Diksha Sundriyal
The second season of Prime Video’s ‘Fallout‘ takes the audience back into the nuclear wasteland, where humanity has somehow survived, but it is much worse than it was before. One of the major storylines in the show follows Maximus, who was knighted at the end of Season 1 after the Brotherhood of Steel believed he was the one who killed Lee Moldaver. While this is what Maximus wanted all along, being a knight comes with its own set of complications, which makes things more difficult as he continues to wrestle with the moral conflicts in his mind. It is this different set of values that makes him do something entirely erratic, though to some extent justified, which will cause significant problems for him and the Brotherhood.
Xander’s Arrival Puts a Question Mark on Quintus’ Plans
Maximus discovers the true meaning of “careful what you wish for” after becoming a knight in the Brotherhood. The journey that brings him to the title changes him drastically, and he starts to see the dark side of the Brotherhood, which clashes with his own moral awakening. In the midst of this, Cleric Quintus stirs thoughts of rebellion now that he has the cold fusion device. He believes that the leadership of the Brotherhood has lost its way, and he invites the leaders of other chapters to discuss the idea of joining their powers and standing against their bosses. No matter how righteous he tries to make it sound, it is clear that Quintus doesn’t want to give up the power he has with the cold fusion. While he is in the middle of convincing everyone to start a war, Paladin Xander Harkness shows up.
Xander’s arrival complicates things. Though Quintus hasn’t given up on the rebellion, the other leaders see Xander’s arrival as a sign that they mustn’t start a war that they might not be able to end. Maximus proposes the idea of killing the man, but Quintus points out that they cannot do it. Killing the Paladin would invite the ire of the Commonwealth, who would retaliate with full force, which would be particularly damaging at the time, since the rebellion is still in its nascent stage. Xander needs to be kept alive, but if he is not given the cold fusion, he will report back with the news of the rebellion, which will lead to the same outcome. For now, the best chance is to stall, so that they have enough time to prepare for whatever comes next.
At the same time, Xander is trying to do what he has been sent for. The aim is to retrieve the cold fusion device from Quintus and return it to the Commonwealth, which would prevent the impending civil war that he knows will destroy everything the organisation has worked for so far. He also knows that Quintus isn’t going to give it up so easily. While the Paladin’s arrival might have thrown him off, he will not part with something that is his only chance at getting the power he has coveted for so long. This is why Xander singles out Maximus. He connects with him over the fact that they are both soldiers and sees him as a pawn whom he can charm and manipulate into doing his own bidding. Once he has the cold fusion, it doesn’t matter what Quintus does next. But the plan he put in motion comes to a screeching halt when he severely underestimates Maximus and what he stands for.
Maximus’ Impulsive Action Leads to the First Major Death in Fallout Season 2
To solve the matter without violence and bloodshed, Xander asks Maximus to talk with him so that they can find a resolution that helps both parties and prevents them from meeting on the battlefield. They take off in Xander’s vertibird, where he offers one of his spare armors to Maximus, who is instantly impressed by it. As they fly over the terrain, Xander keeps things light and fun in the beginning, but then eventually comes to the importance of taking the cold fusion back with him or risk a civil war that will not only destroy the Brotherhood, but humanity as they know it. His plan of worming his way into Maximus’ heart and mind seems to be working, and he takes it a step further when an unauthorised power signature is detected on the ground. When Maximus asks why Xander would want to take a look at something that is not in his territory, the Paladin states that this is their job as the knights of the Brotherhood.
The bonding between the duo strengthens as they enter the facility, where they find a securitron. As they fight the robot, Xander shows Maximus the workings of the super sledge and hands it over to the newbie knight when the fight ends. As they step further into the building, it is revealed that the building is Thaddeus’ bottling plant, which was shown at the beginning of the episode. When a child ghoul appears, Maximus immediately realises what’s about to happen. Sure enough, Xander tells the kids, who are a mix of humans and ghouls, to be separated based on how their skin is. Even as Xander prepares to shoot at the kids, Maximus asks him to let it go. And then, Thaddeus comes out and tries to explain the situation. But this only makes Xander more excited about killing all the ghouls in front of him.
Maximus tries to point out that he will be killing kids, which is fundamentally immoral, but Xander doesn’t see them as kids, because that’s what the codex dictates. With no other way to stop him, Maximus ends up using the super sledge on the Paladin, crushing his head and killing him on the spot. This proves that Maximus still isn’t entirely subservient to the laws laid out by the Brotherhood. He holds his own moral values and knows where to draw the line. His action is justified because he simply wanted to save the kids and Thaddeus from being mercilessly killed. However, the fact that killing the Paladin will not start the civil war that Quintus had warned him about is not lost on him. He knows he has messed up, and now, he must prepare to face the consequences of his choice.
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