Fallout quickly became a runaway hit for Amazon Prime Video (one of the best streaming services), and for good reason. The post-apocalyptic drama series featured a compelling story filled with entertaining characters. Not only that, but the show proved to be a worthy take on the major video game franchise that inspired it. Nevertheless, executive producer Jonathan Nolan laid down some important ground rules when it came to adapting the game. At least one of the most important regulations was broken by the makeup and costume teams, though, and, funny enough, fans caught it before Nolan and the writers did.
What Rule Did Jonathan Nolan Institute During The Making Of Fallout?
Based on what Jonathan Nolan shared about Fallout during and after its first season’s run on the 2024 TV schedule, he knew exactly how he wanted to approach the show. Part of that plan, unsurprisingly, was to remain true to the source material, though he didn’t want to be beholden to it, it seems. Michael Harvey, the head of the show’s makeup department, explained as much when he spoke to our sister site, PC Gamer. As Harvey (a 2024 Emmy nominee) discussed, Nolan asked that the team “lean into the world for what it is, and take the elements from that world.” The makeup guru also said the following:
Jonah [Jonathan Nolan] explicitly told me, use the game as a reference. … Don't carbon copy anything.
That’s a solid rule of thumb, if you ask me. On one hand, the games should definitely serve as guides for the development of the series. Though, at the same time, one wouldn’t just want to lean on all of that material, copying and pasting it at will. Any creators behind upcoming video game adaptations should seek to expand on the mythos of their respective game franchises.
Jonathan Nolan and co. have certainly done just that with Fallout, which features an original story and original characters. It’s no wonder that it’s been as successful as The Last of Us (which admittedly is calibrated to be very similar to its source material).
Despite everything I’ve just said, though, I’m still delighted that the costume and makeup departments were able to sneak past Nolan’s edict. And there’s a fair chance that you yourself may not have even caught on to this.
What Was The Easter Egg That The Crew Managed To Sneak In?
The rule-breaking infraction in question comes into play during the fifth episode of Fallout’s first season. Within the episode, Lucy MacLean and Maximus team up as they make their way across the dangerous wasteland that was once the United States. The two eventually have to cross a bridge, where they have a run-in with two raiders. While Lucy tries to persuade the pair to act peacefully, violence ensues. The strangers are killed and Maximus is wounded. So what does this have to do with the Easter egg? Well, one of the raiders was dressed up exactly like a character from one of the games.
Michael Harvey went on to explain that it was costume designer Amy Wescott who “dressed this [actor] like somebody right out of the game.” The makeup artist then explained how he took advantage of that opportunity:
So I took that character and that likeness and literally made it one of the characters from the game, and I figured, you know what? It was such a [minor] character. Nobody's ever going to catch it.
The character from the show was named Rink and was based on Fallout 4’s Cricket, an arms dealer who frequented certain locations within the game. It was quite amazing that Jonathan Nolan and the writing team weren’t even aware of it. However, as Michael Harvey explained avid Prime Video subscription holders (who happened to be fans) took to the Internet to gush over that sweet tidbit:
[Nolan] didn't catch it. The writers didn't catch it. But boy, Reddit caught it, and they went wild for it. They went nuts over it, and they're like, 'We know exactly who that character is. We can tell you what game, what map, and what that person was.' … That was my one little easter egg that I was hoping nobody would catch right away. They jumped on that so fast. So, kudos to the level and the depth that these fans will go.
You really have to give it to those eagle-eyed fans for spotting the connection so quickly. Now, one has to wonder whether such an explicit reference might happen amid work on Fallout Season 2. My instincts tell me that Jonathan Nolan may not be the biggest fan of that idea, given his rule. But, then again, maybe the crew will (or have already) found a way to sneak in another nod to the games, which I’m sure the series devotees would love.
The first season of Fallout is available to stream alongside the best shows on Prime Video.
