IR TV Review: FALLOUT - EPISODE 3 (“The Profligate”) [Prime-S2]
The aspect of consequence continues to spark in Episode 3 of Fallout in Season 2 titled "The Profligate" but it shows a tendency of reflection. It is by far the most dynamic we have seen The Ghoul because it really shows a sense of Cooper's pain and his path. One flashback sequence inside a hall that is then match cut into another perfectly illustrates the action he had just undertaken, by bad decision or tendency, and yet irreversible. It is totally justified but reminiscent of his old life which makes it all the more telling. The fact that is integrated in a sense of quasi but satiric religiosity balanced with tyranny is interesting. A specific guest star plays into this idea which was teased at the end of the previous episode. The texture of Lucy and the context of how she sees her sins (as it were) is a unique perspective that s comes to bear here. Her ego of righteousness has its bell run so speak. But the rung of superiority continues to fluctuate.
A stop for The Ghoul again paints a picture of a fall from grace which again is undeniable and makes the path of this episode better than others. It is not just moving the plot even though it does just that. The same is true of Maximus which boasts another guest star who makes us see the veneer start to strip away from the blistered soldier. You see joy in Maximus and yet despite best intentions he finds himself in a tug of war of sorts filtered through a darkness of values which will likely lead to ruin. The same is true of The Ghoul at the beginning of the episode. He is left for dead but is still a soldier even though he serves only one master. And yet the aspect of the one loyal subject at his side is very telling. Whether all these decisions bode well or not is to be seen but one thing that this episode does well is misdirect at points and yet points to another showdown on the horizon which is ultimately not really going to make anyone the victor. It also doesn't waste its time with extraneous material. It is lean and mean and just as detailed and mythic as it needs to be. A
By Tim Wassberg
