‘Fallout’s Latest Canada Jabs Hit Harder Than Expected

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While the show Fallout doesn’t generally focus on politics, its core idea – a corporation building shelters for a select few while the world ends – carries a lot of underlying meaning. The show is based on a video game from the late 90s, so it wasn’t originally meant to reflect current events. However, Season 2, Episode 7, ‘The Handoff,’ delves into a character’s past and includes some surprisingly funny and pointed commentary about Canada and its relationship with the United States, playing on common stereotypes. As a Canadian, I thought it was both clever and unexpectedly insightful.

Steph’s Journey Brings Her From Canada


Image via Amazon Prime Video

Earlier in the season, we learn that Steph Harper (Annabel O’Hagan) has a Canadian passport – specifically, one from a region formerly part of Canada now under U.S. control – a secret discovered by Chet (Dave Register). The episode begins with a flashback showing how Steph first arrived at the Vault, including a reference to the Canadian national anthem.

During a flashback, Steph and her mother, Joan, are shown traveling across a devastated landscape after escaping an internment camp. They encounter a soldier in a powerful suit of armor who orders them to return home, pointedly calling them “hosers.” This is a Canadian slang term, popularized by the comedy show SCTV, originally used to describe someone silly or unsuccessful, though sometimes said playfully. In this show, however, the word seems to carry a more offensive meaning.

After a suicide bomb explodes, Joan is seriously wounded by flying debris and begins to lose blood. She shares a touching goodbye with Steph, urging her to continue the journey without her, delivering a classic “I won’t survive” speech. However, what happens next is particularly impactful, staying true to the original game’s story and reflecting the frustration and resentment Steph feels towards the nation she’s trying to reach.

With tears streaming down her face, Steph refuses to abandon Joan, urging her to fight fiercely for a chance to reach safety in one of the vaults. Joan tells her to do whatever it takes – lie, cheat, or steal. “Don’t see them as people,” she says, her jaw clenched, “think of them like Americans.” This suggests she’s completely serious. The story takes place in a world where there’s a lot of conflict between neighboring countries, and with good reason.

Following the advice she received, Steph sets out on a determined quest, crossing the border to find answers. She ends up working as a maid at the Lucky 38 casino, where she encounters Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins). She cleverly asks him about getting a job at Vault-Tec, and he directs her to Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan), who is currently passed out in a laundry cart she’s supposed to move.

When Hank wakes up, Steph manages to convince him of something, and as a result, she’s recruited by Vault-Tec, where she trains to become an assistant. Her cold ability to see people – specifically Americans – as objects rather than individuals likely led to her being chosen for cryostasis, intended to repopulate the world after a future disaster, as she was willing to conduct cruel experiments on them. Centuries later, she is awakened after the Great War.

Steph initially spends a lot of time simply existing in this new world. However, when her husband, Bert, is killed and she loses an eye, her desire for revenge becomes much stronger. Being placed in charge of Vault 32 – one of many shelters built for the future – increases her influence. Knowing her hidden past makes this even more compelling. It’s as if she’s a survivor from the old world, driven to avenge her homeland. Suddenly, her actions begin to make sense, even though she remains a deeply unsettling character.

Steph Is Publicly Positioned as an Outsider


Image via Amazon Prime Video

Steph appears to be planning something significant throughout the year, though her exact intentions remain a mystery. Meanwhile, Chet is becoming increasingly suspicious and frightened of her. He uncovers proof that she’s originally from before the war, but he’s struggling to find the courage to act on this potentially damaging discovery.

It was satisfying to watch Chet finally confront Steph by exposing her secret during their wedding. Initially, guests dismissed his claims that she hurt Woody, especially since he couldn’t produce the supposed evidence – a pair of glasses he said he’d found. However, the room fell silent when he revealed her Canadian passport. The idea that a Canadian had managed to get close to the Vault was shocking!

The show, currently one of the best series available on Prime Video, features a funny reaction from the residents. They seem more upset that she’s Canadian than the fact that she’s a centuries-old participant in a strange experiment. It appears they’re shocked and fearful she might harm them, possibly due to decades of anti-Canadian bias passed down through generations. Steph is mortified by this discovery and immediately runs away, leaving her next move unknown.

The Lighthearted Jab Addresses Current Tensions


Image via Amazon Prime Video

This story element is meant to be playful and is part of the game’s background, but it surprisingly touches on current political issues. Within the game, the United States annexes Canada between 2067 and 2072 – an event called “The Big 51” or “Little America” – to gain resources and strengthen its position against China.

Putting the humor aside, the story feels very relevant given the current political unrest. It doesn’t explicitly take sides, but the depiction of Americans before the war is quite negative, portraying them as criminals. Even though Steph is violent herself, we start to feel sorry for her once we learn about her past.

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The way pre-War American soldiers reacted to Steph’s escape from the internment camp led many Americans to see Canadians as foolish and insignificant, essentially wanting them to remain in Canada and suffer the same fate as everyone else there. Steph, like many Canadians before the war, held America responsible for everything that happened – and with good reason, considering Vault-Tec’s involvement and the damage done to Canada.

After centuries, Steph is believed to be seeking revenge against those who harmed her and her ancestors. The briefcase she took from Betty Pearson – trading access to water for it – probably holds the key to achieving that revenge.

Initially, Steph appeared erratic and her motives were unclear. Now, her behavior and tendency to brush others off makes a little more sense. The people in the vaults aren’t to blame for the tragedy that befell her and her homeland centuries ago – most of them weren’t even alive then. The exception is those who were frozen in time with her, and she’s determined to get revenge on them.

This series highlights the existing tensions between Canada and the United States. Unlike some other shows, like The Boys, it wasn’t created as a direct response to current events. However, the political undertones feel particularly relevant and impactful given the current state of the world and North America.

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2026-01-29 23:06