Episode 1 notes, written without retrospection:
I've never been thrilled about digging too deeply into the details of the pre-war. To me, questions like "who started it?" should remain murky since the real answer is that it doesn't matter.
That said, I did like the pre-war scene of Goggins as a cowboy. The design of the pre-war homes and atmosphere felt right. I mildly recoiled at the "thumb measures blast distance" thing, because that's quite actually something a commenter on Reddit made up about the Vault Boy pose and it's become accepted fact. I did notice right at the beginning of the episode that one of the parents was asian, and that only caught my attention because the anti-Chinese (and implicit wider anti-asian) sentiment in the pre-war US has been something long established, so it was weird to see that guy at a party hosted by somebody willing to call Goggins a commie at the drop of a hat.
Lucy's introduction was really well done. I liked her mannerisms and nervous ticks during the application process.
Lucy's montage shows her using a Sterling submachinegun. Probably just a production choice to fit the aesthetic. Interesting choice though.
Oh neat, 1984 Paul Atredies.
The fake corn field with the projectors on the walls feels like something that would have been right at home in the sensibilities of Fallout 2.
The reproductive limit and culture of the vault is hitting that right note of dark, funny, but also logical outcome.
Very briefly there is a shot of a priest for the wedding wearing a modified vault suit. Neat.
Lucy's actress is killing it with the facial expressions.
Vault 33 dwellers still think of themselves as Americans.
Vault 32 dwellers have a lot of tattoos and scars at the wedding. Obviously deliberate production choice. Wait a minute are these raiders impersonating vault dwellers?
Dead corn field is chilling.
Yup. Raiders. Proud of myself for calling it.
The gore is on point already with that blender-to-face hit.
I swear that knife she picks up from the raider is designed specifically to resemble the Fallout 1 rusty knife.
Jet confirmed in the show.
BOS is flying US flag along with their own.
BOS recruits wearing OG107s or something really close.
BOS blimps are just a thing everyone now. Aight.
Casual BOS barracks masturbation.
A vault is supposed to have roughly 1000 people. That group of survivors is in the 20s or 30s. "Dwindled numbers"? That vault is done.
So the quest is find a lost relative, huh? Mr. Todd, you are a crafty one, slipping into that writer's room.
Vault 33's door is just sitting right on the surface? Weird. Traditionally vault doors are at least partially hidden.
Ghoul Goggins is cool.