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Fallout season 2 star Walton Goggins says that fateful moment between Cooper Howard and the President of the United States is evergreen when it comes to our rapidly shifting political landscape – and whether or not we should put our faith in something bigger than ourselves.
Warning: Spoilers for Fallout season 2 episode 7 and Fallout: New Vegas below!
"This show isn't about what's happening in the world today," Goggins tells GamesRadar+. "We don't stand on a soapbox and speak about politics in that way. But I will say, as it pertains to me, watching it last night, when you guys were watching... I, Walton Goggins, I want to believe in government. I want to believe in our leaders. And, I think most of us have lost, over the last 20 or 30 years, beliefs in the system. Cooper is from that generation. He's the equivalent of, like, the World War II generation, of the guys that came back from the war in Korea. And he believes in them."
In Fallout season 2 episode 7, the unthinkable happens (and if you're an avid player of the games, it's just as awesome as it is extremely devastating). Rather than kill Robert House under the guise of saving the world, Senator Diane Welch (Martha Kelly) convinces Cooper to hand over the cold fusion technology to the President (the last one in power before the world ends). In an ideal scenario, this would prevent the technology from getting into the wrong hands, thus saving the world from a nuclear disaster... right?
Well, in the video games, the Enclave is made up of former politicians and United States presidents. Though we don't know who is responsible for dropping the first bombs, House says it must be whoever created the Deathclaws. Those freaky little monsters were developed by the US government with the intention of having them fight alongside US soldiers (which, uh, does not happen). In a nutshell: The Enclave created the Deathclaws, the Enclave dropped the first bomb, and the last president prior to the Great War is part of the Enclave.
Goggins makes a great point regarding the symbolism of that important scene: Who can you believe in? Was the world going to end anyway, no matter what? And will we ever regain our faith in the people in power who are supposed to be inherently 'good'?
"And, and you can see [that] without even, without even having that scene in there because it's, it's not necessary 'cause when you're with Cooper, you're also with the Ghoul 200 years from now," Goggins continues. "And when you realize that he gives this over to someone that he believes in, that will do the right thing... We don't see the scene where the President decides not to. We just know that that's inferred. And then you're with the Ghoul. All of a sudden, it's like, 'Well, what the fuck, man? I mean, like, who can we believe in? Why believe in anything except yourself?' And that's what's so complicated about this story, you know, for me and the story at large."
Adds Goggins: "I mean, [it's] the same for Aaron as Maximus and for Ella and what she's been exposed to, and for Hank McLean. I mean, it's very rich tapestry, you know, and a lot to ponder.
Fallout season 2 airs weekly on Prime Video. For more, check out our Fallout season 2 release schedule.
