On the surface, the Vaults 31, 32 and 33 storyline in Fallout can feel a little boring at times. Compared to The Ghoul being a badass or learning more about the events leading up to the Great War, the vault scenes move at a slower pace. It’s like a weird intermission lodged between the lore drops and the chaos of living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Yet the going-ons of Vaults 31, 32 and 33 are important to the TV series. They give us an inside look into Vault-Tec’s goal of ruling what’s left of the world as a corporate ruling class.
In the season 2 premiere, “The Innovator,” the show implies that the system Bud Askins spent two centuries perfecting is starting to crack.
Refresher of the Purpose of the Three Vaults
Vaults 31, 32, and 33 are sister vaults in one shared Vault-Tec experiment.
Vault 31 hosts junior executives from Vault‑Tec that are frozen in cryosleep. These executives are thawed out one at a time every thirty years to become the Overseers for Vaults 32 and 33.
Vaults 32 and 33 are the two halves of Bud Askins’ social and breeding experiments. The vaults are designed to produce a compliant population of “super managers”. Residents of Vaults 32 and 33 trade spouses for arranged marriages to prevent inbreeding (though it’s implied the practice is alive and well in Vault 33).
Vault 33 Is At Its Breaking Point
Vault 33 is trying to move on from the raider attack. You know the one where Lee Moldaver and the New California Republic kidnapped Overseer Hank MacLean back in season one.
Instead, three problems are pressing down on the vault all at once. Their water chip (water filtration system) is damaged and needs to be fixed within a two month window. There’s a resource shortage while residents like Reg start to feel restless. On top of that, several residents have to relocate to Vault 32 after everyone revolted and exterminated themselves.
Vault 32 Isn’t Fixed
Now the new Oversee for Vault 32, Steph Harper is struggling to help some people adjust to the resetting order. People ask petty questions or complain about the way things work in their new home. Yet you can feel the darkness of Vault 32 bubbling under the surface.
Cracks are also starting to show in her relationship with her boyfriend Chet. He’s not pleased with Steph using him as a babysitter for her newborn son. Who’s now called Chet Jr. despite Chet not being the kid’s father. Chet Jr’s dad/Steph’s husband Burt was killed in the raider attack on Vault 33.
Trapped in Vault 31
Then there’s Norm MacLean. Norm is held hostage by the brain of Bud Askins. The poor guy is still reeling from his discovery that every Overseer Vault 33 had was from Vault 31. As well as the fact that his vault is part of some breeding experiment.
Bud gives Norm two choices: get inside his dad’s cryo-pod until he’s thawed out for Reclamation Day (which doesn’t have a set date) or die.
Norm takes a third option: thawing out every executive frozen inside of Vault 31. This bold move throws a huge wrench into Bud’s plans, though time will tell how this will impact the Three Vaults.
The Vaults 31, 32, and 33 storyline is about power. “The Innovator” makes it clear that Vault-Tec’s vision of submissive yes men ruling the planet isn’t sustainable. Especially when you’re up against independent thinkers like Norm and The Ghoul, or those who are becoming disillusioned like Lucy. As the cracks widen, the question is how much damage the Three Vaults experiment will cause when it finally collapses.
