Spoilers for Fallout Season 2

We’re four episodes into Fallout season two, and I’ve got to say, I’m enjoying it a lot so far.

If I have one criticism, it feels a little crowded at times. Several different plot threads are competing for screen time. And I think it’s confusing the pacing. They now have two entirely separate plot devices, cold fusion and mind control, and it’s not yet clear how they relate to each other. The fact that the Vault storyline, previously focused on Norm, has split into three separate storylines probably isn’t helping here.

Still, I done want to quibble. This isn’t meant as a review. The storylines are individually compelling, even if they’re progressing quite slowly. It’s also possible that they’ll tie into each other at the end of the season. I’ll reserve my judgement until then.

Here, I just want to share some thoughts and make some predictions. Chiefly, so that I can refer back to this when the season ends and see how wrong my predictions were (and I don’t doubt they will be!). That said, I might start doing an episode-by-episode review over the next few weeks. I digress.

Mr. House

This season primarily revolves around Mr. House, the head of New Vegas. I’m expecting a few misdirects in this regard. He hasn’t yet been seen in the contemporary wasteland (other than the game, of course), only in pre-war flashbacks. I don’t doubt that he’s still alive, though.

I suspect the showrunners have come up with a way for him to survive the events of the New Vegas game, irrespective of which ending is canon. It’s been repeatedly stated that House always has contingencies, and the casting situation may lean into this. Mr. House has been recast this season, but the actor from season 1 is still appearing.

There’s been some fan speculation that he’s Mr. House’s brother, but I don’t think he is. His brother, in lore, has a very different characterisation and history. The extra Mr. House is probably a body double or decoy intended to demonstrate, to the show’s audience, that House always has a survival plan.

I also reckon that the invasion of New Vegas by Deathclaws in episode four is intended to provide House with a reason to activate his contingency regardless of which game ending players prefer. Likewise, with the ghoulification of the Kings, who got persecuted in some game endings and not others.

The inhabitants of Freeside will probably retake New Vegas/defeat the Deathclaws in the next couple of episodes (with help from Maximus, going by the trailer). I reckon that House will appear shortly afterwards.

It will be interesting to learn what his plans and goals are. We do know he’s involved in the mind control plot line, developing the original technology, and it’s also been stated that he needs cold fusion. This is, presumably, to further extend his life and power.

There’s been some indication as well that Hank is working for him. I have a feeling that this is a misdirect. I’m not convinced that House would want to work with Vault Tech, or that he would want the world to be destroyed. After all, he did save Vegas. He certainly wouldn’t have wanted Hank to destroy Shady Sands; he viewed the NCR as a source of customers. I reckon that Hank is working for the Enclave instead.

The NCR

On the topic of Shady Sands, I am stubbornly holding out hope that the NCR will make a comeback. They’re in disarray, to be sure, but it’s still conceivable that they’re just about functioning in the north.

I’m hoping that, at some point this season, there’ll be a reference to Arroyo, a key settlement from Fallout 2, possibly as the NCR’s second capital. (Shady Sands has been regularly referred to as the first capital.) Perhaps Arroyo will be revealed as having funded Moldaver’s forces in season 1.

If nothing else, the fact that the Ghoul went looking for NCR help in episode three suggests that he believes them to still have some strength left. The show is also making it increasingly clear that the NCR is the only morally decent faction in the narrative. They are the good guys.

It seems pretty likely as well that the main characters will gravitate towards helping the NCR. The Ghoul has already started doing that, in attacking Caesar’s Legion.

It’s also been emphasised, in a flashback, that Maximus has ties to Shady Sands. He grew up there and wants to make the wasteland a better place. He’s also set to wear a suit of NCR power armour, based on the trailers.

Again, it’s possible that I’m just being stubborn, because I like the NCR. But I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them.

Final Thoughts

As a final point, I’ve no idea what to expect from the Vault storyline.

It seems fairly likely that Steph wants revenge for the brutal annexation of Canada, which, from her perspective, was quite recent. I also think she’s going to lose her grip on power and will, perhaps, have a conflict with Betty. I’ve got no clue what she wants from Hank’s personal items.

Likewise with the Vault experiment. We’ve now learnt that there’s another stage to the experiment, but we don’t know what it is yet. Although there was a blink-and-you-miss-it reference to F.E.V in episode four. Is it possible that Super Mutants are on the cards? Or even Super Mutant Managers?

I guess we’ll find out.

-Dexter