Fans of the Fallout games won’t be shocked to learn that Amazon’s new TV show based on the franchise is gruesomely violent. This is a franchise that is known for that Bloody mess Perk and for the VATS system, which allows players to target and blow away heads and limbs. But the violence of the Stand out TV series can still shock; In this post-apocalyptic world where mutated monsters feed on human flesh, viewers can expect plenty of severed heads and chopped off limbs.
While the blood of Stand out It can be uncomfortable to watch, it’s rarely (if ever) free. Instead, this is done in service of world building. In many cases it is played for the sake of comedy and surprise in the style of the films of Sam Peckinpah or Quentin Tarantino.
The first few minutes of Stand out could give viewers the false impression that the show only treats violence with deadly seriousness. The first episode of the series begins with the nuclear destruction of Los Angeles. It’s a scary scene, and since small children are involved, it sets a dark tone.
And yes, there are scenes in later episodes that are difficult to watch. Puppies are burned in a research facility. Innocent Vault Dwellers are casually murdered. Body parts are sliced, minced and processed into human jerky. In the series’ above-ground post-apocalyptic society, extreme violence is portrayed as an everyday occurrence and society has the means to combat it. Medications that can instantly heal wounds are as commonplace as commercially available replacement body parts.
Some of the violence in the series are references to the games. A major shootout plays out like a VATS-run rampage, with viewers watching in slow motion as a bullet passes through several poor wastelands. The show’s creators emphasize that bodies are soft and life in this world is cheap, but the inhabitants have adapted accordingly. Death and violence don’t seem to bother anyone much. Heck, becoming a mindless zombie is seen as some sort of inconvenience Stand out
Stand out also deals with body horror. One of the series’ most disturbing creatures, as seen in the trailers, is a giant mutant axolotl covered in hundreds of human fingers. For an added level of disgust, we see one of these creatures vomit the rotting contents of its enormous stomach before it dies. It is extremely unpleasant! We see horrifying examples of human-mutant experiments. Giant mutated cockroaches proliferate, bursting with green, sticky guts when trampled on.
All of this means that violence in the Stand out The show is fast, frequent and unrepentant. But it’s not as dreary or humorless as other post-apocalyptic worlds The walking dead or The last of us may be. Instead, it’s based on the Mad Max films. Like the Fallout games, Stand out The TV series is not for the faint-hearted. But for fans of black comedy and plenty of fake blood, it’s a no-brainer.
All eight episodes of Stand out Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.