Fallout season 2 ending explained: Unpacking the spoilers and what's next

Fallout season 2 is over, and much like the ending of season 1, we’re left with more questions than answers, and a new destination to look forward to visiting next time.

Indeed, just as Fallout season 1 ended by pointing its principal cast towards New Vegas, season 2 ends with the Ghoul wandering into the distance once again.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Maximus remain in Las Vegas, with questions left dangling over which other characters are still on the table and what their true intentions could hold.

So, without further ado, allow me to try and answer some of the key questions around the Fallout season 2 finale, and what it could mean for the already-confirmed Fallout season 3.

Fallout season 2 ending explained: All the key questions

Where is the Ghoul going?

We would wager that the Ghoul, AKA Cooper Howard, is heading to Colorado.

Sadly, when Coop finally reached the special vault where key Vault-Tec management were being held, he discovered that Barbara and Janey’s cryogenic chambers were empty.

However, upon closer inspection of Barbara’s chamber, he found a Colorado postcard. Written on the back were a few key words: "Colorado was a good idea."

If Colorado sounds familiar, that’s because Cooper suggested it as a good destination for him and the family in an earlier flashback.

“After all this, I say we go out as far as Colorado.”

After delivering the Cold Fusion diode to the President, Cooper mentioned Colorado to Barbara over a glass of bubbly to celebrate a job well done. (How they got separated after that point remains to be seen!)

Jumping forward to the present, Barbara seems to be telling Cooper (now the Ghoul) that he was onto something with that one. So, he’s probably heading to Colorado next to see if he can find her there.

Also, you might have noticed that a line of text in the credits said: "Take your family to the Rockies!" That also seems to suggest that Colorado will be the destination for season 3, which necessitates another lengthy road trip for the Ghoul.

Interestingly, in the game Fallout Tactics, Colorado plays host to Vault Zero, where a supercomputer called The Calculator can be found. This computer’s primary function was to spearhead humanity’s return to the surface after the nuclear war.

That could be relevant next season, or it could be totally unrelated. Either way, it’ll probably take the Ghoul a while to get there!

What next for Hank and his R&D project?

Meanwhile, Lucy’s dad Hank has been hit by some classic hubris: after trying to brainwash Lucy using his miniaturised behaviour-altering device, he’s ended up being brainwashed himself instead.

Does this mean that Hank is effectively dead? We don’t think so, because we’ve already seen in previous episodes that this particular brain-washing tech can be reversed. With that in mind, there’s every chance he could return (and continue to disappoint Lucy).

A more interesting question is this – what did Hank mean when he said his R&D (research and development) is already making its way across the wasteland?

It sounds to us like Hank has brainwashed other people and sent them to do his bidding, which could mean almost anything. Does it pertain to that mysterious group that keeps being mentioned? Speaking of which…

What exactly is the Enclave?

Mentioned numerous times in this finale, the Enclave is generally perceived as a villainous force in the Fallout franchise, and its members claim to be a direct continuation of the United States government.

That claim seems to be believed by Robert House, who tells the Ghoul in this very episode that, in giving the Cold Fusion diode to the President in his flashback storyline, he essentially gave it to the Enclave.

TV fans with good memories will remember that, back in season 1, scientist Siggi Wilzig defected from the Enclave with the Cold Fusion technology injected into his own skull. Later, his disembodied head was effectively used as the McGuffin for season 1, with various characters lugging it around at different points.

In this season 2 finale, we had it pretty much confirmed that Hank (Lucy’s dad) and Stephanie (Hank’s pre-war wife) are both members of this dark shadow government, and they have been since before the bombs dropped.

Robert House sees the Enclave as his “unseen adversaries”, who were always one step ahead of him, and he suggests they are also behind the “demon in the snow” Deathclaw that Cooper Howard witnessed way back in his war days (long before the bombs dropped). House also seems to think the Enclave are Vault-Tec’s investors.

We’ve seen, in season 2’s flashbacks, scientist Siggi Wilzig threatening Barbara (Cooper’s wife) and telling her to suggest (in the season 1 boardroom scene) that Vault-Tec would be willing to drop the bombs.

Exactly how involved the Enclave has been in the key events of the Fallout timeline remains to be seen, but we’d say there is a strong chance that they were the brains behind the bombs being dropped (both the original 2077 bombs and the more recent Shady Sands bombs, which Hank himself saw to).

Another line from Hank could be seen to imply that the Enclave has been behind everything, engineering not just the experiments in the vaults but the status of the Wasteland as well.

“You think this is the real world? The surface is the experiment, not the vaults.”

Is Robert House still on the table?

Early in this finale, Robert House seems to confirm that he mainly exists now as a voice in a computer, noting that his physical body became a target for "wandering travellers” with something to prove. (Note how this still avoids confirming a New Vegas canon ending!)

He mentions that he was poisoned, shot and bludgeoned, which certainly sounds like a lot for anyone to survive. That being said, we never see a body, which does leave a surprise resurrection within the realms of possibility going forward.

Later in the episode, seemingly unmoved by House’s wittering on about the Enclave, the Ghoul removes House’s Pip-Boy and leaves the digital avatar of House in the management vault.

When Lucy and Maximus reach House’s main base of operations, the Ghoul is long gone, and the screen where House was previously seen simply says ‘Signal Lost’.

However, as our heroes look out of the window and talk about the war coming to town, House’s face briefly flickers back onto the screen. We doubt we’ve seen the last of him, then!

What does Phase 2 entail?

Meanwhile, back at the Vault, Stephanie has been outed as a 200-year-old Canadian. As the residents of the Vault bang on her door and chant ‘death to management’, Stephanie pulls out a special Pip-Boy that connects her to the Enclave.

She tells the Enclave to “initiate phase two”, and in a brief glimpse of a snowy base (that we presume is where the Enclave operates), we see that the request to start phase two has been received.

When we glimpse that base, we also hear archive dialogue from Hank and Lucy’s brother Norm. Clearly, House isn’t lying when he says the Enclave is always listening.

Exactly what phase two comprises remains to be seen. Could it be linked to Hank’s R&D? Could it wipe out whoever is left in the Vault? Only time will tell, but it’s unlikely to be something that Lucy is a fan of.

Who has Cold Fusion?

The Cold Fusion diode, the key to unlimited clean energy, was last seen in House’s HQ. However, when Lucy and Maximus get there, the secret compartment behind the book case is fully closed up.

If the digital version of House does return properly to his big TV, what will he do with this technology? Will he try to manipulate Lucy and Maximus into using it?

Could he use it somehow to bring his mortal body back from the dead? That’s one theory. Could he return as a head on a table, like that poor politician who begged for death in this episode? Let’s wait and see.

What about the Forced Evolutionary Virus?

Of all the characters in this show who are having a horrible time, few have been through the wringer quite as badly as Norm.

Ever since he found out about the Forced Evolutionary Virus, he’s been very distracted by violent managers and rad roaches. Any information he could’ve gleaned from that computer seems to have been lost for now.

Could this virus have something to do with the Super Mutants (let’s not forget that the Ghoul met one) and/or the Deathclaws (which have existed for longer than originally expected)? Hopefully we’ll find out next year.

What next for New Vegas?

As the Ghoul heads out towards (probably Colorado), what does the future hold for New Vegas? As Lucy said, it looks like war is inevitable.

With the New California Republic returning in surprising numbers (and was their sniper anyone important?), the reinvigorated Caesar’s Legion will have a fight on their hands for control of the city.

Will Lucy and Maximus stick around to see this or, just as Maximus ran away from the Brotherhood of Steel’s civil war, will the duo take this opportunity to run for the hills? And will Robert House play a role in deciding the income?

Indeed, we have more questions than answers as Fallout season 2 ends. All we really know is that the Ghoul is leaving New Vegas, Lucy and Maximus are witnessing a war about to start, Robert House is flickering on a screen, and the shadowy Enclave is initiating phase two – whatever that means!

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