Some Fallout fans think the mention of a certain city located in what would later become New California is the key to finding out what happened to Cooper Howard and his family.
Warning: Spoilers for Fallout season 2 episode 1 below!
One fan posited the following theory: "Cooper references Bakersfield in episode 1, season 2. Is this how he became a ghoul? Are his ex and daughter also ghoulified? The vault door was intentionally faulty in Vault 12, which is located in Bakersfield."
Vault 12 is a location in the original Fallout game, initially billed by Vault-Tec as a high-class vault with every single amenity that a Vault dweller could possibly need. Unbeknownst to innocent people who were just trying to shelter from radiation, the door in the Vault was designed to be faulty, causing everyone who survived to turn into Ghouls from prolonged and intense exposure. The Vault is located in Bakersfield, where Cooper and his daughter Janey head off to after he learns that his wife Barb may end up becoming directly involved with the end of the world.
Now, this could absolutely be a possibility. In this particular universe, anything goes. However, Barb is a high-ranking employee at Vault-Tec, and she mentions having access to the management vaults. These are meant to be top-of-the-line, to protect the highest-ranking officials and their families... and it seems the most likely place for Barb and Janey to wind up. Of course, if this is the case, we still don't know how Cooper became a Ghoul – and it's very likely that, when the bombs went off, Barb and Janey headed off to the Vaults without him, thus leaving him out in the world exposed to radiation. The Ghoul does seem to think that Barb and Janey are still alive, and likely has faith that they aren't Ghoulified due to the hopeful possibility that they made it to a management vault in time. We'll see what happens as we move our way through season 2.
For more on Fallout, be sure to dive into the Fallout season 2 review. Then, for a more in-depth look at the Prime Video series, we have Fallout season 2 Easter eggs and an overview of the Fallout season 2 timeline.
