Fallout season 2 episode 2 ending explained: What happens to Maximus?

In Fallout season 2 episode 2, viewers see the story expand from Lucy MacLean's journey, both morally and emotionally, to the larger forces trying to reshape the Mojave. In the first episode, they saw Lucy and the Ghoul trying to find Hank MacLean; however, this time, viewers will explore the Brotherhood of Steel's ambitions, Vault-Tec's continued cruelty, and the rise of new factions that will disrupt the Mojave.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for the show. Reader's discretion is advised.

Also included in Fallout season 2 episode 2, are flashbacks to Shady Sands and the intertwining storylines at Vault 31, Area 51, and the general wasteland setting. This episode keeps with the central theme of the series: survival usually comes at the cost of humanity.

Episode 2 also shows that power of any kind - technological, ideological, and military - is a corrupting influence on those who have it. By the end of the hour, alliances are strained, violence escalates, and long-buried secrets resurface, setting the stage for an inevitable conflict that threatens to engulf every major character.

This all leads towards an inevitable clash that ultimately involves nearly every primary character. Maximus is further hardened in his quest for power within the Brotherhood, and in doing so, he is pulled away from the person he used to be and further into the violence he once feared.

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What happens to Maximus in Fallout season 2 episode 2?

A still from the show (Image via Instagram/@ falloutonprime's profile picture falloutonprime)

Fallout season 2 episode 2 tells the story of Maximus, who becomes a knight of the Brotherhood of Steel. He gets the responsibility of leading a squad of power-armoured soldiers into an infested with ghouls facility to recover technology, with the tech allowing the Brotherhood to start looking for and recovering their own version of Area 51.

Maximus' first major accomplishment is the acquisition of two major sources of cold fusion energy. The Brotherhood now has enough power to reshape large parts of the post-apocalyptic wasteland. This discovery will allow them to make war. However, when Maximus is promoted to the rank of knight, it causes him to lose part of himself emotionally.

However, Maximus’ promotion comes with an emotional cost. Scribe Dane notices a troubling shift in his demeanor, especially after Maximus admits he must bury thoughts of Lucy to focus on duty. During an alcohol-fueled brawl, Maximus finally reaches the point where he is pushed beyond his emotional limits. He is put into a situation where he would have to fight another knight.

The fight ends with Maximus killing the other knight, which unsettles Dane. At the end of the episode, although Maximus remains alive, he is no longer the same person he was previously. He is trapped in a position that requires him to commit acts of violence to prove his loyalty to the Brotherhood of Steel.

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Fallout season 2 episode 2: How does Lucy save the day?

In Fallout season 2 episode 2, Lucy’s and Cooper’s continuing story takes a turn for the worse as Lucy’s compassion leads them to separate. Despite Cooper’s warnings, Lucy continues to help the dying strangers at an abandoned hospital and remains firm in her belief that we should treat everyone with kindness, just as she did with Cooper.

The situation goes from one of ‘compassion’ to one of brutal death, and while Cooper killed one of the dying strangers, it was not until it was too late that he learned that both of the surviving strangers were poisoned. When the radscorpions attack, Lucy finds herself forced to make a decision that is nearly impossible: using the last stimpak on Cooper or helping the wounded woman.

Lucy decides to help the woman, vowing to return to Cooper for help. This choice further cements Lucy’s commitment to her moral beliefs while also underscoring the danger of her unwavering commitment to her moral beliefs in this post-apocalyptic world. Cooper reminds Lucy of her “golden rule” with a harsh tone and re-emphasizes the widening gap in their belief systems.

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Fallout season 2 episode 2: What happens in the Vault-Tec facility in Vegas?

The official poster of Fallout season 2 (Image via Instagram/@rottentomatoes)

As a result of Hank's manipulation of junior Vault-Tec executives into believing he is their new leader, Norm MacLean ultimately orchestrates a mass awakening of the Vault executives. As chaotic as it seems, Norm's tactics worked - the Vault-Tec executives make it out onto the surface for the first time in their lives - and it was one of the very few moments of hope for Norm when he sees the sky for the first time in his life.

In contrast, Hank MacLean is still conducting the most heinous of Vault-Tec's mind-control experiments at a Vault-Tec facility in Las Vegas. He is attempting to create a smaller version of Vault-Tec's mind-control device as part of the process of bringing back to life a dead Premium Elite Plus vault customer, who, as it turns out, is one of the worst examples of Vault-Tec's elitism. Hank eventually kills the customer after learning he abandoned his family to save his own life.

The Brotherhood's unification triggers an alert for Paladin Harkness of the Commonwealth, who shows up unexpectedly, confirming that the rumors of civil war in the Commonwealth have already begun to circulate. The combination of these storylines in Fallout season 2 episode 2 demonstrates that, in the near future, the wasteland will soon be engaged in a massive-scale war not based on survival, but rather on power.

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Fallout season 2 episode 2 is available to stream on Prime Video.

Edited by Abu Amjad Khan