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Five Easter-Eggs You Might Have Missed From the ‘Fallout’ Season 2 Premiere

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Fallout Season 2 easter eggs in the premiere

I’m generally against the celebration of Easter Eggs in media, as focusing on fan service and references instead of narrative can be a very reductive way of engaging with storytelling. However, this isn’t always the case, and when dealing with unique productions like Prime Video’s Fallout show (which is more of a continuation of the games than an adaptation), these details can actually provide us with clues about where the story is headed. In fact, Bethesda’s Todd Howard himself has teased that the events of the show will affect the development of the upcoming Fallout 5!

With that in mind, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting five of the most interesting Easter Eggs that you might have missed during the show’s Season 2 premiere. After all, patrolling the post-nuclear Mojave can be a little tiresome, so you’d be forgiven for overlooking a familiar sign or two.

For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining “Easter Egg” as a subtle reference to a pre-existing idea from the original games, so we won’t be including obvious elements like the appearance of Rob-Co Industries or even the use of Marty Robbins’ fan-favorite “Big Iron” during the Novac shoot-out.

With that out of the way, onto the list.


5. The Fate of the Dino Dee-Lite Motel

The heart of the iconic town of Novac (cleverly named after a dilapidated “No Vacancy” sign), the Dino Dee-Lite Motel and its giant saurian mascot are both beloved elements of the New Vegas experience. Of course, veteran players will remember a certain quest where it’s revealed that Jeannie May Crawford -the manager of the Motel- was actually a terrible human being who sold innocent people to slavery, with this quest (usually) ending in her justified death via a vengeful sniper shot to the head.

However, judging by how the Great Kahns have managed to claim the grounds for themselves (as well as the Ghoul’s comment that the place had previously been a shop run by “Darla”), I think it’s safe to say that the death of Ms. Crawford and her business inevitably led to the tragic downfall of the Novac community. It’s a damned shame, but at least the rumored Chupacabra has plenty to eat now that the Kahns are in town.


4. The Secret of Starlight Theater

New Vegas fans may remember the game’s California Sunset Drive-In, but the TV show takes Lucy (Ella Purnell) and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) to the ruins of a competing business in the form of the Starlight Theater (with this brand of drive-in having previously appeared in Fallout 4). Naturally, the real treat here is the fact that the Starlight screen actually conceals the entrance to the elusive Vault 24, a location that was rumored to have been cut from New Vegas and had only existed as a forgotten jumpsuit hidden in the game’s code – until now.

In the show, it’s revealed that Vault 24 was actually a top-secret testing facility for Vault-Tec brainwashing technology, with American citizens being forcefully “converted” to over-the-top communism. It’s not very subtle as far as political satire goes, but that’s just how the Fallout franchise rolls.


3. Victor the Securitron

This one is a bit of a cheat since it came from the “On This Season of Fallout” teaser after the end credits rather than the episode itself, but it’s still technically a part of the premiere, so we’re including it anyway!

During the teaser, we get a brief look at a familiar Securitron robot with a cartoon cowboy face – a clear indication that fan-favorite character Victor is going to make an appearance later on in the season! This is much more than mere fan service, however, as New Vegas veterans are aware that, in the original game, Victor shuts down if you kill or disable Mr. House during the finale.

This means that Mr. House canonically survived his run-in with the courier and will likely make a more personal appearance in the near future.


2. Whack-a-Commie

Over-the-top humor is a huge part of what makes the Fallout series so unique, so it makes sense that the show occasionally takes a break from apocalyptic scheming and exaggerated gore to focus on the more cartoony aspects of this alternate history. Case in point: the scene where Cooper Howard’s daughter (Teagan Meredith) plays a relaxing session of Whack-a-Commie inside a retro diner.

A politically charged arcade machine obviously modeled after Whack-a-Mole, this interactive piece of propaganda was actually introduced to the franchise all the way back in 2016 through Fallout 4’s Nuka-World expansion. While the original title was slightly different (spelling it as “whac” instead of “whack”), the game’s Mallet could also be used as a surprisingly effective melee weapon – meaning that this throwaway gag could very well be foreshadowing a future fight scene.


1. Mr. House Stopped Most of the Nukes

Sometimes, a tiny line of dialogue can have far-reaching implications, and that’s precisely the case when it comes to The Ghoul’s explanation of how Mr. House (Justin Theroux) managed to deter most (but not all) of the bombs targeted towards Vegas during the Great War. This may initially seem like an easy way to explain how the strip looks relatively untouched by nuclear devastation when compared to the rest of the wasteland, but New Vegas veterans are certainly aware that Mr. House’s failure to stop 9 out of the 77 missiles is precisely the reason why he lost the coveted Platinum Chip that would allowed him to consolidate power in the Mojave. It’s also the chronological starting point of New Vegas’ story, with the new season of the show likely going into further detail about House’s plans for the region.

In a nutshell, this tiny bit of word-building is probably more important to the overarching plot than you might have initially assumed, though it remains to be seen how the mind control chip will tie into this backstory!


New episodes arrive on Wednesday, with one episode rolling out weekly on Prime Video until the season finale on February 4, 2026.

Born Brazilian, raised Canadian, Luiz is a writer and filmmaker that spends most of his time thinking about movies.

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Editorials

Beyond the Bargain Bin: 5 Underrated Direct-to-Video Horror Sequels

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Underrated direct-to-video horror sequels

The home video market used to be a chaotic industry wedged neatly between theatrical releases and television productions. It was where indie filmmakers could experiment with and profit from low-budget bangers while big studios could also squeeze extra money out of beloved properties without necessarily investing in blockbuster sequels.

There were plenty of cinematic duds during this time, and you never really knew whether you had just picked up a legitimately fun low-budget endeavor or a quick cash-grab from the rental store, but I’d argue that the good outweighed the bad because these flicks were allowed to be weirder than their big-budget counterparts – especially where sequels were concerned.

In honor of these home video hidden gems, today I’d like to recommend five underrated direct-to-video horror sequels that are still worth tracking down!

For the purposes of this list, I’ll be defining direct-to-video productions as films that were exclusively released on video/DVD, so no limited theatrical releases or TV movies that later made it big on home video. That means avoiding popular recommendations like Curse of Chucky and Wrong Turn 2 in order to focus on less-discussed horror flicks.

That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite sequels if you think we missed a particularly thrilling one.

With that out of the way, onto the list!


5. Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)

The success of Ron Underwood’s original Tremors was lightning in a bottle that can’t ever be replicated, so as much as I understand the love for the second film and its campy thrills, Tremors 4 remains my personal favorite sequel simply because it dares to do something different with the franchise.

Directed by series co-creator S.S. Wilson, The Legend Begins is a surprisingly effective prequel that tells the story of how the town of Perfection earned its name after a terrifying 1889 encounter with the graboids. This horror western may not live up to the original, but it doesn’t really have to, with the period aesthetic and fresh story making it one hell of a standalone adventure.


4. Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995)

There are those who argue that there are no good Children of the Corn films, but I think the series has something to offer for every kind of horror fan if you’re willing to deal with low budgets and strange creative decisions. In fact, I’m of the opinion that the initial trilogy of Children films only got better over time, with the third entry being the most entertaining despite having the least to do with Stephen King’s original story.

In this urban horror romp, we follow a pair of siblings who enter foster care after their abusive father is transformed into a scarecrow by He Who Walks Behind the Rows. What follows is an effects-heavy descent into madness as the kids bring their particular brand of religious fury to 90s Chicago – with deadly results.

If that’s not enough to convince you to give this flick a try, you should know that this is the only entry in the series that King himself has admitted to liking. Not only that, but it also marks Charlize Theron’s feature film debut.


3. Boogeyman 2 (2007)

Jeff Betancourt had his job cut out for him when he was first contacted to helm the sequel to 2005’s Boogeyman. Not only was the first film a critical bomb, but the sequel was set to be produced for a mere $4.5 million – less than a fourth of the budget of the original flick.

Yet, Jeff decided to use this direct-to-video sequel as an opportunity to improve on the generic aspects of the flick’s predecessor by making the monster more uncannily human and focusing more on the script than elaborate set pieces. The best part is that Boogeyman 2 isn’t limited by a PG-13 rating, meaning that the deaths are more interesting in spite of the lower budget.


2. Maniac Cop 2 (1990)

The original Maniac Cop is a legitimately entertaining slasher even if it can’t compete with some of the other great franchises from the 80s, but fans know that the direct-to-video sequel is way more fun to revisit despite its shoddy production value and rushed script.

In fact, this rental store hit features more elaborate death sequences while also exploring more of what it means for a community when a police officer goes rogue. Director William Lustig also looks back on this project fondly, claiming that he considers it his personal favorite film of his career and a “terrific B-movie”.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.


1. Bloodstone: Subspecies II (1993)

Direct-to-Video Horror Sequels

More of a middle part of a sprawling trilogy than a standalone horror romp, Ted Nicolaou’s Subspecies II is still the pinnacle of the auteur director’s vampire series and a great example of why it was often worth diving into the bargain bin in order to pick up a Full Moon Features VHS tape.

This fast-paced sequel takes place immediately after the events of the 1991 original, meaning that Subspecies II wastes no time in getting to the lovable practical effects that likely motivated you to purchase the flick in the first place. Nicolaou and Anders Hove (who plays Radu, the iconic vampire) are also much more sure of themselves in this sophomore effort, and that’s why I’d argue that it’s worth watching even if you’re not a fan of the first movie.

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