# Fallout Episode 2: The Target **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, amazon-prime\ **Created:** [April 11, 2024, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137 "2024-04-11T08:05:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/21 "2024-04-13T00:25:56Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > > This episode (and I assume the game) owes a lot to classic _Judge Dredd_ comics. > > I’m a big fan of Judge Dredd having read most of the comics from the 70s through the early 1990s, but I don’t see a lot of Dredd in Fallout. All the weird characters in the wasteland are right out of 2000AD. Especially small touches like “Jim’s Limbs”. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/22 "2024-04-13T00:41:45Z")
Speculation since I won’t be watching episode 3 until later tonight: the chip the doctor implanted in his neck contains information about unopened/undiscovered vaults that he was planning to sell to the raiders. He possibly also gave them Vault 32’s location as proof that he was legit. There must be something special about Dogmeat too, since he saved that specific pup from incineration and raised her himself outside of the Enclave’s obedience program. Guess we’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/23 "2024-04-13T03:52:56Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Still a bit of that video game logic in the beach house, though - after two centuries of exposure to the elements, those skeletons should be a disarticulated mess in a barren field instead of sitting at a table in a mostly-intact house. There are some details it just doesn’t pay to think too carefully about. Maybe high radiation discourages/slows decay? > [@Smapti](#): > > You’d think Knight Titus would care enough about the well-being of his human pack mule/codpiece cleaner to give him some Rad-X before sending him into a yao guai den full of toxic waste. What an asshole. I had the sense that Knight Titus actively wanted Dan as squire and was screwing over Maximus either out of believing him guilty or maybe wanting to kill off Maximus to get a new/different squire… or maybe he’s just that much of an asshole. Or… maybe all of the above. > [@Smapti](#): > > I don’t know what the deal was with the traveling-salesman chickenfucker, but I like his moxie. He’s a weird minor character who is there to show, in part, just how weird/screwed up/dysfunctional wastelanders can be. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/24 "2024-04-13T04:01:07Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Maybe high radiation discourages/slows decay? That’s probably the canon answer in the games. Radiation in Fallout operates under retro-'50s “SCIENCE!” rules where it’s basically a magic McGuffin that does whatever the writers need it to do, which has carried over from the games. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/25 "2024-04-13T14:56:32Z")
In real life extremely high radiation does, in fact, slow or even stop decay… but it doesn’t magically allow you to survive the experience as for the _Fallout_ ghouls. Rads high enough to slow decay are completely incompatible with life. Well, OK, maybe not if you’re [_Deinococcus radiodurans_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinococcus_radiodurans) or one of the other _Deinococcales_, but most of us aren’t a single-celled polyextremophile. It would be hard to make a game or movie with a compelling plot line about four-cell bacterial “colonies” growing on the interior wall of a nuclear reactor. Even if they are more radiation resistant than even the tardigrades. And maybe there are some [radiation-eating fungi.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiosynthesis_(metabolism)) But, again, not fodder for a compelling storyline. Because they aren’t taking over other organisms or eating people. They’re just black smears on the walls or on rocks in high-radiation environments. They don’t _do_ anything. In sum: some artistic license required to be entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/26 "2024-04-14T03:39:52Z")
I honestly think it was self defense. Titus was obviously going to get him killed. Making him explore the cave sans armor was the turning point. It was pure selfish desire to protect himself and he clearly didnt expect hos squire to live long at all. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/27 "2024-04-14T04:19:03Z")
I’ve had to reevaluate my opinion on Maximus because I couldn’t help but come to a similar conclusion after I thought about it for a bit. Titus was a coward and deliberately sent Maximus to almost certain death in order to save his own skin. And that’s where I’ll have to stop because I can’t spoil anything from future episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/28 "2024-04-15T02:56:39Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I honestly think it was self defense. Titus was obviously going to get him killed. Making him explore the cave sans armor was the turning point. Wasn’t Titus saying that he was going to report Maximus to the Brotherhood and that Maximus would be executed as a result? I think that was the decision point because it had become a case of kill or be killed. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/29 "2024-04-15T03:48:25Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Wasn’t Titus saying that he was going to report Maximus to the Brotherhood and that Maximus would be executed as a result? I think the implication was that if Maximus let Titus die he’d be executed for failing his knight. Max responds “Not if I bring back the target”, apparently assuming that if he shows them he succeeded on his own they’ll spare him. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/30 "2024-04-15T03:49:29Z")
That is how I took it… ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/31 "2024-04-15T03:56:38Z")
I felt like Titus was saying he was going to report Maximus regardless just for taking so long, etc. In any event, the lesson here is that if you’re dying, maybe don’t spend your final breaths calling the one guy who can save you a stupid dumbshit over and over again while expecting him to bring you a stimpack. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/32 "2024-04-15T15:50:19Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I’ve had to reevaluate my opinion on Maximus because I couldn’t help but come to a similar conclusion after I thought about it for a bit. Titus was a coward and deliberately sent Maximus to almost certain death in order to save his own skin. Titus sent his squire into that cave as bait to save Titus’ _armored_ skin. Takes a special kind of jerk to red-shirt someone else when the other guy is just wearing a shirt and you’ve got power armor. Not sure how Titus survived long enough to be a knight given that apparently you have to be a squire first and Titus is a frickin’ coward. But when Titus was there talking about how he was going to blame stuff on Maxiumus and get Maximus excuted then I think it becomes about self-defense for Maximus - and even that isn’t a certain thing, that Maximus can escape the situation with his life. Hence he flees. > [@Jophiel](#): > > In any event, the lesson here is that if you’re dying, maybe don’t spend your final breaths calling the one guy who can save you a stupid dumbshit over and over again while expecting him to bring you a stimpack. ^ This. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/33 "2024-04-15T16:15:08Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Titus sent his squire into that cave as bait to save Titus’ _armored_ skin. Takes a special kind of jerk to red-shirt someone else when the other guy is just wearing a shirt and you’ve got power armor. But that’s pretty on-point for the Brotherhood of Steel. They’re basically an entire organization of self-important entitled bullies. They’ve decided it’s _their_ mission to preserve pre-war technology, and no one else is even allowed to use it. And they’ll use every scrap of that tech to kill you if you even try to compete with them. I’ll play them in order to complete a storyline, but there’s no way they’re the good guys here. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/34 "2024-04-18T14:21:05Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I don’t care if the dog’s name is CX404. I’m calling her Dogmeat. They even gave her a teddy bear just like FO4 Dogmeat has, and the scene where they’re running from the turret is a recreation of one of the drawings of Dogmeat from the first game; Apparently chems are a thing (remember the raider using the inhaler of Jet) in the show. _Please_ tell me that they’ll do like everyone else did in the games and dope Dogmeat up on Psycho and let her loose? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/35 "2024-04-18T14:24:27Z")
I think that was just another way to hammer home the arrogance of the BoS and the way they thought. Titus was _so_ convinced that Maximus would stay true to his training and bring him the stimpak despite the continual upbraiding and abuse, because that’s what BoS squires and knights _do_. It never occurred to him that Maximus wouldn’t actually take to that sort of treatment, or that he wouldn’t do what he’s “supposed” to do. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/36 "2024-04-21T23:45:45Z")
That episode was way better than the first. As far as Titus goes, I don’t see where Maximus had a choice. Titus was talking about Maximus being hung by his lungs. The chicken shit idiot was bad mouthing and threatening the only person who could have saved him. Also, with the strength and jump jets, how he couldn’t defeat radiation bear means Titus was too stupid to live. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/37 "2024-04-22T00:10:43Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > radiation bear In-universe they’re called yao guai. > **[Yao guai](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Yao_guai)** > > Yao guai are the mutated descendants of the American black bear. These vicious creatures are found in Appalachia, the Capital Wasteland, the Commonwealth, the Island, and Zion Canyon. Named by descendants of those held in Chinese internment camps... ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/38 "2024-04-22T00:20:24Z")
Is anyone else feeling the nominal subject of the episode really didn’t get enough development? He was just a walking Mcguffin. Our one glance at what is called an Enclave facility of some kind, only shown in the slightest passing (and apparently no real threat to anyone, if the quality of the internal security operations is any indication). Not much like the Enclave of the game, even if they’ve been broken a couple of times. And yet the Target seems to have an unnatural and inexplicable degree of knowledge about about Vault 33 and Lucy. That doesn’t make much sense if Wilzig were just a random Enclave scientist; Vault-Tec and the Enclave were never close allies. I do hope they go back to explain these mysteries in S2. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/39 "2024-04-22T00:23:15Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Not much like the Enclave of the game, even if they’ve been broken a couple of times. Honestly, the fact that the Enclave is still around is kinda surprising - it was implied in New Vegas that the Brotherhood and the NCR had pretty much hunted them to near-extinction and there were only a few left, notwithstanding whatever’s left of the east coast faction after Broken Steel. Incidentally, Fallout 4 is getting a free update this week that includes an Enclave quest chain. > **[Fallout 4 is Getting Free Updates](https://bethesda.net/en/article/4s2bXQEbpcrsdCZhUYLHAi/fallout-4-is-getting-free-updates)** > > Return to the Commonwealth April 25! The free Fallout 4 upgrade arrives on next-gen consoles, updates for PC players and more. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137/40 "2024-04-22T00:33:38Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > > [@Smapti](#): > > > > Was that canon in the old games? It’s on brand, but I don’t remember it coming up. > > Never that on the nose. Vault-tec was deeply embedded in the US government decision loop, in the most exaggerated traditions of “military-industrial complex”. And the Enclave is a fine example of a true Deep State: a government within the government, probably Vault-tec’s main patron, with Vault-tec working hard to further some of the Enclave’s objectives. > > But note that the two are not the same entities and can be assumed to have some divergence in goals. There are _strong_ indications in the game that _someone_ is monitoring at least some of the Vaults directly and remotely. In Fallout 76 (which is better than it used to be, but is still not what I would have liked, and no, I don’t pay for the private server) there is [at least one vault](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Vault_96) where the information on the in-vault research is being uploaded and utilized off-site: > Results will be transmitted via satellite to external facilities for analysis and deployment. There are also multiple vaults where there are secondary/sub vaults that are actively _monitoring_ what’s going on in the primary vault, so you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to what sort of monitoring is going on. Now, there’s a lot of discussion on exactly how intertwined Vault-Tec and the Enclave are, and which is pulling which strings, but assuming some integration and integration is pretty much a given. As for the Enclave in general, they were largely destroyed in their West Coast primary facility, and their main East Coast base was trashed at the end of Fallout 3 DLC, but Fallout 76 establishes that there were a lot of different Enclave facilities spread out in secure locations. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-episode-2-the-target/1000137.md?page=3)