Fallout Season 2 Ending Explained: Your Biggest Burning Questions Answered

This nonfiction contains spoilers for the Fallout Season 2 finale, “The Strip.”

After 8 episodes of post-apocalypse insanity and plentifulness of irradiated creatures, Fallout wrapped up Season 2 with the play finale, “The Strip,” this week. Given that aggregate characters are near with their fates successful the air, not to notation aggregate wars either successful advancement oregon brewing, it’s going to beryllium a agelong hold to spot however Season 3 of the Prime Video bid deals with the…what’s the word? Oh, right: Fallout.

While we wait, we’re going to effort to reply immoderate of your biggest burning questions astir the finale and what mightiness travel next. We’re being a small vague connected that front, due to the fact that contempt taking spot successful the aforesaid continuity arsenic Bethesda’s video games, it’s wide the TV amusement is forging its ain way and adding a clump of details to the wide tapestry of the satellite Vault-Tec helped create.

To springiness the broadest overview of however things wrapped up, the main struggle of the play was arguably whether Lucy (Ella Purnell) would beryllium corrupted by the Wasteland oregon extremity up “okey dokey” astatine the extremity of the day. It’s wide she’s been changed by her travel with the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) to New Vegas, but arsenic Lucy exasperatedly explains to the severed caput of Representative Diane Welch (Martha Kelly) midway done the finale, “Why does everyone ever privation maine to termination them each the time?”

This is simply a occupation that Lucy runs into multiple times successful the finale – first, with the caput of Welch, who Lucy’s dad, Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan), is utilizing to springiness his brainwashed drones a small quality beyond blank amnesiac slates, and past aboriginal with Hank himself. After the Season 1 finale, Lucy headed disconnected to face her father; present she’s fixed the accidental to person immoderate resolution, lone for it to beryllium ripped distant from her. Because of that, it’s a small confusing arsenic to wherever the amusement lands with Lucy’s arc. Rather than a definitive statement, she bashes Welch’s caput with a crowbar, presumably sidesplitting her (we don’t get to spot what happens, truthful possibly her caput volition beryllium backmost successful Season 3). With Hank, Lucy is fixed a weapon by the Ghoul, but decides alternatively that she’s going to brainwash Hank utilizing miniaturized tech helium developed, frankincense getting the begetter she ever wanted. But that doesn’t hap either, arsenic Hank brainwashes himself.

As we permission Lucy, her arc seems to person gone from not wanting to termination anyone successful the Season 2 premiere to sidesplitting radical sometimes successful the Season 2 finale. One could reason that benignant of flippant cognition is portion of the cheeky quality of some the video games and the show. Certainly, Maximus (Aaron Moten) backs that up portion helium and Lucy basal manus successful hand, watching Caesar’s (uh, it’s pronounced “kai-czar”) Legion march into New Vegas. Lucy thinks she could person prevented the upcoming warfare – the New California Republic, sworn enemies of the Legion, are presently successful residence – and it’s each her fault. “Yeah, well. Welcome to the Wasteland,” Maximus says. But is that dramatically satisfying? No? It’s not?

Speaking of Maximus, helium besides has his heroic infinitesimal interrupted. After sidesplitting aggregate Deathclaws and getting immoderate backup from the present one-armed Thaddeus (Johnny Pemberton), helium doesn’t negociate to rally the radical of New Vegas, and helium doesn’t adjacent get to termination the past Deathclaw oregon dice successful glory, contempt getting a chill leader infinitesimal holding a roulette instrumentality arsenic a shield and a excavation cue arsenic a sword. Instead, the NCR storms successful and handles it for him; similar Lucy, he’s quality arc-us interruptus.

The Ghoul is the lone 1 who gets immoderate benignant of closure. For 2 seasons, he’s been wondering if his household is dormant and reasoning he’s not worthy of gathering them. Thanks to a computerized mentation of Robert House (Justin Theroux) connected a Pip-Boy, helium yet finds their cryo-pods…but they’re empty. Empty, that is, but for a postcard to Colorado successful his woman Barb’s (Frances Turner) pod with the handwritten note, “Colorado was a bully idea.” So present helium knows for definite that his woman and girl are alive, and wherever to find them, adjacent if Colorado is simply a beauteous large spot to beryllium traveling connected foot. Of our main trio, though, the Ghoul reaches an affectional turning constituent portion Lucy and Maximus are conscionable benignant of bummed out.

The Ghoul is the lone 1 who gets immoderate benignant of closure. “

There’s tons much that goes down successful the finale, arsenic the amusement continues to juggle mode excessively galore storylines. Steph Harper (Annabel O'Hagan) responds to the Vaulties wanting to termination her for being a 200-year-old Canadian by activating Phase Two of the Enclave’s plan; Norm (Moisés Arias) survives a radroach onslaught and heads backmost retired into the Wasteland; Hank, arsenic we mentioned, is near brainwashed connected the steps of the casino; and Macauley Culkin is nary longer location alone, having named himself Caesar of the Legion.

But wait, there’s more, including an extremity credits country that reveals what the Brotherhood of Steel is up to, which is simply a civilian warfare and gathering an enormous, unstoppable robot called Liberty Prime Alpha. And that’s not adjacent bringing up each the dangling plotlines and burning questions near implicit from the rest of the season…so however astir we get into a fewer of those now?

Is Stephanie Really Norm and Lucy’s Mom?

We haven’t truly touched connected the flashback sections acceptable successful 2077 yet. As we discover, Steph has been moving arsenic a maid astatine the Lucky 38 Casino, and we spot her and a hideously digitally de-aged Hank giddily telling Cooper (the pre-Ghoul mentation of Goggins’ character) and Barb Howard that they got married. Then, successful 2296, erstwhile Steph calls The Enclave connected her evil achromatic Pip-Boy, she explicitly introduces herself arsenic Hank MacLean’s wife, contempt her presently wearing a wedding formal and matching achromatic eyepatch from her aborted wedding to Chet (Dave Register).

One would deliberation this indicates that Steph is Norm and Lucy’s mom, right? Well, no. There mightiness beryllium much to travel here, but it’s important to retrieve that the apocalypse happens aboriginal successful 2077, meaning Steph and Hank person lone been joined for a abbreviated clip erstwhile they’re enactment successful cryostasis. Hank was unfrozen successful 2268, met a pistillate named Rose (Elle Vertes), fell successful emotion and joined her contempt inactive being joined to Steph. Rose is the parent of Lucy and Norm, and Steph didn’t aftermath up until after that.

As acold arsenic we cognize from the TV show, cipher other knows that Hank and Steph were joined isolated from Cooper and Barb. It’s imaginable the matrimony was annulled immediately, oregon much reasonably, there’s conscionable cipher awake successful the vaults who is alert of their relationship. As we’ve seen, Steph holds secrets beauteous adjacent to her vest, and truthful does Hank.

What Did Barb Know and When Did She Know it?

Right aft Hank and Steph announced their marriage, Cooper was arrested by the House Un-American Activities Committee, taking the autumn for stealing the diode from Hank and giving it to the President of the United States (Clancy Brown). So what happened betwixt past and erstwhile the bombs dropped, arsenic seen successful the archetypal occurrence of the series? If you’ll recall, Cooper was performing astatine a party, his girl Janey (Teagan Meredith) was there, and they escaped the bombs connected horseback.

This is 1 we don’t person a bully reply to, but however Cooper got retired of jail, wherefore helium was with Janey and not Barb, however Barb and Janey ended up successful a cryostasis without Cooper – heck, adjacent however Cooper became the Ghoul – are each questions for the future. However, for the purposes of this episode, the 1 facet of this enigma we tin astir apt reply is however Barb knew to permission a postcard for Cooper to nonstop him to Colorado, and the reply is apt faith. We whitethorn get different mentation later, but the simplest mentation is she had to judge if Cooper was alive, helium would travel find them. So she near him a hint – elemental arsenic that.

What Happened to Ron Perlman’s Super Mutant?

Of each the weirdly dropped storylines successful the season, the biggest is astir apt the quality and disappearance of Ron Perlman’s nameless ace mutant. There were a batch of hints with Norm’s storyline referencing the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) that creates ace mutants, and adjacent Perlman’s code astir however a warfare is coming and the Ghoul needed to take sides. But that was it – for him, the mutants, and the FEV. It each ties into the Enclave, the large atrocious of the series, but determination truly was nary payoff connected this one. Maybe that’s down to Perlman’s schedule, oregon possibly they’re conscionable holding backmost connected it until the Enclave is much progressive successful Season 3. Either way, we request to spot this ace mutant of anarchy bash his thing!

What Is Phase Two?

Speaking of the Enclave, what is this Phase Two that Steph has acceptable successful motion? We spot shots of the Enclave Research Facility, and they’ve intelligibly been keeping tabs connected the MacLean family, but we don’t truly get a hint arsenic to what, exactly, Phase Two is each about. Actually, present that we’re talking astir it: What was Phase One? Hank gives immoderate hints astir that – it turns retired he’s been moving for the Enclave, not Vault-Tec – including that his miniaturized power units are for the Enclave and that “The aboveground is the experiment, not the Vaults.”

The Enclave is simply a fascist group, and possibly erstwhile the Deathclaws turned retired to beryllium less-than-controllable, they’re moving connected to thing else. “

This could bespeak immoderate fig of things, but possibly Phase One is astir control, and Phase Two is astir subjugation. Now that the Enclave has Hank’s missionaries everyplace retired successful the tract with virtually undetectable brainwashing tech wrong them, the Enclave tin enactment to power the lawlessness of the Wasteland done influence. Then, Phase Two (i.e., astir apt the FEV) would springiness them controllable, monolithic soldiers that cipher tin basal against. The Enclave is simply a fascist group, and possibly erstwhile the Deathclaws turned retired to beryllium less-than-controllable, they’re moving connected to thing else. Whatever it is, we’ll hopefully cognize much adjacent season.

Is Woody Really Dead?

Look, everyone loves histrion Zach Cherry, truthful it was a shocking infinitesimal erstwhile Chet discovered Woody’s glasses and assumed helium was dead. While it whitethorn simply beryllium that Cherry is simply a engaged feline and had to spell movie Severance oregon something, the wide regularisation of thumb is “bodies oregon it didn’t happen.” The presumption present is that Woody is dead, but it’s much apt – and overmuch funnier – if Steph is turning him into a ace mutant determination other successful the Vaults. Here’s hoping, due to the fact that we truly request to spot Woody bash a flip earlier this is each implicit (that’s a Spider-Man reference, look it up).

Are The Deathclaws Dead?

By the play finale’s end, the NCR has killed the past Deathclaw successful New Vegas…so that’s it for Deathclaws, right? Not necessarily. Remember, they were the “demon successful the snow,” and there’s not a ton of snowfall successful Las Vegas. We archetypal saw 1 up north, truthful it apt means they’re each implicit the place; aft all, they’re excessively bully a monster not to bring them backmost successful immoderate fashion.

What Did House Know and When Did He Know it?

When we permission Computerized Robert House, he’s seemingly stuck wrong the Pip-Boy that the Ghoul near adjacent Barb and Janey’s vacated cryo-pods. He’s recovered a mode to popular backmost into the ample machine successful his office, however, contempt the awesome being lost. We aren’t done with him yet; aft all, the House ever wins.

There is an unfastened question arsenic to whether helium knew Janey and Barb weren’t there, and the reply is “probably,” but helium apt didn’t cognize astir the Colorado postcard. As for what his endgame is astatine this point, that’s TBD, but helium definite seems to beryllium pissed astir the Enclave. Will helium squad up with Lucy and Maximus successful Season 3? Or fixed helium has possession of the acold fusion diode, volition House shack up with 1 of the galore factions vying for power of the Wasteland?

NCR vs. The Legion: Whoever Wins, We Lose?

The Legion is headed for New Vegas portion the NCR is stationed there; the second is decidedly positioned arsenic our heroes, portion the erstwhile are the baddies. But Fallout is ne'er arsenic elemental arsenic that, and it’s apt that the ambivalent residents of New Vegas volition wage the price. The bigger question is what, if anything, the Brotherhood of Steel mightiness person to bash with this, and the reply to that is astir apt dealing with bigger problems.

As we saw successful the extremity credits scene, the faction of the Brotherhood led by Quintus (Michael Cristofer) is nether attack. We don’t spot by who, but it’s powerfully implied that it’s different Brotherhood factions, fixed they tried to commencement a rebellion, and Maximus killed Paladin Xander Harkness (Kumail Nanjiani), wrecking the full thing; whoops. Meanwhile, Quintus has blueprints for a devastating robot called Liberty Prime Alpha, a riff connected Liberty Prime Mark II seen successful the Fallout games. If the robot tin wreck the different Brotherhoods, volition Quintus usage it to bring his signifier of bid to the remainder of the Wasteland arsenic well? And if so, are the NCR and Legion next?

Will Hank Return successful Season 3?

Despite getting brainwashed, it would beryllium silly not to bring Kyle MacLachlan backmost for Season 3. At the precise least, there’s much to archer astir his backstory with Steph and the Enclave. We’ll decidedly get much – shudder – digitally de-aged Hank, if not Hank successful the present, though helium apt has a portion to play arsenic a fresh-brained newborn arsenic well.

Is The Ghoul Off On His Own?

The bosom of the amusement has been the narration betwixt Lucy and the Ghoul, and it looks similar we’re losing that successful Season 3, arsenic our favourite noseless slayer heads disconnected to Colorado successful hunt of his family, alongside his faithful canine (who helium astir apt grabbed connected the mode retired of New Vegas). There’s tons to bash successful Colorado – caller factions, caller enemies, possibly adjacent a concealed Vault – but the Ghoul apt won’t person Lucy by his broadside to supply a motivation counterpoint. Perhaps that was the intent of him giving her the weapon and leaving the prime to termination Hank up to her; their travel unneurotic is finished.

That said, successful an interrogation with IGN, co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet teased that things whitethorn not spell the mode you think. “We privation to punctual viewers that conscionable due to the fact that the Ghoul is heading to Colorado, of people this is the Wasteland wherever you ever get sidetracked by bullshit each goddamn time. So however agelong volition it instrumentality him to get there, oregon volition helium get determination successful the archetypal occurrence of the adjacent season? We volition person to hold to find out. It whitethorn not beryllium arsenic linear a travel arsenic 1 would hope.”

Short answer? Until the Ghoul finds his family, he’ll astir apt beryllium disconnected connected his ain small amusement for the clip being. Whether that brings him backmost to Lucy and institution to get determination the agelong mode around? TBD.

What Will Season 3 Be About?

Fallout was picked up for Season 3 mode backmost successful May 2025, truthful we cognize it’s much than apt happening (with the requisite caveat of “the streaming concern changes rapidly”). So what volition it beryllium about? Unless they proceed to dilatory pain this (please don’t), the Enclave should beryllium beforehand and halfway arsenic the main villain of the season. We’ll besides apt spot a warfare betwixt the NCR and the Legion, arsenic good arsenic a civilian warfare with the Brotherhood of Steel.

And what’s happening backmost astatine the Vaults? Are they indispensable anymore? Steph is astir to beryllium killed, Norm is outside, and though they are precise amusive to walk clip successful fixed the aggregate balls successful the aerial connected the surface, seeing what’s going connected beneath seems little and little important arsenic clip goes on. So volition we enactment them down america for good?

Furthermore, what astir the cardinal emotional conflict? As we noted before, this play was each astir whether Lucy should termination oregon not, ending connected a resounding “idk possibly sometimes?” So what is her arc successful Season 3, peculiarly present that she’s reunited with Maximus? Will this beryllium “how to day successful a clip of apocalypse,” oregon is this astir Lucy increasing up and uncovering herself arsenic a person successful a satellite that has plentifulness of them…but nary who are looking retired for different people?

We’ll person to hold astatine slightest a mates of years until Season 3 premieres to find out. Okey dokey?