Lucy takes the head to her next destination, with the Ghoul and Maximus not far behind. Maximus, however, must contend with keeping up his impersonation of Titus when the Brotherhood of Steel suddenly issues him a replacement squire in the form of Thaddeus, one of his former bullies. In Vault 33, the community ponders what to do with the captured raiders.
Tropes:
- Anachronism Stew: In-Universe. Due to the new Red Scare, Cooper's cowboy character in the Western they are shooting calls his enemy a "Commie" even though that slang term didn't emerge until the 20th century, well after the Wild West era was over. Ironically, while Cooper was complaining about the darker script, he learns that it was from a new director, who replaced the old one who was accused of being a Commie.
- The Bait: The Ghoul uses Lucy as bait to lure the Gulper that ate the head.
- …But He Sounds Handsome: Maximus, impersonating Titus, claims that his squire died bravely and with honour.
- Chain of Harm: Thaddeus explains his bullying of Maximus by revealing that he himself was bullied before Maximus joined. He then expresses sadness that Maximus didn't get to continue the chain, having "died" before finding his own recruit to bully.
- Darker and Edgier: In-universe. An opening flashback shows Coop unsure of his new movie, where his sheriff shoots a fallen unarmed man in the head, a huge departure from the clean-cut roles of the past. The director says that audience tastes are changing, and they need to "update" his image.
- Dead Person Impersonation: Rather than say Titus died in battle, Maximus impersonates Titus over the radio and claims that it was "his squire" that fell. A new squire is later sent to assist him, forcing Maximus to continue playing the role.
- Eat the Camera: When the Gulper first appears in full view, one shot is of the inside of its mouth which, horrifically, is lined with dozens of twitching human fingers.
- Feedback Rule: At Vault 33, when Woody and Reg share a microphone during a public discussion about what to do with the raiders, the mic produces audio feedback from time to time, underpinning the awkwardness of the situation.
- The Golden Rule: Invoked by Lucy when complaining about the Ghoul's treatment of her, though her "do unto others" ideology falls on deaf ears.
- Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Norman is the only Vault 33 resident who seems to grasp there's no way to "educate" the raiders and that just executing them might be the best option. He does get backing from Steph, who wants payback for losing her husband and her right eye.
- Head Crushing: Maximus uses the arm of his power armor to crush the head of one of the looters.
- Losing a Shoe in the Struggle: Lucy loses a boot to a Gulper as it's trying to swallow her.
- Mythology Gag:
- As The Ghoul and CX404 start following Lucy's tracks at the beginning, they end up recreating the Fallout 4 trailer shot of the Sole Survivor and Dogmeat wandering on the road.
- The Ghoul complains that, in the wasteland, you get "sidetracked by bullshit every goddamned time". Fallout players know that feeling all too well.
- The bulky machine gun that Thaddeus uses on the Gulper is clearly based on the widely disliked assault rifles
in Fallout 4. - The Ghoul (Cooper Howard) is revealed to be the real-life inspiration for the Vault Boy, his wife having gotten him a role in Vault-Tec's advertisements. He even does the thumbs up.
- The Vault 33 inhabitants are told that their water chip has broken.
- One of the Vault Dwellers suggests as a means of reforming the Raiders, he could teach them Shakespeare. This was attempted by Rex Goodman in Fallout 4, with a pack of Commonwealth Super Mutants, who, similarly to the raiders, tend to be Always Chaotic Evil. Rex's attempt largely fails, although a mistaken understanding of Macbeth does lead one mutant, Strong, to gain an interest in humanity beyond solely as food (albeit "solely" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence).
- At one point, Lucy walks past a ruined van with the Sunset Sarsaparilla logo on referencing the popular soft energy drink from Fallout: New Vegas.
- Never Speak Ill of the Dead: When "Titus" asks Thaddeus about Maximus, whom everyone believed was dead, Thaddeus is reluctant to say anything negative about him, and even when ordered, mainly talks about his own bullying of Maximus.
- On a Soundstage All Along: The opening scene of Cooper punishing a Bandito turns out to be a movie scene when the camera pulls back to reveal the soundstage they are shooting on.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Though the Vault 33 council wants to rehabilitate the captured raiders, Norman instead offers that they should kill the raiders as the raiders would have (and did) to them if the roles were reversed, the logical (if immoral) conclusion of the very same Golden Rule espoused by Lucy.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: Played with. Norman should be punished for letting Lucy go, but he's already been demoted to menial jobs in the past, and, as he puts it, "how do you demote someone who equally dislikes every job he's ever worked?" They settle on him having to deliver food to the raider prisoners.
- Screams Like a Little Girl: Thaddeus briefly gives a high-pitched scream as he is being dragged away by the Gulper.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: Thaddeus praises Maximus for his idea to keep the Ghoul alive so they can track his movements via their radiation detector. Maximus wasn't actually aware of that fact but assures Thaddeus that this was indeed his intention all along.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: When Maximus first confronts the thieves who are trying to steal his power armor, they outnumber him several to one, and he is severely beaten for his trouble.
- Thirsty Desert: The Ghoul takes Lucy prisoner and doesn't let her take a drink from his flask while they are crossing the dry and hot wasteland.
- Too Dumb to Live: The men who try to hijack Maximus' power armor seem familiar with how it works, but they make the mistake of beating Maximus against it while it is open and accessible. Maximus moves its arm close enough to grab and crush one of the men's heads like a melon, scaring the rest of them away.
- Torture Always Works: Discussed. While submitting Lucy to what she believes is just Water Torture, the Ghoul tells her that he doesn't believe torture actually works; instead, he's using her as bait to lure the Gulper out.
- Tracking Device: As a precaution, Lucy shoves a tracker up the head's nose so she can find it if she loses it.
- Water Torture: Subverted. The Ghoul ties Lucy to a winch with an anchor around her neck, seemingly drowning her (in a manner similar to waterboarding) to get information out of her. Then he explains that he isn't torturing her; he's using her as bait to lure the Gulper that ate the head.
- We Have Reserves: Squires are not equipped with armor or weapons to defend themselves which largely reduces their chance of survival in combat. However, that doesn't matter because squires are easy to come by. The higher-ups of the Brotherhood learn of Maximus' "death", and quickly announce to "Titus", whom Maximus is impersonating after letting him die, that they are sending a new Squire to assist. Maximus insists that is not needed, but they say they have plenty of Squires to heed the call.
- What You Are in the Dark:
- Maximus has several opportunities to kill his bully Thaddeus but decides against it, even saving him from a Gulper about to eat him. That doesn't stop him from some minor abuses of authority though, such as forcing him to climb an obviously dead tree in search of an apple.
- On the flipside, Thaddeus, having no idea he was talking to Maximus, acknowledges his jerkass behavior toward Maximus was motivated by a desire to fit in with the crowd, and even admits he feels guilty, at least to the degree that Maximus never got a New Meat aspirant he could bully.
