Vault 33

Vault 33 is a Vault-Tec Vault in what was once Santa Monica in Los Angeles, California .Prime Video on Twitter: "📍 Vault 33Location: Los AngelesFallout, an original series, coming to Prime Video in 2024" It is located next to the Santa Monica Pier. Lucy MacLean, one of the protagonists of the Fallout TV series, comes from the Vault and her father, Hank, is its overseer in 2296.
==Background==
An experimental Vault built in California,TheGamer on YouTube: Interview With The Production Designer Of Amazon's Fallout TV Series, Howard Cummings! Vault 33 is unique in that it forms a part of a network of Vaults; it is connected directly to its sister Vaults: Vault 31 and Vault 32. To prevent the spread of threats (e.g., infectious disease), the three Vaults are isolated from one another, except for periodic trade (happening every three years, known as the Triennial Trade) and situations where the Vaults come to each other's aid. The Vault functions as a democracy like its sister Vaults, with the overseer chosen by the community in popular elections for four-year terms, advised by a Vault council.Betty Pearson: "We must remember how good we have it here in Vaults 31, 32 and 33. Three democracies in three vaults. Separated to prevent the spread of threats, but connected to aid one another in times of need. We are the lucky ones. We are the light burning in the darkness. And we will carry on until the day we bring that light to the surface. "(The Past) Its dwellers are told that the surface is unfit for recolonization due to radiation levels and instead encouraged to bond with each other and the other two Vaults.Hank MacLean: "Good evening and welcome to the proud denizens of Vault 32. We are bonded not just as neighbors but by a shared duty. To keep the candle of civilization lit. While the rest of the world has been cast into darkness. Soon, if our measurements are correct, radiation levels on the surface are dropping fast enough that the next generation, Lucy and Monty's children, will be able to recolonize. "("The End")
The Vault was sealed as planned on the day of the Great War, with the external coast armoring protecting it against ongoing erosion by the Pacific Ocean. Although it functioned as designed, there were occasional technical issues and internal system breakdowns that were difficult to repair and address (eg. in February 2095). Vault 31 provided assistance as needed,VAULT 33 COMMUNICATION LOG: "Martin JohnsonFebruary 24, 2095Vault 33 to Vault 31As you are aware, our vault has been experiencing some recent difficulties. Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to repair our internal systems and are currently exploring options.(The Ghouls) and the system endured for nearly 220 years. Vault dwellers were kept focused on the promise of Reclamation Day when the Vaults would open, and they would emerge to restart civilization.Lucy MacLean: "What about Reclamation Day? Th-The entire purpose of my vault was... to come up to the surface one day and...and restart civilization. It's-it's Reclamation Day, it's what keeps us all going and... It... It already h-happened without us."(The Past) In the meantime, the dwellers were focusing on keeping their Vault operational and training for the eventual Reclamation Day, honing their skills as part of community associations like the Young Pipefitter's Association, gymnastics club, fencing teams or simply participating in intermediate physical education and the rifle range. Much of the organization was horizontal and competence-based, although the overseer and council made the decisions in crucial affairs. The most important was selecting candidates to marry dwellers from Vault 32. To avoid incest, family trees were tracked and strictly controlled, and the Triennial Trade also included personnel transfers to inject fresh genes into the community.Lucy MacLean: "My name is Lucy MacLean, and I'm an active contributor to the wellbeing of my community. Repair Skills. I enjoy participating in the Young Pipefitter's Association, which keeps me active. Science Skills. Obviously, mine are nothing compared to my dad's, but I always relish a challenge. Speech Skills. My primary passion is teaching American History, with a focus on ethics. I also participate in Gymnastics Club, Fencing Team C, Intermediate Phys Ed, and I dabble in Riflery. Though I'm not very good. ♪ Change your mind... In my personal time, I enjoy taking walks and watching movies with my dad, gardening... also with my dad... and participating in my family book club. We're still trying to get my brother on board. He'll come around when he's ready. My reproductive organs are intact, my hygiene well-maintained, and yet I have been unable to find a suitable marriage partner. At least, one I'm not related to. And we have rules about that for a reason. ♪ I'll ever love... So, it is with sound mind and body that I hereby submit my application to the council to participate in the Triennial Trade with Vault 32."(The End)
The Vault made regular exchanges with the other Vaults over the years and remained operational well into the late 23rd century. The overseers included Robert Olsen (2101-2109), Ava West (2109-2121), George Yaffe (2121 - 2125), and in subsequent decades Patricia Peters, Alexander Boamer, Laurence Ronald, Betty Pearson and Hank MacLean. MacLean served fifteen years as the Vault's overseer, elected four consecutive times.Inter-Vault Archive: "The following is a record of Inter-vault Trades implemented for the distribution of personnel
Robert Olsen 31 to 33 ELECTED OVERSEER 2101 - 2109 (...)
Ava West 31 to 33 ELECTED OVERSEER 2109 - 2121 
George Yaffe 31 to 33 ELECTED OVERSEER 2121 -2125
Patricia Pe[ters] 31 to 33 ELECTED OVERSEER 
Alexander B[oamer] 31 to 33 ELECTED OVERSEER 
Laurence Ro[nald] 31 to 33 ELECTED OVERSEER 
Hank MacLean 31 to 33 ELECTED OVERSEER 2271 - 2297" He has guided the Vault through one of its biggest crises, the Great Plague of 2277, during which he imposed a strict quarantine, confining the dwellers to their apartments. Although numerous dwellers starved, MacLean was credited with saving the Vault, in particular due to losing weight and dropping to just 128 pounds (58 kg), as well as losing his wife, Rose MacLean, to starvation.Lucy MacLean: "You know, my vault has endured hardship, too. In the Great Plague of '77, everyone had to quarantine, they couldn't work the farms together. People starved. My mother included. My dad dropped to 128 pounds, and he still refused to do anything like this. "(The Ghouls)
===Attack on the Vault===
By 2296, the Vault continued to survive as it always did, although two centuries of no contact with the outside world or fresh genetic stock (a problem Vault City experienced as well), has led to complications. In particular, it has led to instances of cousin-on-cousin intimate relations, eg. between the overseer's daughter and Chet,Lucy MacLean: "Oh, gosh. After ten years of cousin stuff, I'm definitely excited for the real thing."Stephanie Harper: "Oh, Lucy. I am just excited for us to raise our kids together."(The Head) though both were well aware that it was not a sustainable practice for maintaining the Vault's population.Chet: "Lucy, I love you."Lucy MacLean: "We all know that, Chet. Messing around with your cousin, it's all well and good for kids, but it's not a sustainable, long-term sexual practice, you know?"Chet: "Yeah, I know." The upcoming Triennial Trade (73rd, assuming they occurred every three years) with Vault 32 included the exchange of seed for planting and machinery parts to help the sister Vault cope with a devastating blight that wiped out its wheat, for an influx of new genes. The bride accepted by the council was none other than Lucy MacLean, the overseer's daughter. Owing to the isolation, Vault 33 did not know what to expect, as telegrams mentioned Overseer Jackson's passing, replaced by a new overseer, Lee Moldaver.Hank MacLean: "Welcome, neighbors from Vault 32. I am Hank MacLean, overseer of Vault 33."
Lee Moldaver: "Lee Moldaver, overseer of 32. Thank you for your hospitality."
Hank MacLean: "Oh, we were sorry to hear of Overseer Jackson's passing in your telegrams."
Lee Moldaver: "When blight hit our wheat, we lost a lot of good people, but this trade will help us get back on our feet."
Hank MacLean: "Yes, well, as arranged, we offer you seed and parts for machinery."
Lee Moldaver: "In exchange, we offer you a breeder."(The End)
What the overseer did not expect was that the Vault dwellers were actually outsiders on a raid. After the wedding, when the Vault settled in for sleep, Moldaver initiated the attack. The raiders sacked the armory and killed numerous dwellers, eventually taking more hostage. At the intra-Vault passageway, Moldaver forced Hank MacLean to surrender and took him prisoner, blowing up the passageway behind her. The Vault was sealed once again, with dwindled numbers and sixteen violent raiders imprisoned in a repurposed reading room. Following the clean-up, the Vault dwellers gathered to decide on the next course of action. Lucy proposed to send a search party to the surface to locate her father, but was shot down by both dwellers afraid of doing so and by Betty Pearson, former overseer, who prioritized security.Lucy MacLean: "Everyone settle. I have a proposal for the assembly. We send a search party to the surface to find my dad."Woody Thomas: "To the surface?"
Lucy MacLean: "We can spare four people from farm duty for up to two weeks, even with our dwindled numbers."
Woody Thomas: "Sorry, Lucy, but you're talking about opening the outer vault door?"
Lucy MacLean: "Just for under a minute. Okay? It's just enough time to..."
Woody Thomas: "Okay, I-I know we're just... we're brainstorming here, and there's no bad ideas in a brainstorm, but that's not something that we ever do or have ever done, never, ever, ever."
Lucy MacLean: "I-I know, I know that."
Betty Pearson: "I know we're all hurting right now, but our first priority has to be to maintain the security of this vault. That means not opening any of our doors."
Woody Thomas: "Well said, Betty."
Reg McPhee: "Yes, thank you, Betty."
Norm MacLean: "They don't want to find Dad. If they did, they wouldn't get to be in charge."(The End) She refused to accept such a decision and decided to make a break for the exterior Vault door with the aid of Chet and Norm. Chet's gatekeeper credentials opened the door, allowing her to slip out (after tranquilizing Chet, who had last-minute doubts). Witnessed by Davey and Reg McPhee, both Norm and Chet were removed from their postings and reassigned as punishment. Pearson assigned Normanon to deliver food to the prisoners.Fallout, The Head
In a subsequent Vault meeting, the dwellers gathered to decide the fate of the prisoners. Due to centuries of isolation and an idealistic, naive culture, they seriously consider rehabilitating and integrating them into Vault society to compensate for their reduced numbers. Norm suggested execution, but was shot down by Betty again, before the conversation shifted entirely to the broken water chip, which left the Vault with only two months of water reserves.Woody Thomas: "We can judge a person, and a society, by how they treat their enemy. And here we are with 16 highly-violent individuals incarcerated in our temporarily repurposed reading room. It's an ethical dilemma like nothing we've dealt with before."
Reg McPhee: "Personally, I'd say it's more of an ethical opportunity to demonstrate to the surface dwellers, and to each other, what we mean when we say we're going to build a better world. "
Woody Thomas: "Thanks, Reg. That is a positive spin to put on it."
Reg McPhee: "It's not a positive spin for me. It's the goshdarn truth!"
Woody Thomas: "Okay, well, uh, the fact remains we need to decide what to do with these prisoners. And that is a decision that we need to make as a collective. In a manner befitting our shared values."
Reg McPhee: "Yes."
[quiet, overlapping murmuring]
Reg McPhee: "I think this conversation would benefit from some actual ideas. Well, you know what? The young man Woody interrogated this morning? He left an impression on me."
Woody Thomas: "That is the gentleman who showed me his butthole."
[crowd gasping]
Reg McPhee: "Yes, but what I took from that is a desire to communicate. To reach out across the cultural divide. That's a spark we can work with... to create a great citizen."
Woody Thomas: "Given our recently dwindled numbers, the most ethical solution would be to rehabilitate the prisoners and then integrate them into our Vault Society."
[indistinct, overlapping chatter]
[microphone squeaks]
Woody Thomas: "To be clear, this is not a process that will happen overnight. Based on what I saw this morning, it may take years."
[crowd murmuring]
Woody Thomas: "But... - But... there is nothing we can't do when we set our minds to it!"
Reg McPhee: "Yes!"
?: "Yes! I can teach the raiders Shakespeare... and when they're ready, Marlowe."
Marianne: "I don't want to be insensitive, but I think Shakespeare might be too advanced for these people. Look, I would like to start with a moral framework. Kant, Mill and-and so on. I'd be happy to teach them introductory calculus."
Norm MacLean: [scoffs]
Reg McPhee: "Is there something you'd like to say, Norm?"
Norm MacLean: "I don't know. I don't think it's our job to help these people. They're murderers."
?: "They didn't know any better."
Marianne: "And how could they - without a formal education?"
Reg McPhee: "Norm, buddy, the hard truth is, we can't just let them go. [laughing] Uh, it's just, they have intimate knowledge of our Vault security."
Reg McPhee: "So what do you propose we do?"
Norm MacLean: "We can do what they would have done to us."
[crowd gasping]
Woody Thomas: "Wow."
Reg McPhee: "Geez Louise, Norm."
Betty Pearson: "Young Norm was just expressing a feeling. I know. I've got anger. We all do. But I think you would agree that murdering these prisoners of ours is not under serious consideration."
Norm MacLean: "I'm sorry. You're right. It was not my intention to question your leadership, Overseer."
Woody and Reg: "Thank you."
Engineer: "All right. Sirs? Uh, sirs? Uh, uh, may I... may I speak with you for a moment, please? Uh, it's about the Water Chip."
Reg McPhee: "Go ahead."
Engineer: "Uh, it's-it's... it's the type of thing Overseer MacLean would have preferred to discuss, uh, privately? Uh, before bringing it to the full group?"
Betty Pearson: "Well, he's not here now, is he? Let's hear it."
Engineer: "Okay, well, uh... the Water Chip is destroyed. The Vault only has enough water to keep our population alive for, uh, two months. And-and that's not accounting for the prisoners, who..."
Reg McPhee: "Okay. That's fine, that's enough."
Woody Thomas: "Thanks, though."
crowd murmuring and dispersing
Reg McPhee: "Okay. Uh... meeting adjourned."
Woody Thomas: "I was also gonna say meeting adjourned, so... That went well."
[indistinct, overlapping chatter]
Steph Harper: "They killed my husband. You're right, you know. If your father were here, he... he'd do the right thing."(The Head) 
===Fate of Vault 32===
Exposure to the prisoners had unforeseen consequences. Norman becomes troubled by what he sees in Vault 32 when he enters it during the wedding. Although he assumed the raiders killed the denizens, something didn't make sense. After persuading Chet to help him unearth the rubble and enter Vault 32, the two explored the abandoned Vault, finding traces of a brutal civil war and mass suicides, with the last bio-signal on the Pip-Boys from 2294, well before the raid.Norm MacLean: "Whatever happened here happened a long time ago. The last bio-signal detected was two years ago."Television: "This rodent colony is called a mouse utopia. Inside, the mice enjoy all the amenities... all the food they can eat, all the padding they can sleep on... but eventually overpopulation occurs. The mice fight for the once bountiful food, the once endless space. They eat each other in their desperation to survive."
Chet: "So, if they were already dead when the raiders got here, who killed them? I mean, it looks like they strangled each other with their hands. It just doesn't make any sense."(The Ghouls) Graffiti across the Vault suggested that the dwellers learned the truth, that their Vaults were not a shelter but an experiment, and violence erupted, with the overseer (a transfer from Vault 31) tortured to death and mass death leading to collapse. They also learned thanks to Norm that the Vault was accessed from the outside, with the use of Rose MacLean's Pip-Boy. The two returned to the Vault, but not before Betty Pearson ran into them in the atrium, raising her suspicions.Fallout, The Ghouls
Neither revealed the truth. The water crisis looming on the horizon dominated the elections. Although Reg McPhee and Woody Thomas stood for election, they had no idea how to run a political campaign; Vault 33 had no civics classes and Thomas, for example, was convinced that campaigning involved merely putting up campaigns and his effort amounted to ten posters. Reg McPhee was no different,Davey: "You ran a great campaign."Woody Thomas: "I know. Must've put ten posters up."Davey: "Yeah. That's what you got to do. You put a few posters up and let democracy run its course. You know, I ran once. And then that weevil famine came. Lost to none other than Hank MacLean. You know what they say. When things look glum, vote for somebody from Vault 31."(The Past) turning the election into a mockery of democracy; Betty Pearson was the only real candidate and relentlessly campaigned, including making public announcements Vault-wide that amounted to a thinly-veiled voting instruction. None of the dwellers aside from Norm picked up on it,Betty Pearson: "Good morning, Vault 33. This is Betty, asking for your vote for overseer today. As you step into the balloting kiosk, remember that today is about the future of our vault and, more importantly, the future of civilization. Reclamation Day. One day we will have the incredible opportunity to repopulate the Earth and bring order and civility up to the surface. Who you choose today is an important step to accomplishing that mission. I have faith you will make the right choice. Thank you. "(The Past) leading to a landslide victory for Betty with 98% of the vote. Even Reg voted for Betty.?: "It is my honor to announce that, with a 98% majority, Betty Pearson has been elected vault overseer."
Betty Pearson: "I'm so honored to step into Hank MacLean's shoes. Better luck next time, Reg. "(The Past)
Norm investigated the Inter-Vault Archive and cross-referenced the list of population transfers from Vault 31 with the list of overseers elected, learning that every single overseer since 2077 came from Vault 31, not just in 33, but in 32 as well. When he tried to raise the issue with Chet, his cousin dismissed it as just a fact of life beneath the ground, crediting the slogan "When things look glum, vote 31" with ensuring these landslide victories.Norm MacLean: "You don't think it's weird that we always elect an overseer from Vault 31? They did the same exact thing in Vault 32."
Chet: "Honestly? No. By all accounts, Vault 31 has more resources, a better education system, and you know, they got that phrase."
Norm MacLean: "When things look glum, vote 31."
Chet: "Shh. It's a powerful slogan."
Norm MacLean: "You think 200 years of coincidence comes down to a slogan?"
Chet: "You might as well be asking why everyone prefers Jell-O cake to apple pie. I don't know why, they just do."
Norm MacLean: "So, if it's not at all worrisome, why are we whispering?"
Chet: "Because we just snuck into a vault filled with dead bodies. Not to mention Steph's from Vault 31."(The Past) Before he could investigate the matter further, Overseer Pearson announced a Vault-wide meeting about the future of Vault 32 as her first act of office.Betty Pearson: "Hello, Vault 33. In my first edict as overseer, I will be hosting a vault-wide meeting about the future of Vault 32 tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. See you there. " At 10 a.m., she took the dwellers into Vault 32 to tour the empty shelter, which was hastily cleaned up and restored by Vault 31. All the bodies were removed and the damage covered up, creating the illusion of an empty Vault ripe for resettlement. Which led her to announce that after consulting with Vault 31, she will split the population of Vault 33 and use it to resettle the vacant Vault.Betty Pearson: "Thank you for coming, everyone. It is important to me for us all to see this place together. As a community. As a family. So that we can heal together and rebuild together. What is happening here? Now, I spoke with the overseer of Vault 31 and we agreed these vaults of ours are too sacred to leave empty. Which is why I am announcing a resettling campaign. Some of us will stay home to rebuild 33. Others will be moving into Vault 32 in the coming weeks to start anew. "(The Past)
The following day, the sixteen prisoners were found dead, poisoned with what seemed to be rat poison. After reprimanding Norman and having one of the dwellers assigned to the prisoners' care arrested, Overseer Pearson immediately sent out population reassignments, splitting the Vault. The decision was entirely her own, and she made sure to split Norm and Chet, leaving the resettlers with Stephanie Harper, another transfer from Vault 31, chosen as the interim and likely permanent overseer.Betty Pearson: "And now we say goodbye to all those who are leaving us for Vault 32. Each of them have been chosen for their agreeability, stick-to-itiveness, and all of the other qualities that make for a successful pioneer. And of course, every vault needs an overseer. Which is why I have conferred with the high council. And we are proud to announce as interim overseer of Vault 32, Stephanie Harper. And with that, now our friends become neighbors. Good luck, 32ers. "(The Radio) On the day of the Vault 32 Reclamation, Norm used the preoccupation of the overseer and other dwellers to sneak into the overseer's office and contact Vault 31, posing as Pearson. After claiming that the mission was not going too well, he managed to convince the Vault 31 overseer to open the door and entered the sister Vault.Fallout, The Radio
===Role in the Vault Experiment===
In the resulting confrontation with Bud Askins, the overseer, Norm learned the truth. The Vault network was not an alliance of three democratic Vaults, but a eugenic experiment created by Askins,Barbara Howard: "Bud here has an idea for three interconnected vaults. But we need more ideas. We need your ideas. Because it was the spirit of competition that made our companies great, and I propose we bring that same spirit of competition to our solution. We have over a hundred vaults spread across America. Enough for each of you to claim several, where you can play out your own ideas for how to create the perfect conditions for humanity. Whatever you want to do, no one needs to know. And may the best idea win. "(The Beginning) to deal with the issue of human lifespans limiting the ability to implement projects requiring centuries, even millennia to come to fruition.Bud Askins: "Well, I call it Bud's Buds. The basic idea is that the biggest obstacle to achievement has been the brevity of the human lifespan. It's prevented us from working on projects that require centuries, maybe even millennia, to see through. So ideally, Bud's Buds will keep my project on track centuries into the future. Nifty, huh? "(The Beginning) Considering the idea of keeping a failed nation like the United States alive an insane one, Askins instead decided to leverage the outsourcing of U.S. survival to the private sector to ensure that Vault-Tec would remain alive to rebuild the world as Askins saw fit. To this end, Vault 31 was filled with graduates of "Bud's Buds," an executive assistant training program set up by Askins for up-and-coming executives before the Great War, kept in a state of suspended animation.Norm MacLean: "Is this where my dad's from?"
Bud Askins: "You'll never find out. Oh. He's gonna find out. These are Bud's Buds. My Buds. America outsourced the survival of this country to the private sector. But it would have been insane to keep a failed nation alive. So, we kept Vault-Tec alive instead. A well-trained staff of highly supervised junior executives from my own assistant training program. Because the future of humanity comes down to one word: Management."(The Beginning)
Vault 32 and 33 were breeding pools, providing candidates for the junior executives (Buds) to breed with, to create a class of super managers to repopulate the Earth once the nuclear war wiped the surface clean (with or without Vault-Tec's help). Buds would strictly control both Vaults brought out of stasis, disguised as population transfers from Vault 31,Norm MacLean: "So what's Vault 32 and 33? Just people to be controlled?"
Bud Askins: "What? No! When you put it like that, it sounds downright morally questionable. They're our breeding pool, the ultimate expression of HR R&D. Genetically selected to breed with my Buds to create a class of super managers. People with positivity, people who make lemonade. People who will inherit the Earth after we've wiped the surface clean."
Norm MacLean: "We wiped the surface clean?"(The Beginning) and operate under Bud Askins' supervision, disguised as telegrams and conferences with Vault 31. The overseers are one example, but the council would also be dominated by them; Betty Pearson dominated the Vault 33 council after Hank succeeded her in the role, with Reg McPhee and Woody Thomas essentially rubber-stamping her decisions.
This was made possible by social engineering; the dwellers were brought up believing in a meritocracy, with no political education beyond a history of America curated by Vault-Tec and no exposure to the outside world, and conditioned to conform to tradition and social expectations, in particular edicts by overseers.They are disturbed when people break expectations; even something simple as Norm preferring cake instead of jello is shown to disturb Betty Pearson. Another example is when some residents are resettled to Vault 32, no one appears to suggest simply leaving the door open for communication, with people acting as if it is their final goodbye. 
Being pre-War executives trained in social manipulation and navigating the cutthroat world of corporate politics, it was easy for the Buds to manipulate both Vaults and have them follow along with Askins' plan. Any challenger for the position of overseer would only be able to mount a pitiful campaign, at most, and when in doubt, the overseer could always engineer a crisis (e.g., a water chip breakage). To ensure breeding success, sex and procreation have been stripped of social stigma and taboo, which creates a more egalitarian society, but also makes the Vault dwellers appear promiscuous in comparison with more repressed wastelanders.Residents of the Vault are raised to openly talk about sexual matters and reproduction. While this may be viewed as the residents being sex positive, the explicit mention of both being a breeding pool indicates it's intentional. This would allow for Vault 31 dwellers to carry out eugenic breeding as dictated by Askins, while the elimination of social taboo surrounding sex and reproduction would prevent it from affecting Buds' social standing.
Both Rose and Lucy were likely examples of super-managers, with Rose deducing that civilization returned to the surface based on an imbalance in the Vault's water supply. Her husband, the overseer, dismissed the idea and instructed her to stay silent about it. Rose realized that he was hiding something and fled the Vault with her children, leading Hank to engineer a cover-up (likely the weevil famine) and give pursuit. He took the children back and returned to the Vault, after ensuring the capital of the New California Republic would be obliterated by a nuclear device, with his wife caught in the blast and competition for the future Vault-Tec supermen eliminated. At the same time, he unknowingly set in motion events that would lead to his downfall. Lee Moldaver, herself a pre-War survivor, swore vengeance, marshaling NCR remnants in New California in a bid to recover cold fusion research and unlock it for the people for the wasteland. She needed Hank's Vault-Tec credentials to activate the technology.Lee Moldaver: "Rose was so clever. Like you. Lucy, your mother discovered that something was siphoning the vault's water away. From that one clue, she deduced that maybe... civilization had returned to the surface. When she told her husband, he said it was a ridiculous idea, and that she should tell no one."
Hank MacLean: "Lucy, let's go. Let's..."
Lee Moldaver: "And that's when she realized that her husband, the Overseer, was hiding things."
Hank MacLean: "Lucy, let's go. Let's get out of here."
Lee Moldaver: "So she ran away. Like you did, Lucy. And took her children. And she found this wonderful city that was everything the vaults had promised to be."
Hank MacLean: "She is lying!"
Lee Moldaver: "But then, her husband came after her. And when she decided not to return home, he took the children. And he burned that city to the ground."
Lucy MacLean: "Shady Sands."
Hank MacLean: "She's lying, Lucy."
Lee Moldaver: "That's how Vault-Tec deals with competition. Just like they did 200 years ago."(The Beginning)
Norm was unable to return to the Vault, with Askins using his own control of the Vault's systems to lock him in the cryo suspension chamber, giving him a choice: Either starve to death or enter stasis in his father's former chamber to be awoken at Bud's discretion.
==Layout==
Located next to the Pacific Ocean, the Vault is almost entirely underground, with the only above structure a reinforced concrete bunker housing the main Vault door, sitting atop a shaft extending down through the bedrock. To protect against coastal erosion, the bunker complex is surrounded by concrete seawalls, particularly the most vulnerable area outside the Vault door (a significant part of the Santa Monica's beachfront was torn down to make way for the Vault). The outer concrete walls extend to the top of the bunker and have proved stable enough to hold out against erosion for over two centuries.Fallout, The Head: The external structure is clearly visible around the 22:44 mark, which is also an aerial shot of Santa Monica.Vault diagram
The main shaft connects all 12 levels of the Vault (including the surface) through the main lift. The main feature of the Vault is a large atrium stretching down through three levels (underground levels 5, 6, and 7), which simulates the outdoors: The blank walls act as screens for a Telesonic projector, showing images of the Nebraskan countryside. The atrium serves multiple duties, including being a space for exercise, for social gatherings, and as farmland: Vault-Tec combined artificial lighting, irrigation, and natural soil to allow the dwellers to raise crops. The primary crop is maize,Siggi Wilzig: "You come from Vault 33. Your primary crop is corn. You have a Telesonic projector in your farm. It loops images of the Nebraskan countryside. You've been brought up in a meritocracy, where people pride themselves on doing the right thing. I think I know enough to know you need to go home."(The Target) although tatos, sunflowers,Fallout, The End: Sunflowers are used for decoration during the wedding scenes. cucumbers,Fallout, The End: Hank drowns Monty in a barrel of pickled cucumbers. beans, potatoes, and peaches are also cultivated. The Vault can also produce animal or animal-like products, enabling the Vault to provide a varied diet and even luxury foodstuffs like jello or cake (typically reserved for celebrations, such as the election of a new overseer or a wedding).Fallout, The Head: Food served to the prisoners includes baked beans, mashed potatoes, peach slices, and cuts of cram. Fertilizer is provided by composting organic waste in room 214, including human bodies.Fallout, The Head: The dwellers drag dead raiders to room 214 for composting. Water is provided by a filtration system controlled by a standard Vault-Tec water chip, which managed to operate for nearly 220 years, until breaking in the wake of the raider attack, leaving the Vault with two months' worth of water.Fallout, The Head
Living quarters are organized into discrete apartments for families. Unmarried Vault dwellers stay with their families in the apartment, with couples moving into a new space on their wedding day. Each apartment is small, but furnished with all modern amenities, including a bathroom with a shower, a living room with a kitchen annex and refrigerator, and a bed for the couple, with a small patio in the adjoining room that simulates the outdoors. Each room is identified with a number (e.g., 626 for Lucy's newlywed apartment and 538 for Steph and Bert's), but variations are possible.Fallout, The End: Lucy's apartment layout. Common spaces are used as necessary and can be repurposed in need (eg. turning the reading room into a temporary jail for Moldaver's raiders). The nexus of control is the overseer's office, overlooking the atrium,Fallout, The Radio though the Vault council convenes in a separate council room (967).Fallout, The Head
Unique among other Vaults is the fact that Vault 33 is part of a network. As one of the Three Vaults, the neighboring Vaults 31 and 32 are accessible by inter-vault passageways, though standard Vault doors limit access. Designated gatekeepers (e.g. Chet in 2296) are responsible for handling door operations and are instructed to keep the doors closed, except for the Triennial Trade between Vaults 32 and 33 or personnel transfers from 31 to 33. The intervault spaces, such as the Vault 33 fencing club, are otherwise used for community activities.Fallout, The Head: Lucy's intro and the opening of the door to let Moldaver in. Only Vaults 32 and 33 have direct access to each other. Vault 31 can only be opened by its overseer. In fact, dwellers cannot contact each other and only the overseers remain in contact through their terminals, giving them the ability to exchange text messages (called "telegrams") and even engage in instant messaging.Fallout, The Radio: Terminal exchange with Vault 31.
==Inhabitants==
===Overseers===
1 
===Other dwellers===
Named:
Unnamed:
==Notes==
* Being located in Santa Monica places Vault 33 in or near the territory of the New California Republic, specifically the Los Angeles Boneyard, which was admitted to the NCR as the state of Los Angeles during its founding in 2189. Prior to this, it would have lay in or near the territory of the Children of the Cathedral, a religious cult serving a super mutant army known as the Unity, which raided numerous Vaults to grow their numbers before being defeated in 2162.
* All Vault dwellers wear a variant of the Vault jumpsuit based on the version introduced in Fallout 4.
* A promotional video from the Vault-Tec Holotapes broadcast channel on Instagram gave a tour of the Vault, narrated by Overseer Hank (played by Kyle MacLachlan).
==Appearances==
Vault 33 appears .
==Behind the scenes==
* When asked on whether the idea of a Vault so close to the Unity's power base in the Cathedral was explored, original Fallout developer Jesse Heinig explained as above, that there was no definitive list of Vaults during development and thus further developments for a TV series over 25 years later could not be taken into account. He has also floated several possibilities as to how the Master and his army could miss a Vault right under their noses, including lack of information, his super mutant soldiers being incompetent, or the Vault being simply better protected than others. 
* Between December 2—12, 2023, Fallout 76 allowed players to download a free Vault 33 jumpsuit underarmor to promote the TV series.
* The Bethesda Pinball table, released in 2016, contained A Vault numbered 33, wholly unrelated to the Vault that would later appear in the Fallout TV series.
* Additionally, the Creation Club image for the Vault Suit Customization content (released in 2019) features some numbers written on a booklet featuring Vault suits, jotted down near one of the jumpsuits themselves. One of the numbers written is 33, which has been crossed out alongside 41, in favor of 101 and 64.
===Design===
* Vault 33 uses the same construction technology and layouts as Vaults from Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, with the external Vault door and entrance hall similar to Vault 76:
Fallout 76	Fallout
 	
 	
* The Vault uniquely has a large cornfield in the atrium, though most of it is just a "2.5D" projection created by a special technology.TheGamer on YouTube: Interview With The Production Designer Of Amazon's Fallout TV Series, Howard Cummings! However, the Vault does have a smaller crop field modeled after a rural farm, surrounded by the cornfield projection. This crop field is located on sub-level 4 of the Vault, along with the mess hall. The living quarters are located on sub-level 2, and sub-level 5 is experiencing a radroach infestation."Greetings, Vault Dwellers. Here’s a brand new tour with Overseer Hank." (archived on Reddit)
* Although much of the interior spaces were created as physical sets, the Vault door hallway, the main shaft, and background shots of the farm area, were created in Unreal Engine by Magnopus. Sarah Hudson Semple was responsible for modeling, texturing, and laying out these areas, which were later seamlessly combined with the physical sets. The work was featured on the Unreal Engine blog as an example of the flexibility of the engine.
==Gallery==
===Outside===
Birds eye view of Vault 33.png|Vault 33 located next to Santa Monica Pier
Vault 33 zoomed.jpg|Vault exterior
FoTV The End Lucy outside vault.jpg|Lucy outside
FOTV Trailer 1 08.png
===Entrance area===
FOTV Trailer 1 03.png|Interior of the entrance door
FOTV Trailer 1 06.png|Vault door open
Fallout Season 1 Amazon Chet bg.jpg|Amazon preview
Vault33int.jpg|Galaxy News Broadcast
Vault 33 shaft.jpg|Many levels down from the entrance
===Rooms===
FOTV Trailer 1 01.png|Hallway
FOTV S01E01.The.End. (3).jpg|Atrium
FOTV Official Trailer Still 010.png|The farm
Vault33farm.jpg|The farm
FOTV Trailer 1 28.png|Commons
FOTV Trailer 1 29.png|>:(
FOTV Trailer 1 57.png|Steph Harper opening fire
Lucy and Hank experimenting.webp|Hank and Lucy
Fallout Season 1 Amazon Lucy bg.jpg|Amazon preview
Fallout Season 1 Amazon Hank bg.jpg|Amazon preview
Fallout Season 1 Amazon Norm bg.jpg|Amazon preview
Fallout Season 1 Amazon Steph bg.jpg|Amazon preview
Fallout Season 1 Amazon Betty bg.jpg|Amazon preview
Fallout Season 1 Amazon Woody bg.jpg|Amazon preview
Fallout Season 1 Amazon Reg bg.jpg|Amazon preview
===Promotional slides===
Vault33psa.jpg|Ad
Vault33sublevel4two.jpg|Farm
Vault33sublevel4.jpg|Farm Supplies
Vault33sublevel2.jpg|Living Quarters
Vaulty33doorone.jpg|Door
===Technical images===
File:sarah-hudson-semple-farmlighting-05-17-22-003-copy.jpg|Assets by Sarah Hudson Semple
File:sarah-hudson-semple-screenshot00011.jpg
File:sarah-hudson-semple-screenshot00001.jpg
File:sarah-hudson-semple-screenshot00004.jpg
File:sarah-hudson-semple-screenshot00005.jpg
File:sarah-hudson-semple-vaultlighting002-06-02-22-copy.jpg
File:sarah-hudson-semple-screenshot00009.jpg
==References==
;Non-game
;Meta
Category:Vaults
Category:Fallout TV series locations
ru:Убежище 33