Fallout Season 2 Proves Hank MacLean Is More Dangerous Than He Appears

Spoilers for the upcoming second episode of “Fallout” season 2.

Season 1 of “Fallout” gradually reveals that Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan) is not what we are initially led to believe. The series begins with Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) leaving Vault 33 to travel through the Wasteland in search of her kidnapped father. Since we initially share Lucy’s warm-hearted view of Hank, we assume that he is an innocent bystander and a victim of the nefarious plans of the mysterious Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury). Unfortunately, the season 1 finale delivers a shocking twist, revealing that Hank was actually responsible for the destruction of Shady Sands, where his wife, Rose, was residing at the time. This moment serves as an emotional turning point for Lucy and “Fallout” as it proves that the Vault-Tec Corporation has systematically subjugated the surface colonies and will stoop to every level to maintain its stronghold.

But while Season 1 solidified Hank as a major antagonist, the first two episodes of Season 2 paint the character in a truly heinous light. Episode 2 opens with a flashback showing Maximus’ (Aaron Moten) memory of the day his home, Shady Sands, was razed. This sequence further highlights Hank’s atrocities: we learn that Shady Sands was about to remove radiation from its drinking water, with Maximus’ father having successfully tested a device that could have strengthened community life. Rebuilding such a massive colony in the post-apocalyptic United States would have been a huge feat in itself, and Shady Sands could have become a beacon of hope for other surface dwellers.

But these plans – which envisaged agricultural development which could have improved the economy and living conditions – were cruelly disappointed. Instead, Hank dropped a bomb with a fail-safe that destroyed the colony, along with any hope of a better future. And he didn’t stop there.

The phrase “war never changes” sums up the thematic core of the “Fallout” video games. NOW, the “Fallout” series uses the same mantra to emphasize the conflict between the warring factions of the Wasteland, with Vault-Tec becoming the worst aggressor yet. Of course, all factions want to control everything, but Vault-Tec is the reason the United States is irradiated in the first place. Acting as if war is a lucrative outcome for a company that sells a product is pure evil, especially when this corporate greed extends to the basic principles of survival and human dignity. Hank is a loyal lackey of the company, even after all these years, going above and beyond to ensure that Vault-Tec continues to profit from senseless violence and widespread chaos.

Season 2 also introduced Robert House (Justin Theroux), the CEO of RobCo who designed tiny box-shaped brain control chips. Unfortunately, they don’t work as expected, causing people’s heads to explode. In Episode 2, we see Hank dressing like he did as a corporate employee while trying to perfect this little device. He first experiments on countless mice (all of whom meet grisly ends), then moves on to another Vault-Tec employee (awakened from the cryogenic chamber) to see if it works. As expected, it doesn’t and the employee’s head explodes right after. Hank’s reaction to these tests is one of amusement, without any trace of remorse. It seems all he really cares about is what Vault-Tec stands for.

Hank doesn’t just follow orders either. He takes proactive steps to betray humanity (including his own children) in order to maintain Vault-Tec’s authoritarian hegemony. What’s more dangerous than that?

New episodes of “Fallout” season 2 air every Wednesday on Prime Video.