This article contains spoilers for Fallout episode 7, "The Radio". If you're not caught up with the series yet, here's how to watch the Fallout TV show instead.
Prime Video's Fallout TV show brings Bethesda's post-apocalyptic video game franchise to life in a new story set in the Wasteland. The series tells an original story involving three core survivors (Lucy, Maximus and The Ghoul) whose tales play out across a version of Los Angeles more than 200 years after the world was completely transformed by nuclear war.
Fallout episode 7 is the series' penultimate episode, and it sets the stage for an epic conclusion. Lucy and Maximus manage to escape Vault 4 (even after Lucy discovers the Vault's dark secrets), and a promise is made as sparks start to fly between the two of them. Meanwhile, The Ghoul closes in on Moldaver's location, whilst Lucy's brother Norman continues to uncover more of Vault 33's secrets.
Here's a full recap of Fallout episode 7.
Learning the truth
Fallout's penultimate episode begins out in the Wasteland, with two masked figures roaming the sands. They return home and unmask... and The Ghoul is sitting at their dinner table, eating a meal that's been served up by the older man's daughter. He says he's here for only information, and the father says he'll give it if The Ghoul leaves them in peace.
The Ghoul's asking after the man's eldest son, Rufus, who took up with the 'mad woman in the hills' (Moldaver) about two years ago. As it turns out, The Ghoul already crossed paths with Rufus, and worse, he's learned that he got his younger brother, Tommy, entangled, learning that Tommy was entrusted with a stash of caps to pay a courier for Dr Wilzig's safe passage to Moldaver. The Ghoul only wants Moldaver's exact location, and he'll go on his way.
Tommy, reluctantly, passes on this info; Moldaver's camped out at some sort of observatory. Before the Ghoul gets up from the table, he asks if Tommy will allow him to leave without trying anything. As if prompted, the boy tries to grab a gun, but The Ghoul kills the boy before he can even get set up, and leaves the homestead.
Back in Pre-War times, we see Cooper Howard attending Moldaver's speech at Hollywood Forever. Partway through, he interrupts and goes to leave; she accuses Howard of both being too sensitive and being paid to abandon his principles.
Charlie Whiteknife tries to bundle Cooper out of the speech, but Moldaver stops him; she sees this as a teachable moment. Moldaver knows his wife... and hins that she knows about a different side to her. One-on-one, Moldaver asks Cooper Howard to help her spy on Vault-Tec's inner workings, giving him a listening device to bug Barb's communications. He tries to give the device back, but she insists he keep it.
Then, we hop over to Vault 4 once again. Birdie and Benjaming have Lucy restrained, and show her a holotape of what was really happening on Level 12. She's shown a video from the Vault's original Overseer, Hawthorne. The clip sees him talking about trying to "hybridise" the Vault's residents with other creatures, before a Gulper breaks into the room and attacks.
After the clip, Birdie explains that what Lucy's just watched is "her history", an example of what Vault 4's original residents were actually like. The Vault Dwellers lured people like Benjamin inside so they could perform experiments on them in a test environment. Those people rebelled, and took control of the facility and were trying to ease the pain of the people who'd been experimented on.
Lucy's bemused when Benjamin asked what experiment was going on in Vault 33; she isn't nothing of the sort was happening there. Regardless of her ignorance of Vault-Tec's insidious side, Lucy is to be punished for bringing violence into Vault 4. From the comfort of his new home, Maximus sees Lucy being herded down a corridor with a bag over her head, and prepares to come to her aid.
Banishment
Thaddeus arrives at a Red Rocket gas station and takes a moment to assess the damage to his foot (it's bad). While there, he stashes CX404 in a Nuka Cola unit and continues on his quest to return the head to the Brotherhood of Steel.
Back in Vault 4, Lucy's subject to a public trial, where she's told the people of Vault 4 are peaceful, but won't allow someone to threaten their peace. It looks like she's about to be attacked in some way. She's actually sentenced to banishment to the surface world, and she's even being sent on her way with two weeks' worth of fresh supplies. So, basically, she gets to leave just like she wants. Lucy accepts her "punishment", but asks that Maximus be allowed to stay, seeing as he likes his new home.
Unbeknownst to Lucy, Maximus has gone to retrieve his Power Armor. To power it, he steals the Vault's Fusion Core and busts into the assembly, demanding Lucy be set go and grappling with some of the guards... before Lucy can explain that she's completely unharmed.
Understandably, both of our survivors are ejected from the Vault. Outside, Lucy explains that the Vault won't survive running on its backup power, and talks Maximus into leaving the core (and thus, his Power Armor) behind. Afterward, the pair have a sweet moment, where she calls Maximus 'the best stranger she's ever met'.
In response, Maximus reveals his real name, and what happened to the real Knight Titus. He does not feel like a good person, but she assures him that life on the surface just sucks, and invites him to stay in Vault 33, with her. Then, they once again set out to get their hands on Wilzig's head.
After this diversion, we see Thaddeus out in a different part of the Wasteland. The snake oil salesman who's cropped up in multiple episodes spots him and rushes up, promising he can help Thaddeus deal with his injury. The trader whisks him into his "pharmacy" and tells him he's developed a serum that can fix all kinds of maladies. Thaddeus doesn't have caps, but he happily trades the Fusion Core he took from Maximus for the serum.
Miraculously, whatever the trader gives him actually helps, and the guy even directs him to a radio tower where he might be able to reach the Brotherhood of Steel. Thaddeus knows the tower is near Shady Sands (which is highly irradiated), but the trader ominously warns Thaddeus doesn't need to worry about that sort of thing anymore...
Separate ways
Next, we're back to Vault 33. Citizens are about to find out whether they're being moved into Vault 32 or not. Many of the Raiders they held captive has also been poisoned; Overseer Betty promises she will get to the bottom of this, and then activates the system distributing Vault assignments from her Pip-Boy.
Norm is staying in Vault 33; he seeks out Chet, who is being moved into a family unity in Vault 32 with Steph and her baby. Norm visits the former Gatekeeper; when Chet admits he thinks this is time for a fresh start (ie. he wants to leave their investigation in the past), Norm calls him a coward. Chet counters, saying they're all cowards, as they're living underground in a giant Vault.
Above ground, The Ghoul arrives at Red Rocket. He frees CX404 from the Nuka-Cola bin, and then we flashback to Cooper Pre-War yet again. He connects the listening device to Barb's Pip-Boy, then changes his mind and throws it in the trash. But that evening, he has another change of heart and rescues it from the trash.
We next see Thaddeus arriving at the KPSS radio tower (with Lucy and Maximus also nearby). He's having a chat with the broadcaster, and notes he is impressed by the guy's many creative booby-traps. When Lucy and Maximus arrive, Thaddeus opens fire at them but misses every single shot.
Lucy approaches, hands in the air, saying she just wants the head. Thaddeus backs up, activating one of the traps that fires a bolt through his neck. Shockingly, he's able to extract it and seems unharmed, which prompts Maximus to suggest Thaddeus might have become a ghoul.
At that point, Brotherhood of Steel Vertibirds are seen overhead. Thaddeus will be killed if the Brotherhood finds out he's a ghoul, so Maximus tells him to hand over the head, and then flee the area. Maximus then gives Wilzig's head to Lucy, grabs another human head from the nearby traps, and says he'll hand the wrong one over to the Brotherhood, so she can take the real target and go after her father. Before they part ways, Lucy kisses Maximus and promises to wait for him in Vault 33.
The episode ends with us back in Vault 33. Betty has assembled the whole community to say goodbye to the folks moving to Vault 32. Steph is elected the interim Overseer for the new Vault 32 group, and then they're sent on their way. Afterwards, Norman sneaks into Betty's office. He uses her terminal to contact the Overseer of Vault 31.
In this exchange, the other figure asks if Betty is "compromised". Norm says yes, and the mystery figure orders "Betty" to return to Vault 31 immediately. With that, we end with Norman making his way into the other connected Vault. No one greets him at the door (which is promptly sealed behind him), but we're left on a cliffhanger as he finally lays eyes on someone, or something... what's he learned?!
All eight episodes of the Fallout TV show are now streaming on Prime Video.
