Escapist Routes #41

Good morning, my friends! Welcome to 2026! Let’s watch some TV!

Fallout, season 2, episodes 1-4

This season of Fallout feels like a reversal of season 1, in that this time the Lucy plotline is less interesting to me, whereas I’m all in on the Brotherhood of Steel side. Which is wild, because I am not a fan of the BoS in game (my Fallout 4 play was all about the Railroad and the Minutemen — civil rights and rule of law for all).

But right now, it feels like Maximus has learned something from his adventures in season 1, while Lucy has backslid. That’s realistic, but also a tiiiiiny bit frustrating, and mostly I just feel bad for the Ghoul. Not as bad as he feels for himself, though.

None of this is to say I’m not enjoying season 2, but I feel like I need to see the whole thing before I can form an opinion.

Also, the lessons that Maximus has learned don’t cover, for example, long-term planning. He’s still a “take action, panic about the consequences, make stuff up until the charade falls apart” guy. Don’t get me wrong, I love that about him, but I’m also like, sir, I’m glad you’re escaping the Brotherhood at the end of episode 4, but maybe you should take Dane with you. He’s basically your emotional support brain cell. Please.

(I’m not sure of Dane’s pronouns in-show, but the actor has started using he/him pronouns since the end of season 1, so until told otherwise, that’s what I’ll use for the character as well.)

Meanwhile, the Vault 33 storyline is split between Vault 33’s water shortage (I understand that this is the plot of the very first Fallout game, which is not easily accessible if you’re a basic bitch like me), re-colonising Vault 32 and Chad and Zach Cherry figuring out that there’s a conspiracy afoot, and Norm escaping Vault 31 with all the frozen junior executives. I am enjoying all these subplots, but I’m not convinced that splitting our attention to this degree was wise. Although it does capture that Bethesda game vibe of “I came here to do one thing, but now I have 35 missions all waiting to be completed!”

The Pitt, season 2, episode 1

Chat, is it a bad sign that Dr Robby is riding a motorcycle without a helmet, recklessly overtaking an ambulance, and planning a road trip to a place called Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump? Is that what we call foreshadowing?

Here’s what we call intertextuality: at one point in ER’s middle years, Dr Green gets divorced and starts riding a motorbike, for which he is roundly and appropriately mocked by literally everyone he meets. He’s bullied into ditching the bike within a few episodes — I think, in fact, he passes it onto Noah Wyle’s Carter — and I assume something similar will happen to Dr Robby.

One thing I appreciate about The Pitt is that it has the self-confidence to let Robby be an asshole. Last season, problems arose because he dismissed McKay’s insights; this year, his immediate reaction to hearing the name of his sabbatical replacement is to make a slightly racist joke about her heritage. His treatment of Langdon, fresh back from rehab, isn’t ideal for a superior to his vulnerable subordinate. It feels like the trauma that Robby was repressing in season 1 is closer to the surface, and he’s not bringing his best self to work.

Luckily, it’s his last day before he leaves on that sabbatical road trip. What could go wrong?

Uh, well, we’ve just found this abandoned baby. And Santos has a case of possible child abuse — which you will recall is a hot button issue for her. And Mel has her first deposition in a malpractice suit later today.

Also, Whittaker has apparently been using Garcia’s toothbrush, which suggests that the Santos/Garcia ship has set sail. Personally, I think Trinity can do better, but that’s just me and my “don’t let assholes sleep with assholes who dismissed their concerns about a colleague diverting drugs” policy.

Speaking of romance, a patient asks out Mel. She doesn’t notice, because (a) why would she; (b) she’s distracted by her upcoming deposition. I noticed, because I am still clinging to a desperate hope that Taylor Dearden’s claim that Mel is asexual is actually going to be on-screen-true, and also because “you look like my mother” is a bit of a red flag as far as pick up lines go. I’ve got my eye on that dude!

What I Watched On My Summer Vacation

Not much, to be honest! I was with my family for ten days, and they are not huge TV people, and then my flatmate and I watched some movies between shows. Catching up…

• Pluribus ended! I am all in on this series, including Special Guest Star Apple Translate and The Last Temptation of Carol Sturka.

• Heated Rivalry also came to a satisfying conclusion. I find the show more enjoyable than its fandom or the discourse it has inspired, but I’m looking forward to season 2, and also to seeing what other quality television Canada is making.

• Hijack is a series where Idris Elba is minding his own business on a plane from Dubai to London, only to see it hijacked. This was the perfect level of nonsense for summer: not actually stupid, but also not too demanding, and the conclusion relies on Idris Elba and Eve Myles being able to form a connection without ever meeting in person.

• COBRA, on the other hand, starts out as a series about the UK enduring a natural disaster, only to turn into propaganda about how citizens should be willing to give up civil liberties and trust that the benevolent Tories will fix everything. In fairness, these fictional Tories are more left wing than the actual Labour government right now, but I do have questions.