lucy visits Ma's Sundries there a range of Pip-Boys in the window. The only one we get a clear look at is this one, a Pip-Boy 2000 Mark VI from Fallout 76. Another one we get a less clear look at appears to be a Pip-Boy 3000 mark IV from Fallout 4 (you can see that in the image below). There are others hanging in the window but we never really get a good enough look to identify them.
The classic Fallout lunchbox
Lying open on a counter when Lucy is inside Ma's Sundries is what looks like the classic Vault-Tec lunchbox. These have appeared in several games as everything from a crafting item to a loot box. Unfortunately it's open so we can't see what the design is on the lid.
The first cat in space!
During the Ghoul's attack in episode 2 you can briefly see a Mr Pebbles poster on the left, the 'first cat in space' appears in both Fallout 4 and 76. There's also a 'Mister Handy trusts Abraxo' poster which first appeared as a loading screen in Fallout 3 before making it's way into later games.
Mini nuke and Vault-Tec party hat
When the Ghoul goes in Ma's Sundries you can see a mini nuke and a Vault tech party hat in a display case on the left. Both have appeared in every Bethesda Fallout game in some form. Terrifyingly the nuke is based on a real weapon: the Davy Crockett short-range nuclear launch device which fired a W54 tactical nuclear warhead the size of a football.
Episode 3
The finger mouth Gulper
Gulpers are mutated salamanders that appears in Fallout 76 and the Fallout 4 DLC Far Harbor. Although here this has the gills of an axolotl and a mouth full of fingers, which are unique to the show. It does also look a little like some concept fan art for an 'Aggrresive Radaxolotl by Carlos Ochoa.
YumYum Deviled Eggs
YumYum brand Deviled Eggs are a health boosting food item that's appeared in all the Fallout games since Fallout 3.
"The water chip's been destroyed"
When we find out that the water purification chip has been destroyed in Vault 33 it's a direct reference to the main mission of the original 1997 game. In the first installment that started it all you play as a Vault Dweller sent out into the wasteland to find a replacement water purification chip after yours breaks.
The birth of the thumbs up and the Vault Tec colors
When Cooper/The Ghoul first sees his Vault-Tec suit for the advert he's about to make he's told 'they even made it in your colors' referring to his blue and yellow on-screen cowboy character. Later, while doing the promotional photoshoot, he decides to 'try' a thumbs up and the rest is history.
Episode 4
It's an evil Mister Handy
Mr. Handy is a common robot throughout the Fallout series. It was originally designed as a helper but, post war, many have malfunctioned, been reprogramed for evil, or just generally lost the plot. In this case this is Snip-Snip, a medical Mr. Handy currently performing organ harvesting for bandits. And yes, it it Matt Berry providing the voice.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. to you
While Lucy's earlier introduction is clearly a play on the idea of Fallout's SPECIAL skill system, here we see a direct reference using the 'pick a job that's SPECIAL to you' poster from Fallout 76.
Abraxo cleaner
When Lucy makes her escape from the organ harvesting trap she uses Abraxo cleaner. This has been a mainstay of the series since Fallout 3 as a crafting resource and sellable item.
The classic 10mm
When Lucy is forced to defend herself from a feral Ghoul she grabs the nearest weapon to hand, a 10mm pistol. It's a classic handgun that's appeared in every game to date, usually as one of the first weapons you get. This appears to be modeled on the Fallout 4 version.
Super-Duper Mart
The organ harvesting operation is run out of a Super-Duper Mart, an old convenience store that appears in Fallouts 3, 4, and 76. This one in particular looks a lot like it's referencing the Fallout 3 version, which also has a large parking lot in front of it.
Leather armor
When Lucy leaves the Super-Duper Mart she's wearing some classic leather armor. that shoulder pad is often on of the first things you get to improve your gear in the game and the Lone Survivor Vault dweller of Fallout 4 is often pictured wearing something similar.
The Radiation King TV
We don't get a good look at it until the Ghoul enters the Super-Duper Mart but the TV set is a Radiation King which has appeared in all the Fallout games bar number 2. The brand name is actually a Simpsons' reference to Homer Simpson's childhood TV set which first appears in an episode called Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy. It was included in the first game as an in-joke and stuck around.
Episode 5
A Fusion Core
When Maximus reveals his true identify and fights with Thaddeus, Thaddeus ultimately defeats the power armor by yanking its fusion core. Without that it's basically just a big lump of metal. These are just as vital in Fallout 4 and 76 to power your armor and, later, when another character sees it and comments that you don't see them much anymore, they could easily be talking about how much you need them in-game.
Radroaches revealing their true colors
While Maximus is trapped he's overrun by a group of Radroaches. We've seen a few already in the show but this is the first time they take centre stage and we see then for the pests they are in the game - easy to kill and not really dangerous, just a pain.
Radaway
Anyone who's ever played a Fallout game will have done so with pockets full of Radaway. It magically heals all radiation damage, so when Lucy gets ill from drinking irradiated water earlier this is the obvious choice to fix her up again.
Fiends
The brief fight Maximus and Lucy have on the bridge is with two fiends. They're a chem addicted raider sub-faction - hence the hollow eyes here, who appear in Fallout: New Vegas. They hate basically everyone and, in-game, attack anyone they meet on sight.
Shady Sands
Shady Sands is a critical part of the TV show as the episodes move on and was the capital of the New California Republic. In Fallout 1 and 2 it was the largest known settlement built post-war and a notable location, so it being utterly destroyed in the show isn't an insignificant beat in Fallout history.
Episode 6
The original Codsworth
There aren't many easter eggs in episode 6's largely self-contained story but we do get to meet the man behind that voice: Bartholomew Codsworth, played by Matt Berry. Here he played the actor that 'signed away his rights' to his voice to give life to the Mr Handy robots that litter Fallout. Codsworth is also the name of the specific companion Mr Handy you can have in Fallout 4.
Episode 7
NCR Ranger combat armor
Episode 7 opens up with what is basically the NCR Ranger combat armor that appears on the cover of Fallout: New Vegas. In that game it's almost exclusively used by NCR Rangers but there's no marking here to indicate where this came from. The show is also set about 15 years after New Vegas.
Red Rocket
The next time we see Thaddeus he's approaching a Red Rocket. This is a fairly iconic location from Fallout 4 used in a lot of marketing, as well as a key location you encounter early on. In the lore of Fallout it's basically a gas station for atomic cars.
Tesla Magazine #7
While we say some magazines in Ma's Sundried in episode 2 you could really get a good look at them. Here though we can clearly see Cooper is reading Tesla Magazine #7 from Fallout 4. In the game world, finding and reading these gives you a boost to your energy weapon damage.
It's the actual hacking puzzle from the game
When Norman is hacking the Overseer's computer he uses the actual hacking challenge you'd use in the game. To do it you select a word and it tells you how many letters are right compared to the password - it just a case of picking words, noting the letters and trying to find them all before you run out of guesses.
Another 10mm pistol
We've already seen the 10mm pistol that Lucy grabs in the Super-Duper Mart but Thaddeus has another variation. Specifically the Colt 6520 pistol that appears in Fallout 1 and 2.
Episode 8
The long barrel assault rifle
The weapon that Maximus keeps seeing in his flashback eventually plays a larger part in the coming battle, wielded by several knights. It's a Fallout 4/76 assault rifle, specifically with the long barrel mod.
A sort of Robobrain
Fallout has a long history of brain-in-jar robots appearing every game. Usually they're larger, trundling around on treads with pip-like arms but this tiny little guy sort of counts.
The real Vault-Tech
There's a lot going on in this Vault-Tech meeting. Firstly, the map of the US and the lighting over the table frames a mushroom cloud as a portent of what's to come. Then there's the people in attendance, all of home are big Fallout entries: West Tek is the military defense contractor behind power armor (among other things). Big MT is a research centre that appears in New Vegas. RobCo is the robotic and software in all the games. While, finally REPCON is the Rocket Engineering and Production Company of Nevada.
More importantly when this group are throwing around ideas for vault experiments they're all from the game.
- Vault 27 was deliberatly overcrowded
- Vault 51 had an AI overseer
- Vault 87 was used to create Super Mutants
- Vault 106 had psychotropic drugs pumped into its air supply
- Vault 29 was inhabited only by children, with the parents separated and sent elsewhere
Mr House
The founder of RobCo, or Rob-Co in the TV show, is Mr House who ends up being the ruler of New Vegas in the game Fallout New Vegas - something that seems quite relevant given the tease right at the end of the final episode, Although he'll could well be dead at this point in the time line depending on what ending is considered cannon for the game. In the game he survives the apocalypse as a withered, cybernetically husk in a stasis chamber, running New Vegas through a computer connection.
Toe original Fallout release date
When Hank finally enters the code for the cold fusion tech it's actually the release date of the very first Fallout game - October 10, 1997. (Thanks again to Chris for pointing that out.)
The NCR flag
Hanging proudly next to Moldaver's fusion machine is the New California Republic flag, with it's two headed bear mascot. This government like faction tried to run things in a similar way to pre-war powers with a congress and so on. It's not clear whether it still actually has any power in the TV show as it was last seen in Fallout: New Vegas which is set 15 year earlier.
The laser pistol
When Moldaver appears in the final fight she's weidling a AER9 laser pistol from Fallout 4. Laser pistols appear in all the games and are oddly absent in the show considering.
DEATHCLAWWWWWWW
The final shot of the show reveals not one but two surprises. The first being a Deathclaw skull. These creatures are legendary in Fallout as the absolute apex predator in the wasteland They were actually created by the army as weapons before the war released them into the wild. .
New Vegas
Pretty much the final shot of the show is an interesting one: the New Vegas Skyline. The Lucky 38 Resort and Casino is the big tower and those prongs at the top are unmistakable. While the show takes place 15 years after the events of the New Vegas game, it'll be interesting to head there in season 2.
Fallout, starring Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, and Kyle MacLachlan, is now streaming on Prime Video. For more, check out the rest of our coverage:
- Fallout TV show
- Fallout TV show stars and creators on working with Todd Howard: "It means a lot to get his approval"
- The Fallout TV show went the extra mile – by creating a real-life Pip-Boy for its cast to use
- Fallout TV show star Walton Goggins intentionally chose not to play Fallout, even after getting the job
- Fallout cast watched Twitch and YouTube streams of the games before filming: "Watching people play was vital"
- Kyle MacLachlan immediately sells us on Fallout – by comparing it to two of his greatest works: Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet
- Fallout release schedule
- Fallout season 1 review: "A big Vault Boy-style thumbs up"
- Is the Fallout TV show canon? Here’s what Bethesda’s Todd Howard and the showrunners have to say
- Fallout season 1 ending explained: Hank, Bud’s Buds, and *that* finale location
- When does the Fallout TV show take place on the series timeline?
- Will there be a Fallout season 2?
- The Fallout TV show just revealed the canon origins of Vault Boy's signature thumbs up Fallout’s finale may have just answered the centuries-old mystery behind who started the nuclear apocalypse
- Fallout season 2 sets up [SPOILER] as a major season 2 location
