'Fallout' Is Brutal And One Of The Best Shows Of The Year | REVIEW

"Fallout" succeeded all expectations.

As I wrote in my review of the premiere, I was unbelievably excited for the Amazon series as soon as I saw the first preview.

It's based on a legendary video game series, and despite never playing a single second of the games, I knew anything with Walton Goggins would be worth watching.

After all, how are you going to say no to a series with the man famous for playing Boyd Crowder and Baby Billy? Well, I finally crushed the entire first season, and it was exceptional.

"Fallout" is incredible television.

As usual, I'm going to do my best to avoid spoilers. I hate it when people spoil things for me, and I do everything possible to not ruin things for others.

The plot of "Fallout" isn't terribly complicated on the surface. A massive nuclear attack happens wiping away civilization and only those in a system of vaults survive.

Fast forward more than 150 years and the world has become a post-apocalyptic hell. Some characters survive in vaults. Many live in the wasteland on the surface.

"Fallout" exceeded all expectations. (Credit: Amazon Studios)

Lucy - the show's main protagonist and a member of a vault - is forced to go to the surface when her father is kidnapped following a brutal and bloody attack. That's where the journey starts. Along the way, she meets The Ghoul/Cooper Howard - played by the incredible Walton Goggins, Maximus, plenty of villains and much more.

However, Lucy soon learns that little is as it appears and the life and truths she believed living in a vault are far from reality. In fact, very little is as it appears and the season one finale episode pulls back the curtain in a fashion I haven't seen on TV in a long time. There are some truly stunning reveals that, as someone who never played the games, never saw coming.

There are many outstanding parts of "Fallout."

There are so many great things to love about "Fallout." First, it's incredibly fun. It's similar to "The Last of Us" in many ways. Equally violent and dark, but it also has a comic book and cartoonist feel to it. You might think that doesn't make a lot of sense or that it wouldn't work.

It works unbelievably well. Somehow, brutally violent scenes where humans are forced to do horrific things to survive are unbelievably captivating as music from the 1950s plays. It's so weird, but so cool at the same time.

The acting is also exceptional. Walton Goggins is equal parts sinister, chilling and hilarious as The Ghoul, and the flashback scenes to when he's Cooper Howard are downright sad at times. Cooper wanted to believe in the best of the world. Instead, he found out the worst, and Goggins' ability to captivate viewers makes him a very sympathetic villain. Make no mistake about it. The Ghoul is a very bad person who does very bad things, but it's understandable once you see the transition and journey. Also, the dialogue is wild when it comes to Goggins. Some of it could have come straight out of "Justified," and his short monologue in episode eight is gold.

Finally, the production value is absolutely outrageous. Every single episode feels like a movie, especially the season one finale. Amazon poured an incredible amount of time and money into "Fallout," and it paid off in a huge way.

"Fallout" is incredible and Walton Goggins is amazing in it. (Credit: Amazon Studios)

Overall, I found "Fallout" to probably be the best show of the year so far behind only "Masters of the Air." I didn't play the games, and it didn't matter. It's a hell of a show. A solid 9/10. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.