'Fallout' Is About To Make Its Most Surprising Deviation From the Games

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Justin Theroux standing in front of a mirror in Fallout Season 2

Julio is a Senior Author for Collider. He studied History and International Relations at university, but found his calling in cultural journalism. When he isn't writing, Julio also teaches English at a nearby school. He has lived in São Paulo most of his life, where he covers CCXP and other big events. Having loved movies, music, and TV from an early age, he prides himself in knowing every minute detail about the things he loves. When he is older, he dreams of owning a movie theater in a small countryside town.

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Fallout Season 2, Episode 5.Fallout fans generally agree that Prime Video's series is a worthy entry in the franchise, but this week's episode, "The Wrangler," raises the bar by introducing a scathing new mystery for lore-obsessed fans. During Cooper Howard's (Walton Goggins) conversation with Robert House (Justin Theroux), the latter reveals he knows the end of the world is coming, but doesn't quite understand how Howard figures into it and suspects there is "another player at the table," an "unknown entity" that is behind not just the upcoming nuclear holocaust. He's seen the signs, like the Deathclaw in Alaska, and knows that "the bombs will not be dropped by me or any of the idiots at that meeting," referencing the other known corporate powers. But, if it isn't them... Then who is behind everything?

Cooper Howard’s Conversation With Robert House Reveals “Another Player at the Table”

Justin Theroux as Mr. House in 'Fallout' Season 2.

The whole debate between Howard and Mr. House is a great scene, and a very revealing one for what's about to come in the Fallout series. It's particularly interesting how House, who prides himself on knowing everything there is to know about every venture he's a part of, doesn't know where the Deathclaws come from. The creatures have been present in every franchise game so far, and it's usually known among players that they were created before the Great War by the US Military. But, considering the nature of House's own character, he also should have known, so what is really going on?

It's well known by now that Fallout has a variety of factions trying to control the Wasteland in the present timeline, but what happened before the Great War is usually connected to who has the upper hand, so this is an important mystery. Mr. House not being aware of everything is a refreshing change of pace, and, yet, it feels like a contradiction within what the series established in its first season finale — that it was in the best interest of the corporate powers to drop the bombs and end the world. That's what Cooper's wife, Barbara Howard (Frances Turner), proposes speaking for Vault-Tec.

The mystery of who pulled the trigger on the apocalypse seems to be directly connected to the creation of the Deathclaws, and recontextualizes these two major pieces of lore established in the games and the series. And there is still another question: considering how new and rare cold fusion reactors are, could Mr. House's actually be the same one that is kept by the Brotherhood of Steel right now? Together, these three questions feel like one single thread and a loose end, but, as usual in the series, the answer probably lies in gaming lore.

The Culprit for the Apocalypse Is One of ‘Fallout’s Biggest Mysteries, but There Could Be a Straightforward Answer

Before the series, the nuclear holocaust was considered a consequence of the Great War between the US and China, and it's unclear which side pulled the trigger first. All this changes with the meeting at the end of Season 1, when Barb suggests that the companies drop the bombs themselves to preserve their assets. Now, Mr. House's line is another twist on this, suggesting we may never truly know who did it, as none of the companies survive in the present timeline; Vault-Tec itself doesn't have unified leadership, and each Vault is pretty much on its own.

There is, however, one faction active in the present that was also operational before the war, albeit secretly, and that's the Enclave. They are the faction from which Dr. Siggi Wilzig (Michael Emerson) defects at the beginning of the series, and are a powerful enemy in the games. The Enclave began as a conspiracy group with fascist leanings within the US government before the war, becoming a "shadow government" and remaining active throughout the centuries. It considers itself the "heir" to the pre-war US, and influenced many decisions made by the official government back then, too.

Considering the questions raised by Mr. House, the Enclave appears to be the most reasonable answer as to who this "unknown entity" may be. In the end, it really could end up being China, but geopolitics and corporate powers seem to be what House considers the easiest to understand and predict, so he would know, too. The Enclave, on the other hand, was literally unknown to everyone at that time, and feels like the most rational answer to who is really behind the Deathclaws, the bombs dropping, and the cold fusion reactor ending up with Dr. Wilzig.

Barbara Howard Could Be the Key to Mr. House’s “Unknown Variable”

All that said, there are still variables that Mr. House admittedly doesn't understand that are intrinsically tied to this mystery: the Howards. He explains to Cooper that the end of the world will happen the day of his daughter Janey's (Teegan Meredith) birthday, which is extremely auspicious. As a Vault-Tec executive, Barb knows a nuclear holocaust is inevitable, and, as a mother, is fearful for her daughter's life. It's not impossible that she knows about the Enclave and other variables, like FEV, and could be the one to pull the trigger to ensure Janey's safety after all.

"The Wrangler" shows Barb and Janey's cryo pods in the Vault-Tec New Vegas facility, meaning that, in principle, both of them made it to the vault, even though the series premiere shows that Janey is with Cooper when the bombs drop. House mentions that Cooper's going to Las Vegas made the apocalypse jump forward one month, so whatever happens between him and Barb likely has major implications for the world. Seeing how disappointed Cooper is to learn of Barb's role in the upcoming holocaust, anticipating the end could be a way for her to ensure Janey's survival with her instead of leaving the girl outside with Cooper.

Fallout is available to stream on Prime Video. New episodes air weekly on Wednesdays.