Norm MacLean

Norman "Norm" MacLean is a resident of Vault 33 in the Fallout TV series. He is the inquisitive younger brother of Lucy MacLean and the son of Overseer Hank MacLean.

He may also be considered another protagonist or deuteragonist of the TV series since after Lucy leaves the Vault, the aftermath is shown through Norm's perspective as he investigates the truth of Vault 31 and Vault 32.

Background[]

Norm was born to Rose and Hank MacLean of Vault 33 and has one older sister, Lucy.^[1] Rose suspected the surface world was hospitable and fled Vault 33, angering her husband because he viewed this as dangerous. Rose took Norm and his older sister to live in Shady Sands, although the two children seemed too young to have memories of being on the surface. At some point, Hank finds Rose on the surface, but she refuses to return with him. Hank took his children back from Rose, moving them back to Vault 33, where they believed Rose had died of natural causes during their early childhood.^[2]

Growing up in Vault 33, Norm became best friends with his cousin Chet. However, he is a black sheep in the Vault's community due to his introversion and irreverent personality. As he came to working age, Norm went from job to job in the Vault, receiving a performance grade of "lacks enthusiasm" at each one. Despite his general apathy, he does care about the community to some degree, especially the people who are close to him.^[1][3]

Fallout TV series[]

The End[]

Norm discovers the residents of Vault 32 are all dead just before an attack by raiders posing as residents. During the attack, he hides in a storage space under the floor. After the attack, Norm's sister, Lucy, proposes they send a search party to the surface to find their kidnapped dad. However, the interim council rejects her proposal based on keeping the Vault safe, although Norm speculates they did so because they don't want to recover their father, and since then, they wouldn't be in charge anymore. He later helps his sister Lucy leave the vault.^[4]

The Head[]

To help his sister escape, Norm is reassigned to delivering food to the surviving raiders, now prisoners, by the council comprised of Woody Thomas, Reg McPhee, and Betty Pearson. He later suggested executing the imprisoned raiders in the Vault during an assembly.^[5]

The Ghouls[]

Betty brings some pie she made herself to Norm. She comes to talk to him about how his vocalizing his desire to kill the raiders upset the Vault dwellers and that what he says carries weight because he is the only MacLean left in the Vault. Norm expresses how he feels guilty about hiding during the raid, and Betty notices how he feels angry about it. Betty comments that because Norm is clever, how he channels his anger can lead to dark places, and asks him to tread lightly before she leaves.

While delivering food to the raiders, Norm has a small talk with Veronica about how she feels the raiders do not deserve cake. Veronica wants some of the cake herself, so Norm secretly gives her the cake instead of the raiders. Once Veronica has left, Norm talks to the raider, who claims that the residents of Vault 32 are not as innocent as Norm thinks.

Afterward, he tries to look into files related to the vault, but his access is denied. He goes to Chet for help getting into Vault 32, whose door had been damaged in an explosion and was accessible if they moved some rubble. The pair explore Vault 32 and find the residents had been killed two years prior when the vault collapsed, meaning the raiders did not kill the residents. Logs in the vault also reveal his mother Rose MacLean's Pip-Boy was used to access Vault 32 from the surface.^[6]

The Past[]

While exploring Vault 32, Chet and Norm discover the residents died trying to get into Vault 31. They are later confused when Betty takes everyone to a now-cleaned Vault 32 and announces a project to resettle the vault.^[7]

The Radio[]

Norm discovers he will be staying in Vault 33.

He hacks into Betty's terminal and communicates with Vault 31's Overseer, Bud Askins.

The Beginning[]

Norm secretly enters Vault 31 and discovers Bud, who has had his brain removed and preserved in a rudimentary robotic chassis, described as a "brain-on-a-Roomba." He soon walks deeper into the Vault and discovers the truth: that all of its residents are cryogenically frozen Vault-Tec employees from before the Great War, including his father.

Bud refuses to let Norm leave, as he knows too much. Bud implores Norm to enter one of the sleeping chambers so that Norm won't starve, and Norm is seen walking towards them, but it is unknown if he does so.

Personality[]

Norm is a clever young man who begins the series as a somewhat timid and apathetic individual but gradually becomes more confident as the series progresses. He seems to enjoy teasing others, such as when he tells Lucy her future husband might be a cannibal. Betty also figures out that Norm likes to upset people. Nevertheless, he maintains a sense of innocence that is common among Vault dwellers who have never been to the surface.

Norm is also a perceptive individual. He appears to be one of the first to figure out that something is wrong with the "dwellers" from Vault 32, later revealed to be raiders.

Over time, Norm is shown to exhibit a great amount of bravery, having the courage to let his sister out of the Vault and exploring the decrepit Vaults 31 and 32. This stems from his regret over hiding in a duct while raiders attacked Vault 33, which spurs him to become more active. He is also shown to be somewhat vindictive, particularly towards the raiders, wishing them dead. The raiders are mysteriously killed because someone slipped rat poison into their food, although it is unclear if Norm is the culprit.

He does not seem to enjoy his family's book club; instead, he prefers to play Pip-Boy games.

Notable quotes[]

• "And as for his looks? Big butt? No butt? But of course, it's just superficial concerns, it's what's on the inside that counts. And in that respect, he could be a cannibal, or just like crammed full of tumors." – Norm talking to Lucy about her prospective husband
• "No, but that sounds accurate." – Norm when asked if he knows his performance reviews have all been "lacks enthusiasm"
• "I don't know, I don't think it's our job to help these people. They're murderers." – Norm regarding the Vault 32 raiders

Appearances[]

Norm MacLean appears in the Fallout TV series episodes "The End", "The Head", "The Ghouls", "The Past", "The Radio", and "The Beginning." He was also added to Fallout Shelter in update 1.17.0.

Behind the scenes[]

• Norm appears in six out of eight episodes in the first season and is the most frequently reoccurring character outside of Lucy, who appears in all eight episodes, and Maximus, and the Ghoul, who appear in seven each.
  • Although Norm can easily be considered a major character of the show, he is never explicitly called a protagonist in any Amazon descriptions, nor is he featured in promotional marketing that focuses on Lucy, Maximus, and the Ghoul. However, he does play a leading role outside of the three main protagonists and thus could be considered a deuteragonist of the series. Moisés Arias is also credited as part of the main cast in episodes in which he appears.
• Norm's actor, Moisés Arias, is 4 feet and 11 inches (1.50m) tall. Compared to the rest of his family, Hank's actor, Kyle MacLachlan, is 6 feet (1.83m) tall, and Lucy and Chet are of average height, although it is unclear how tall Rose's actress, Elle Vertes, is.
• Moisés Arias is older than Lucy's actress, Ella Purnell, but the character of Norm is stated to be Lucy's younger brother. However, no definitive ages are given for either of them.

Gallery[]

Amazon preview

Norm in Vault 33

Lucy hiding her brother during the raid

Hugging Lucy goodbye

With his best friend and cousin Chet

References[]