Two Civil Wars — Opinion on the Third and Fourth Episodes of Fallout
The second season of Fallout has reached its midpoint with the release of the fourth episode, and now we can start drawing conclusions about this much-talked-about adaptation of the video game. Both the third and fourth episodes noticeably accelerate the pace: the series confirms the death of one game character and concludes another's story, showcases the current balance of power among factions, and carefully brings back small details previously seen in the canceled project set in the universe. Simultaneously, the plot highlights the moral aspect of attitudes towards ghouls — a theme less explored in the games. Against this backdrop, both Caesar's Legion and the Brotherhood of Steel get embroiled in their own internal civil wars.
Country: USA
Genre: Sci-fi, Action, Drama, Adventure
Director: Liz Friedlander
Starring: Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten, Moisés Arias, Kyle MacLachlan, Justin Theroux
Season: 2nd season
Premiere: December 17, 2025
Where to watch: Prime Video
Ave, True to Caesar
Spoilers ahead!
In the second episode, Lucy McLane voluntarily ends up in the hands of Caesar's Legion. In the camp, she witnesses brutality: slaves are whipped, teeth are pulled, and they are forced to dig their own graves. Then, before her eyes, a centurion kills a slave Lucy saved by using a precious stimpack. In this same scene, Macaulay Culkin's portrayal of legate Lacerte, the right-hand man of the new Caesar, appears for the first time.
The series also directly establishes the fate of one of the key characters in Fallout: New Vegas. The Legion's founder and first Caesar, Edward Sallow, is dead: his remains are shown on a hill next to the iconic displacer glove. In New Vegas itself, Caesar suffered from a brain tumor, so this outcome is unlikely to surprise those who remember the game well.
Following the historical Caesar's death, a civil war for the empire's legacy ignites in the Wasteland. In one small camp, two Caesars sit who have been unable to extract the note on the heir from the predecessor's body for fifteen years.
As for the Legion's current position, the map in this episode makes it clear: they still control extensive territories in Arizona. According to the legate, the Legion still considers itself at war with the New California Republic, despite its near-total absence in the Mojave. Additionally, the Legion is waging battles against the Brotherhood of Steel and the Great Khans (one of their groups was shot by a Ghoul and Lucy in the first episode).
In Fallout: New Vegas, the Khans could ally with the Legion in one of the endings, but they would effectively lose their independence as a tribe, losing their identity. Now, the series clearly depicts something different: the Khans have broken their alliance with the Legion and are seen as one of the key factions of the Wasteland.
Lucy offers her help to Legate Lacerte to resolve the conflict between the legionnaires. McLane acts like a newbie player in RPG: without thinking of the consequences, she tries to "close" all local problems and complete their quests — even if it concerns one of the cruelest regimes on the ruins of former America. The legate merely smirks at her initiative, and soon the heroine finds herself on a cross — where all "profligates" traditionally end according to Legion laws. Lucy could have faced a much worse fate, but it seems her offer to help the legate saved her from that.
Howdy, partner
Poisoned by a radscorpion sting, the Ghoul amputates the affected limb and, for the first time in decades, makes a genuinely humanitarian act. He decides to rescue Miss Lucy from the Legion's grasp and seeks help from the New California Republic (NCR).
On the way, the Ghoul encounters Victor — a securitron spy of Mr. House known to players. On his recommendation, he contacts three NCR Rangers, who remain nearly the only representatives of the Republic in the Mojave, having received no reinforcements for ten years. Their conversation reveals that the Ghoul previously assisted the NCR. Although today he seems a cynical bounty hunter, the ideals of Cooper Howard still smoulder inside him.
He claims he won't help the rangers — but does the opposite. To free Lucy, he passes false information about the last NCR bastion to the Legion. As he leaves, the Ghoul sets off a dynamite stick in the legionnaire camp using his friend and partner Charles Whiteknife's lighter (Dallas Goldtooth). Near Lucy, he admits he's unsure whether he did something good or just foolish. This decision, while perhaps unwise, underscores the new dynamics: after a bloody struggle for Caesar's body, the Legion might regroup and emerge stronger from the protracted civil war.
Hot Dog!
Ghouls have appeared in every main part of Fallout, but they almost always remained secondary characters. The show's creators made a smart decision to make a ghoul one of the three central characters — and this choice has already influenced the games: in Fallout 76, it's now possible to turn your character into a ghoul. Previously, playable ghouls were mainly associated with Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel.
Against this backdrop, the Brotherhood of Steel's position particularly contrasts — a suspicion of "mutants" has been evident since the first Fallout. Fallout: Tactics often mentions where the Midwestern Brotherhood accepted everyone, from super mutants and ghouls to intelligent deathclaws. Among part of the gaming audience, a more "humanistic" image of the Brotherhood from Fallout 3 has stuck: it accepted outsiders, protected Wasteland residents from super mutants, and distributed supplies of clean water, though even then Brotherhood soldiers frequently fired at intelligent ghouls — albeit with warning shots.
In Fallout 4, this xenophobia extends to synths, and mutants are now called "abominations" in the Brotherhood's rhetoric. The show reaffirms this policy officially enshrined in the Brotherhood's Codex: all abominations must be destroyed.
Thaddeus (Johnny Pemberton) has settled at the Sunset Sarsaparilla factory, where he works as a manager and oversees a shift of dozens of children. Their task is simple: collect bottle caps. Paladin