Fallout

Recently I tried to watch the TV series Fallout. It is a TV series based on the popular computer game of the same name. During my third try, I reached 3 or 4 minutes into the 4^th episode of season 1 before I stopped and began a short conversation with ChatGPT. Below is how it went. After I present the conversation, I want to talk about Science Fiction as a genre and talk about what I feel makes for good sci-fi, and what makes for bad sci-fi. I realize that everyone has their own opinion about this stuff and what I have to say, many will or might disagree with. Let’s see where this takes us.

Before we get to the AI conversation, I guess we should get a summary for those unfamiliar with the TV series Fallout. When queried, ChatGPT had this to offer:

“Fallout” is a post-apocalyptic science-fiction TV series set in a retro-futuristic version of America devastated by nuclear war. The story follows survivors emerging from underground vaults centuries later as they navigate a brutal wasteland filled with mutated creatures, warring factions, and the remnants of a once-optimistic society, blending dark humor, violence, and social satire inspired by the popular “Fallout” video game franchise.

The conversation: (note that I have orange-highlighted some things that ChatGPT offered, which I feel really nails what I think/feel about Fallout.)

Me:
Is there any point to the TV series called Fallout? It seems so banal, without much of a story.

ChatGPT:
That reaction is pretty common, especially if you went in expecting a tightly plotted, traditional drama.

Yes, there is a point to Fallout — but it’s not primarily about plot momentum. The series is doing a few specific things that can feel banal if those goals don’t land for you:

1. It’s a satire first, story second

Fallout inherits the games’ core idea: a darkly comic critique of American exceptionalism, corporate power, and blind faith in technology.

The cheery 1950s optimism smashed against nuclear annihilation is the point — the emptiness, repetition, and absurdity are intentional.

If you’re looking for:

• escalating stakes
• clean character arcs
• a central mystery driving everything

… it can feel flat, because the show often prefers vignettes and irony over propulsion.

2. The banality reflects a broken world

The wasteland isn’t epic in a heroic sense. It’s:

• petty
• cruel
• cyclical
• often stupid

The show keeps undercutting moments that should feel meaningful, which reinforces the idea that human systems rebuild themselves badly, even after total collapse.

3. Character > narrative

The real throughline is watching:

• Lucy’s idealism erode
• Maximus struggle with hollow authority
• The Ghoul embody moral decay stretched over centuries

Their internal shifts matter more than the external plot, which can feel meandering if you’re not invested in them.

4. It’s made for people steeped in the games’ tone

For long-time Fallout fans, the show feels like a faithful translation of:

• environmental storytelling
• moral ambiguity
• absurd violence with no catharsis

For non-players, that can register as style without substance.

Bottom line

If you’re asking, “What is this building toward?” — the honest answer is: a worldview, not a destination.

If that doesn’t resonate, it’s not a failure of attention on your part. It just means Fallout is speaking in a language you may not care to listen to.

If you’d like, I can:

• explain what the games do better than the show
• compare Fallout to other post-apocalyptic series (like Station Eleven or The Last of Us)
• or say plainly whether it’s worth continuing based on what you usually enjoy

Me:
Thanks for the response. Based on what I have read and have seen in the series so far is that it makes a sad statement on only the worst of humankind, while poking fun at what might be good. It feels to me that it is made for gamers who hide behind their computer screen killing zombies and whatnot, instead of going out in the world and making something better of it – putting in some effort instead of just complaining about it. I don’t think I can watch anymore, as I know there is far better TV that does celebrate humankind and helps to make a difference that way. I had hoped that Fallout would contain some of that. I do appreciate good sci-fi, but this is not it, in my opinion.

ChatGPT:
That’s a very thoughtful, coherent reaction — and honestly, a fair one.

What you’re responding to isn’t just tone, it’s moral posture. Fallout largely assumes that when the mask comes off, people default to cruelty, stupidity, or self-interest, and that whatever “good” exists is fragile, ironic, or naïve. It does poke fun at virtue more than it honors it. If you value science fiction as a space that asks how we might become better, rather than why we fail, then Fallout is almost philosophically opposed to what you’re looking for.

Your gamer observation also lands on something real. The franchise emerged from a tradition of detached participation: you roam, you observe moral collapse, you make choices — but you’re never truly accountable. That distance can slide into a kind of cynical spectatorship. For viewers who believe art should invite responsibility or aspiration, that stance can feel indulgent, even regressive.

There’s also a deeper split in science fiction itself:

• Fallout sits in the satirical nihilism camp
  → “Look how ridiculous and awful we are; nothing really changes.”
• Whereas the sci-fi you seem to be drawn to is closer to humanist speculation
  → “Given catastrophe, what values endure — or should we fight to preserve?”

Shows like Station Eleven, The Leftovers, Babylon 5, Star Trek (at its best), or even The Expanse — despite its darkness — still argue that effort, cooperation, and moral struggle matter. Fallout mostly shrugs at that idea.

So no, you’re not “missing” some hidden layer that suddenly redeems the series. If anything, it doubles down on its worldview as it goes on. Your instinct to stop is reasonable, not premature.

I also appreciate that you weren’t just saying “this is bad,” but why it fails for you. That tells me you’re not rejecting sci-fi — you’re rejecting cynicism masquerading as insight.

If you’d like, I’d be happy to recommend:

• science fiction TV that genuinely celebrates human effort and moral growth
• or darker sci-fi that still believes choices matter
• or even non-sci-fi series that quietly do what you’re describing — help people imagine being better

Just say the word.

Me:
Thanks, I appreciate your insights. That is all for now.

ChatGPT:
You’re very welcome. I’m glad the conversation was useful to you.

If you ever feel like picking this thread up again — about sci-fi, storytelling, or anything else that’s on your mind — I’ll be here. Take care, and enjoy the far better TV you’ve already found.

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That ended the conversation with AI. For me Fallout embodied everything I don’t like about much science fiction. I truly hate post-apocalyptic sci-fi! I always feel, or think to myself – “is that the best you can come up with? Crikey, give humans some credit!” The same goes for sci-fi about warring with aliens, and other such things. Humans are capable of so much more and this type of sci-fi mostly sides-steps that.

What I do like is sci-fi that looks at the human condition, especially the part that looks at how humans struggle with good and bad, but ultimately where good triumphs. Not in any particular order, below are many of the sci-fi offerings I have enjoyed for my reasons stated above.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Gene Rodenberry’s opus on the human condition – all focused on entertaining, but more importantly focusing on what makes us human and how to embrace all that is good in us.

I liked most of Jack McDevitt’s books. His books are sci-fi, but are more about exploration, and character development. Struggles along the way but always overcome.

One’s I have read include: The Hercules Text (1986), A Talent for War (1989), The Engines of God (1994), Ancient Shores (1996), Eternity Road (1997), Moonfall (1998), Deepsix (2000), Infinity Beach (2000), Slow Lightning (2000), Hello Out There (2000), Chindi (2002), Omega (2003), Polaris (2004), Seeker (2005), Odyssey (2006), Cauldron (2007), The Devil’s Eye (2008), Time Travelers Never Die (2009), Echo (2010),Firebird (2011), The Cassandra Project (With: Mike Resnick) (2012), Starhawk (2013), Coming Home (2014), Thunderbird (2015), The Long Sunset (2018), A Voice in the Night (2018), Octavia Gone (2019).

I enjoyed many books by Robert J. Sawyer.

One’s I have read include: Flashforward (1999), Calculating God (2000), Mindscan (2005).

I enjoyed all the books I read by Arthur C. Clark.

One’s I have read include: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 2010: Odyssey Two (1982), 2061: Odyssey Three, (1987), 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997), Rendezvous with Rama (1973),Rama II (With: Gentry Lee) (1989),The Garden of Rama (With: Gentry Lee) (1991), Rama Revealed (With: Gentry Lee) (1993), others as well.

I enjoyed all the books I read by H.G. Wells, not all sci-fi, but good, nonetheless.

One’s I have read include: The Time Machine (1895), The Wonderful Visit (1895), The Wheels of Chance (1896), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897),The War of the Worlds (1898), When the Sleeper Awakes (1899), Love and Mr. Lewisham (1899), The First Men in the Moon (1901), The Sea Lady (1902), The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth (1904), A Modern Utopia (1905), In the Days of the Comet (1906), The War in the Air (1908), Tono-Bungay (1909), Ann Veronica (1909), The History of Mr Polly (1910), The Sleeper Awakes (1911), The New Machiavelli (1911), possibly others.

I don’t even mind dark sci-fi, but it has to have a point and look deep into the human condition, even showing the dark side – but it must have a thread of humankind’s ability to overcome adversity. A few I have enjoyed include:

A Brave New World (1932) – Aldous Huxley
1984 (1949) – George Orwell
Animal Farm (1945) – George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451 (1953) – Ray Bradbury

Other good sci-fi I have read or watched include:

The Martian (2011) by Andy Weir

Humans – TV series (2015 to 2018), 3 seasons, 24 episodes.

The Terminator series including: The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), Terminator Genisys (2015), Terminator: Dark Fate (2019).

The Man in the High Castle – TV series (2015 to 2019), 4 seasons, 40 episodes – based on the book by Phillip K. Dick.

Bladerunner (1982) – based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick.

Bladerunner 2049 (2017) – based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick.

And, of course, science fiction that looks at developing as a species, to become better, or overcome odds that had us on the wrong path, is good too.

The Giver (2014) – movie based on the 1993 book by Lois Lowry.

I am sure I have read and watched much more science fiction than what I mentioned above, but that is all that come to mind at this point. If you can think of some great sci-fi that moved you, let me know in the comments.

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When sci-fi is good, it is my favorite genre. In the past I have created some 3D renders that hint at the sci-fi gamers’ world and sci-fi in general. I wish there was more to show, but below are ones that I enjoyed creating. Dark and mysterious is the theme, if that is not obvious.

Cryo Storage – Created by Don Cheke

Shaft with Walk – Created by Don Cheke

Cells – Created by Don Cheke

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It is my hope that my negative view of Fallout hasn’t offended anyone. If it has, sorry about that. I know that we all have different tastes, but my reaction to Fallout made me feel a need to express my thoughts about it and science fiction in general. Sci-fi often gets a bad rap, but I believe that there are many people who love the genre but stay silent because of the bad rap.

If you want, let me know how you feel about the subject.

Donald B. Cheke – Saskatoon, SK