Ok now that Iām finally home from work I can type up my thoughts on the finale (yes I watched at work) and this time I watched it twice before noting my thoughts as for episode 7 I let my emotions judge the episode, which wasnāt really fair. This post will focus on what happens in the episode as it is, with some comments on what I found missing, but Iāll post separately on what I WISH had happened. So here we go *cracks knuckles*.
First off, love the pip-boy title card.
That first scene between Ghouper and House was amazing. I saw the preview of it before the episode but it still sent chills through me when Ghoup told him to āShut the fuck up.ā And learning exactly how dangerous the Cold Fusion diode is was actually quite scary. No one should have that kind of power, so the fact itās strongly sought after by so many factions is terrifying, and exciting as a viewer.
Something I picked up a while ago but never really thought too much about until now was just how old and tired the Ghouper sounds. Like, we know he has an exaggerated accent when heās playing around and being āThe Ghoulā, but in serious moments, while he still has the strong southern drawl, he sounds just so done with everything. I kinda just thought about it in this scene with House because we have a comparison to when he was much younger before the war where he just sounds like Walton. Walton does such an amazing job at portraying how time has had such a drastic effect on him not only in how he carries the character but how he speaks. Truly masterful acting.
Maximus kicking deathclaw ass was epic as hell! What a badass heās become. When he said āHot Dog!ā and just went to town on them with his suitās weapons was so damn cool. Heās truly come into his own this season now that heās doing what he feels is right, protecting people.
Lucy killing Welch was sad but needed to be done and Iām glad she found the courage to help that poor woman. Poor Lucy is still trying to save people, itās heartbreaking seeing her have to go against everything she believes. The Enclave is pure evil.
Glad we donāt have to deal with Budās buds anymore. Hated that lot. Wasnāt surprised though because the episode trailer showed it lol. Iām glad Claudia survived though, but it was kinda obvious she would. Thankfully Norm doesnāt have to be alone. I do love how the show portrayed just how terrifying radroaches are because obviously in the game theyāre like the first enemy so they donāt hurt us that much, but here they are horrifying! Definite nightmare fuel. And now that the Enclave knows about him knowing the truth, or part of it at least, Iām thinking heās going to be a target. Hereās hoping he can get to New Vegas where Lucy can protect him.
House just yapping away and Ghouper just not giving a shit lol.
I was so happy when Ghouper entered the Vault during this moment. I was literally screaming for him to come rescue her at that moment. And he did! My man! I was starting to panic that she would actually end up mind controlled or memory wiped, which would have sucked for her development. Was this the Ghoulcy reunion I wanted? No, but it was still good, though I really wish he had referred to her by her name, not Vaultie. My biggest take from this moment though is her reaction to when he does that hat gesture. Since we STILL donāt know if she knows who he is, Iām wondering if THIS moment confirmed it for her. The look on her face after he does that gesture is almost like she recognised it, like sheās seen it many times before. And itās not the same gesture he done in episode one, it was much more like the one Cooper does at the very beginning of the series when heās at the birthday party. Lucy looks as thought the realisation has just hit her and is about to say something but he walks away before she can, and of course she has Hank to deal with so canāt just go running after him. Maybe thatās just my Ghoulcy brain wishful thinking, but since the writers havenāt officially confirmed it yet, I hold out hope theyāve still to breach that topic. I know some folk donāt think itās a big deal but think of it this way; if you just found out one of your favourite movie stars, someone you admired, had lived for 200 years and had become so drastically different, and you were traveling with them, surely youād have questions, right? I certainly would! Iād also certainly refer to them by name, which Lucy has not done once. In fact, not even Hank has said his name in front of her. If it wasnāt such an important thing, then why hasnāt it been brought up by now? But anyway, back to the scene. I love the callback to shooting in the ass and Ghouper giving the choice to Lucy. That look of respect between the two of them was just so good and though I do wish she had said something, I think he understood what she wanted to say.
Now, even though I am a Ghoulcy shipper, I very much enjoy and respect the canon ships so I was glad to see Cooper and Barb on good terms again because I think theyāre adorable. That moment of him being arrested and telling her heāll take the fall was heartbreaking but also warming because it just shows how much he loves his family. āDo it for Her.ā My god! What a man! He may be a fool at times, but heās a lovable fool and heās ours! Canāt wait to see more of the past in season 3. Iāve seen some people talk about how they still think Barb isnāt as she seems, and as much as I like the CoopxBarb relationship, I hope theyāre right because Barb is so much more interesting when we suspect sheās not being entirely truthful. Guess weāll wait and see.
Iām sorry⦠WHAT?! HANK AND STEPH ARE MARRIED??!! Holy crap, THAT I did not expect! I knew they were connected somehow but damn! What a twist! Part of me feels a bit sad that they were awakened from cryo separately and ended up marrying and having kids with other people, but then I remember Hank is evil and Stephās goal was to use every advantage she could get in her plot to survive. So I wonder if she did end up falling for him, or if itās all part of the act. I'm actually looking forward to finding out in the next season.
Thaddeus coming in clutch for his buddy! Never thought Iād be rooting for this character, but here we are! You go Mr. Centaur! (or whatever the hell youāre becoming).
Damn NCR coming in like that was Fucking epic! I donāt know much about them (yet to play NV) but that was cool as hell. I was almost brought to tears!
Now Iām honestly not sure how I feel about this scene. Sure, it was sad for Lucy, but as a viewer Iām just left wondering how this is going to play out, what with the mainframe being dead and all. Part of me is glad heās still alive because that means Kyle is still a part of the show, and heās great. But another part of me wished she had killed him because he doesnāt deserve redemption, assuming thatās where theyāre heading. Is he acting? If he was he was darn good at it, but then, he does like movies so who knows.
Lucy and Maximus reunion! Finally! Glad he was there for her in that tough moment when she needed him.
āInitiate phase two.ā Ok, I am now invested in whatās in store for the vault dwellers, because whatever it is, itās not going to be pretty. I hope whatever happens that Chet and Betty will at least survive, even if changed (canāt have it all good). Steph is building up to be a great villain, which I didnāt expect early on.
Ok this moment was a tearjerker for me. We all knew his family weren't going to be in the pods, that would be too easy. But I just knew there would be SOMETHING, and though it wasnāt the photo Barb had, like I thought, it was still a clue as to their whereabouts. The look of relief on his face! Finally after all these years this man had genuine hope! Colorado, here we come!
The Legion vs NCR setup for an explosive start to next season is going to be epic, especially with House potentially interacting with Lucy and Max. Though I do wish it had concluded in this season, itās something to look forward to!
Ghouper just leaving House in the pip-boy behind. āWeāre not done, Mr. Howard. We still have business.ā āNot with me, you donāt.ā Is such a big āfuck youā LOL!! You tell him Ghoup! I hope that doesnāt come back to bite him later.
Now for the part that actually disappointed me. The ending. I am so gutted to see that Ghouper is off on his own again (ok at least he has Dogmeat with him). I was so hoping that he, Lucy and Maximus would team up for a while before going separate ways. But no, theyāre divided. They could have AT LEAST given us a goodbye scene!! But since they didnāt, Iām hoping thatās because theyāre going to reunite in the next season, hopefully early on. We can only ābet on hopeā.
Overall, though, what a season! It was fantastic, but please, for the love of god, I hope they pace it better next time! Give us some more ācampfireā moments between characters so we can see them getting to know each other, something that was lacking this season. It builds character and lets us believe more in their relationships because we see it building naturally, donāt leave us to assume what happened between scenes. I really hope with how popular the series is and because of feedback there will be more than 8 1-hour episodes. If they canāt go more than 8 episodes, at least make them longer! 1 hour (or less) is just not enough to cover the many storylines, and since we havenāt concluded on any of them, that means all will be featured in the next season. And for once, I actually want to see ALL of them, despite my rant in my last episode review. However, Lucy, Maximus, The Ghoul/Cooper and Norm NEED to be the main focus so please donāt take away from them to fit in scenes for the rest, even for comical effect (lookng at incest club). But anyway, thatās just MY opinion. I have high hopes for the future, though I will do my best not to hope too much on Ghoulcy as it seems clear that itās āNever gonna happen,ā according to Walton. But, never say never, as we donāt know whatās ahead. Whatever the case, I look forward to the art and fanfics to help feed us while we wait for next season. Might even contribute myself since my brain is buzzing with alternate routes in the story. Thank you if you took the time to read š