The series depicts the aftermath of an apocalyptic nuclear exchange in an alternate history of Earth where advances in nuclear technology after World War II led to the emergence of a retrofuturistic society and a subsequent resource war. The survivors took refuge in fallout shelters known as Vaults, built to preserve humanity in the event of nuclear annihilation. In the episode, Lucy and Maximus choose to leave Vault 4, Norm continues investigating Vault 31, and Howard's past with Moldaver is explored.
The episode received positive reviews from critics, although some expressed frustration with the episode's pacing.
Plot
In 2077, Howard and Moldaver, who goes by the name "Ms. Williams", talk about her conference. Howard is disgusted by her perception of his friends' deaths in war, and how Vault-Tec may be involved. She reveals that she found a solution to a possible nuclear conflict after working on cold fusion research, which could also provide unlimited energy. However, the war-profiting conglomerate behind Vault-Tec shelved the project. She asks him to watch over Barb, even telling him to record their conversations by bugging her Pip-Boy.
In present day, Lucy is scolded by Ben for breaking into level 12. He states that the experiments were real, but were performed by the previous dwellers before they arrived. Lucy is under the impression that she is being executed, but is then told by Ben to simply leave the Vault following a mock public execution, even giving her a cache of supplies, to her complete surprise. Maximus activates his armor after stealing the Vault's fusion core and tries to defend Lucy from what he believes to be attacking residents but soon realises the true situation, and he decides to leave with her. Maximus reveals his real identity to Lucy, who forgives him for lying and even offers to let him live with her at Vault 33. However, she scolds him for stealing the Vault's fusion core, and convinces him to return it.
In the wasteland, Thaddeus tries to find a radio station to send a message to the Brotherhood, abandoning CX404 in the process. He encounters a snake oil salesman, the same man who Maximus had encountered much earlier, and he sells him an unknown concoction to heal his broken foot in exchange for his fusion core. Thaddeus accepts, with the concoction healing his foot immediately. He then reaches the radio station, with Lucy and Maximus arriving shortly after. After shooting at them, Thaddeus triggers a booby trap and is shot through the neck by a crossbow. He removes the bolt and rapidly heals, leading Maximus to infer that Thaddeus has turned into a Ghoul. With the Brotherhood nearing, Thaddeus gives them Wilzig's head and flees to avoid being killed. Maximus decides to distract them while Lucy leaves with Wilzig's head, and they kiss before parting.
In Vault 33, Betty is starting to relocate some of the inhabitants to Vault 32. With the co-overseers separated and some of the raiders mysteriously dying, Norm decides to impersonate Betty to hack into her conversations with Vault 31's overseer. He is given access to "return" to Vault 31, and he enters the Vault, without encountering anybody. At the end of the main corridor, he is shocked by something off camera.
The episode, along with the rest of the season, premiered on April 10, 2024, on Amazon Prime Video.[3] Originally, the season was scheduled to premiere on April 12, 2024.[4]
Critical reception
"The Radio" received positive reviews from critics. William Hughes of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote, "Character work is the cold fusion that keeps things powered for the long haul, and 'The Radio' just doesn't keep the lights on as well as it could. It has some fun moments, a few good gags, a nicely earned kiss, and one very good dog. But it can't do much to transcend that fact that it's an episode almost entirely about setting up what happens in the next episode."[5]
Jack King of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The last handful of episodes have been stuffed. It's enough to lead you to suspect the show to have been conceived with a longer initial season in mind; even at just shy of an hour long, six and seven ask you to get through a lot and retain a lot of new information before the finale. Even so, it's impressive that the show has managed to weave together the pre- and post-war arcs so seamlessly."[6]
Sean T. Collins of Decider wrote, "If you're in a Vault, and you're not conducting an experiment, you're the experiment. That's the lesson I think Lucy MacLean ought to take from her madcap adventures in the mysterious Vault 4, which come to a surprising conclusion in this, yet another charmingly nasty episode of Fallout."[7] Ross Bonaime of Collider gave the episode a 8 out of 10 and wrote, "Fallout's penultimate episode is putting the pieces in compelling places for the finale, leaving our characters in their most interesting positions so far, as we wait for the ending to likely cause mayhem in their stories."[8]
Joshua Kristian McCoy of Game Rant gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Fallout delivers on its premise in every way that matters, sometimes to its own detriment. It's a show worth seeking out and an instant classic of its genre. Future video game adaptations should look at this as an example."[9] Greg Wheeler of The Review Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Fallout sets everything up for a very intriguing finale to follow. All roads appear to be leading toward the mystery of Vault 31 and what may actually be inside. This sets everything up nicely for what should be a dramatic final chapter."[10]
