Fallout II: Bartertown Blues

The Fallout II Poster

Barper

Gerald

Jimothy

Steve the Mutant

Fallout II: Barter Town Blues is the second entry of the *Fallout* series taking place about a week afterFallout: A Chip in the Bag. The video follows Renault's quest to deliver the mysterious computer chip after his escape from the raider gang. Joined by new allies, he must now identify the source of the job before he can continue any further. It would seem however, that there exists another power who wishes to achieve the chip at any cost. Barter Town Blues is the longest video produced by the dudes at 39 minutes, 6 seconds. The reason behind the longevity was the desire to have meaningful conversation in order to develop who the characters are, something that was not fully achieved in the first video. While not the original intention, during planning Fallout II took heavy influence from spaghetti westerns due to Jack's newfound fascination with the genre after he had watched several Sergio Leone films throughout the year. It was also believed that sticking to a genre style would help the video's direction like in Cops: Noir which was made earlier that year.

## Plot

Fallout II: Barter Town Blues begins with a radio conversation with a mysterious voice requesting that a goon get him the "chip". After this 3 goons ride into shot on bicycles before dismounting along a frequented caravan trail. They wait until an old pickup truck pulls forward and stops in front of them. After it appears that only a backpack is thrown out the vehicle, the goons turn to go back to their bikes when suddenly Renault appears from behind the truck as it pulls away. He asks the goons if they were looking for someone to which they reply him. After asking if they had brought him a bike, Renault threatens the goons leading to a quick draw shootout. Renault manages to kill all three goons in a second but it also shot in the license plate. This plot armor saved him though and he simply got up and walked away as the intro began. Renault makes his way to Barter Town to try and discover who exactly wants the chip and follows a sign in the area. Along the way, he comes across a travelling salesman named Samuel J. Davis, who's shopping cart of wares was knocked over. Davis requests Renault's help in lifting it back up offering a discount and guidance to Barter Town. Renault accepts and the two introduce each other. They then head off as Renault strikes down friendly conversation.

### Barter Town

Upon reaching Barter Town it is discovered that somehow the Toll Man is present guarding the gate. The Toll Man requests a fee for entry to Renault's disbelief as this guy keeps showing up. Renault states how the sign said free entry and comments on how this was the same guy from last week, but the Toll Man denies ever seeing him before and still asks for payment. Renault offers two Ryobi tool electronic batteries, to which the Toll Man accepts since he said he was a good friend, demonstrating the further the enigma that is the Toll Man. The gate is opened allowing Renault entry and just as Davis also attempts to enter, it is shut on him. The Toll Man tells Davis to can it while closing the gate angry about the stunt he pulled last time. Davis attempts to win the strange man's good side by offering three Ryobi batteries from a large bag, but instead the Toll Man ends up taking the entire thing. Davis then enters as he and Renault watch the happenings of the town marketplace. They immediately witness a sweet roll thief get gunned down by two Barter Town guards, as well as a child selling illegal garden weeds get chased off. Renault sarcastically comments on how peaceful the town is.

The two then separate with Davis going to his vending stand as Renault attempts to look for some information. He quickly spots a man who looks just like Harper, but is in fact his twin brother, Barper. Renault is dumbfounded at the absurdity of these names when Barper asks if he knew his brother. Renault confirms he did and then tells the man how he has recently been killed. Barper then has a mental breakdown as Renault watched and introduces himself. He then asks Barper about the chip to see if he knew anything but he denies this. Renault pushes this further recalling how Harper said he got the job from a man babbling at the saloon to which Barper then revealed he did know who that was. Barper then offers to take Renault to Flat Fizzy's in order to locate this man. Barper leads Renault to the residential section of the town witnessing some hostile inhabitants and a squatter getting forcefully thrown out of a tent by the guards. Davis is then seen getting stopped by one of the guards who is clearly unhappy to see him after the "stunt" he did three weeks ago. Davis attempts to bribe the guard to get him off his back which warrants a quick slap and a threat to never attempt to bribe him again. Davis then goes to set up his stand as Barper and Renault make their way to Flat Fizzy's.

Upon arriving at the saloon Renault yells out so everyone can hear that he is looking for someone that has information about the computer chip that can save the world and is worth a fortune. The bartender informs Renault that the man who talks about the chip is currently out of town but would be back the next day. Renault then decides that he should probably stay the night when suddenly two goon begin to argue over the chip. Renault attempts to calm both of them down when suddenly one of the goons viciously punches him in the nose. The other goon then jumps on Renault and starts attacking him prompting Barper to jump into action. Barper manages to beat back the two goons that attacked Renault leading to more combatants entering the fray, allowing the two protagonists to escape. After this Barper tells Renault about the tree house hotel. Renault thanks Barper for all the help he had given him and then goes to Samuel J. Davis.

Davis is pleased to see Renault as he intends to use his discount and purchase some wares. A license plate chest plate immediately catches Renault's eye as he is a connoisseur of license plate armor. With his discount he ends up trading an N64 controller for the item, as well as the book *All Quiet on the Western Front* for a clean copy of *True Grit.* Renault then tells Davis about the hotel and offers to split the cost of a room with him so they may both spend the night somewhere seemingly safe. Davis accepts creating a warmer relationship between the two leading to a friendly discussion about Davis' background. After this Renault goes to reserve the hotel room. The two are next seen at night as they walk into the room for the first time accepting the tight quarters. Davis goes to get some things from his stand and Renault settles down and begins reading True Grit before bed. After the two fall asleep, a mysterious intruder enters and scans the room. Once he identifies Renault, he pulls out a weapon and goes to shoot him when suddenly Davis jolts awake and shoots the man in the face. This in turn wakes Renault and the two run out to investigate. The man falls of the balcony leaving the two surprised as to what just happened.

Upon going back inside Davis demands to know why this man would have broken in and tried to kill them. Renault then retells the events of Fallout I explaining how he got the chip and how desired it is by dangerous powers. He reveals he still does not know what is on the chip and how he hopes to get this information from the man he was looking for at the bar. Suddenly a commotion can be heard from outside which Davis quickly discovers is coming from his stand. The two run outside to see Gerald and Jimothy trashing everything. After getting discovered, the two quickly flee into the night leaving Davis with nothing but decimated junk. Davis then demands that Renault should pay for this since the goons did this act of sabotage due to the fact he was seen working with Renault. Renault dismayed says he cannot afford this to which Davis says he will be able to with whatever reward he'll get from delivering the chip. Renault assesses the situation and does not put up much of an argument before going back to the hotel.

The next morning the two come out looking refreshed despite the previous nights encounter with Renault remarking about his nice new chest plate. They then come across the body of the intruder on the ground which they had both forgotten about. They decide to take the corpse to the sheriff's office and report the crime from that night. When reaching the office a guard does a preliminary check on the dead man. The two protagonists step aside as the guard instructs the intruder to hold his weapon while he looks him up and down. When finished the intruder gives the gun back to the guards prompting the guard to declare he was definitely dead allowing entry inside. It would seem as though this guard might have been a fool. When entering they come across the eccentric Barter Town sheriff who was hiding under his desk. He begins talking to the two wearing a British bobby helmet and speaking with a poor English accent as he looks at the body. After telling the sheriff that the man was dead he says he'll take him in to questioning for a couple days. The two are displeased with this and then also bring up the trashing of Davis' stand. The sheriff then suddenly is wearing a cowboy hat and switches to a western accent assuring them that he will send the boys out to look into it. The two then head out and leave the not quite dead body with the sheriff. Upon exit Renault remarks how the sheriff was rather queer before the two separate again with Davis going to see what he could salvage from his cart, and Renault heading to Flat Fizzy's to meet Barper and hopefully find the man he was looking for.

### Escape from Barter Town

When arriving at the bar, Barper asks Renault what took him so long. Renault briefly tells him about having to take a dead body to the sheriff's describing it as a minor annoyance. Barper then points out the man he was looking for so Renault calls him over. Dr. Donkless the Scientist then quickly runs over speaking in a frantic tone to Renault asking if he had the chip and then telling him to keep it hidden insisting that there was no time. He then gives instructions to Renault describing where he could find his associate by going west through the Badlands and past Megaton, where he would find him at an old something. He never got to say what the something was since he was cut off before he finished by Gerald joined with Jimothy and another goon. Gerald demands that Renault give him the chip threatening him with violence. Renault initially tries to deny owning the item but Davis yells out in the distance that the place was surrounded. Gerald and the raiders begin to get more hostile when Renault quickly throws a box and runs away with Barper. Dr. Donkless tries to hold off the raiders buying Renault some little time but is quickly gunned down by the raiders.

Barper and Renault run to Davis' cart which is stuck in the rocks. Renault grabs his rifle and bag from the cart while Barper has to forcefully pull Davis as he is unwilling to leave without the cart. Renault shoots and kills one of the raiders but Gerald and Jimothy keep up the pursuit firing upon the protagonists as they run away. Two guards named Bill and Bob up on the watch tower are then seen discussing about how some guy came into the bar with some kind of computer chip that was worth a fortune. They then recognize that guy to be Renault as he is running from the goons. Bob then decides that they should try and get the chip and split the fortune to which Bill agrees. This then leads to the guards joining the fight against the raiders and the protagonists. The 3 manage to take cover behind a tent and fire at their attackers killing guards and raiders alike. They make a mad dash through the center of town dodging bullets from two firing lines of raiders and guards. The Toll Man attempts to stop the trio as they reach the gate but Barper runs up and punches him to the ground. The three then make their escape from town and run a mile away. They all stop and catch their breath to try and figure out their situation. Renault recalls the instructions given to him but Barper points out the missing detail of old something. Renault fully intent to complete the job states his intentions recruiting Davis as he intends to get revenge. Barper then also agrees to follow and the trio head west.

### The long haul

After miles of walking they come across the Badlands, easily noticeable by the sign as well as the many dismembered body parts. The trio head into the Badlands where they find some sort of beast seen off camera. Davis and Barper flee down a hill while Renault watches from behind the tree. Whatever the beast was it frightens Renault causing him to fire rapidly at the creature before also running away. After travelling many more miles the trio decide to set up camp since it was getting dark. Just as they settle down, the Toll Man mysteriously appears out of nowhere insisting that there was a fine to pay for sleeping on these lands. The trio had nothing to give him meaning they have to be blown up if they stayed. They then opted to keep walking the path to Megaton. Even more miles later they encounter Megaton, a small settlement built around many long abandoned cars. Barper says how he needs to purchase more ammo since he wasn't planning on leaving that day, so after the guard allows them entry they split off. Barper heads over to a merchant sitting inside a pickup truck bed who has the ammunition he needs. Barper offers a car battery in exchange but instead the merchant offers a side quest as a deal. The merchant says how the town was attacked by raiders recently and they took most of the towns supplies as well as his daughter. By accepting this side quest Barper would help the town and be able to take whatever supplies he wanted. Without saying the word Barper then gives the man the car battery and walks off with the bullets since he does not care about the well being of the town. He then joins Renault and Davis who are laughing over some funny stories before they all head out. Renault remarks how the town seems depressed and asks why Barper thought that was, to which Barper replied "no idea".

### The thing

The trio eventually reached an old dilapidated warehouse which they believe might be the old something they are searching for. Renault doubts this as the location looks shady and most likely has poor air quality inside. Davis is intent to venture in to search for any valuables that may help compensate his previously lost wares. Barper decides to stay outside and be on guard as Renault and Davis dawn some gas masks from Renault's bag that he had previously connected. Renault gives Davis the stupid looking one while he claims the cool one and the two both head inside. Their only illumination in the pitch black interior is the flashlights on their rifles. Renault yells out to see if the associate he was after was inside but is given no response. Davis splits off to find something of value while Renault slowly walks around to investigate the place. He kicks a wooden board when suddenly he hears a scream from the room next to him. Renault slowly walks in and discovers a corpse sitting on a chair. The man was also wearing a gas mask and appeared to have been killed by something external. Renault continues forward leaving the room and stopping as he exits. Suddenly a shadow darts across the wall catching Renault's attention prompting him to spin around. Renault still continues forward and slowly makes his way down a long hallway. Upon reaching the end of the hallway he comes across a horrific sight. He slowly raises his rifle to illuminate the beast in front of him, some sort of mutated creature that was feasting on the corpse of a man. The beast looks at Renault and becomes hostile emitting terrifying noises frightening Renault as he ran back to the entrance. He bumps into Davis in distress and then the two see the mutant running down the hallway towards them. The two both yell in fear as the mutant approached but Renault's quick thinking led him to kicking it in the balls. The mutant was defeated and the two in disbelief, then exit the warehouse.

Upon getting outside they remove their gas masks and are met by the gang of raiders from Barter Town, who followed them the whole way. Barper is held hostage as Gerald steps forward, demanding the two other drop their weapons before ordering Jimothy and another goon to take their weapons. The two put their hands up and Davis begins talking some nonsense to prepare for a distraction. During this time Renault slips the chip into one of Davis's ammo pouches without the raiders, or even Davis noticing. Gerald threatens Davis to shut up when suddenly Davis manages to escape by pointing in the distance. Gerald allows this since they were really after Renault, stating that the new boss would be pleased since he had the chip. Renault is walked off at gun point as two goons are ordered inside the warehouse to find out just what the trio was looking for. They are also surprised at the mutant leading to them also kicking it in the balls before leaving. The gang then takes their prisoners to the new boss as Davis hides away. Davis then is seen coming back to the area and is distressed at the situation. Suddenly the mutant comes out leading to Davis hesitantly reasoning with him. Davis tries to offer an agreement between the two promising revenge for the mutant as long as they helped him get his friend back. The mutant seems to agree leading to Davis asking for his name. The mutant gives an incomprehensible response leading to Davis naming him Steve. These two then go off to formulate a plan with their strange alliance, ending the video.

## Trivia

- The video was filmed across two back to back days that started mid afternoons. For this reason the dudes were impressed that this was one of their most efficient filming cycles since they got a lot done and did not have to redo anything like in previous projects.

- Key aspects of the video were thought of closely after Fallout I was finished. While it would take about another year until the script was written, over the months several ideas like Barper, Barter Town, and the mutant were thought of and later incorporated once Michael and Jack decided to actually plan out the video in late June of 2020.

- The video was filmed in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic which is why face coverings are an easily acquired accessory for many characters.

- While filming the bar fight, Jesse actually punched Jack in the nose during what was supposed to be a practice run giving him a bloody and sore nose.

- Jesse speaks a lot in this video since he insisted he should after not having been in any videos as a major role since high school.

- The opening scene is a tribute to the opening of Once Upon a Time in the West, the very film that started the interest in spaghetti westerns that influenced this video. Much of the music is also from that movie as well as other Leone films in the Dollars Trilogy.

- Michael says that there is an Easter egg in the video being the lightning bolt that can be seen in the intro when his name appears. This is a reference to the fact Eric is afraid of lightning or something idk he told me that should go in here.

## Gallery

An alternate poster for the videoWaiting for himThe arrivalTwo too manyMeeting DavisToll ManBarter Town marketDecimating the thiefMeeting BarperWalk through the townFlat Fizzy'sBar brawlBarteringHotel IntruderSheriffDr. DonklessDonkless deadEscape from Barter TownGuards join inMad dash through townBad LandMegatonMegaton MerchantLights offSteve the MutantBamboozled