We’ve had a lot of Barb’s storyline from Cooper’s POV on Fallout, and that has led to certain beliefs and opinions about the character. However, Fallout season 2 episode 6 takes us back, giving us a look at the real decisions Barb had to make.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from Fallout season 2 episode 6.
At the end of Fallout season 1, Barb suggested that Vault-Tec and the other companies coming together drop the bombs themselves. They would then be able to control the situation to get everyone into the vaults at the right time. However, she didn’t just come up with that idea because she thought it would be better for her and the rest of Management.
It all came from some realizations about the water chips and about life in the vaults. As someone at the top of the company, she had to make some of the harder choices, and Fallout season 2 episode 6 gives us a look at some of those choices.
Barb had to make tough choices on Fallout season 2 episode 6
We start off in a meeting room, where Barb learns that 30% of the water chips are going to fail. The “good” news is that Vault-Tech knows which chips will fail, so they get to decide while vaults are going to end up dying.
This isn’t the problem that Vault 33 is having. With the bigger experiment going on between Vaults 31, 32, and 33, I don’t believe for a second they would put failed water chips in any of them. Vault 33’s chip was destroyed in the gunfight. However, it does explain why some of the vaults are empty. People would have risked the wasteland rather than die of dehydration.
Then there is the issue with getting people to the vaults. Barb wasn’t the one to come up with the idea of dropping the bombs themselves. Remember Michael Emerson’s Dr. Siggi Wilzig? Well, it turns out that he was around in Barb’s time. How exactly did he end up surviving 200 years later? Well, I hope we get the answers, but for now, we just know that he’s the one who suggested that Vault-Tec drops the bombs.
Now, Siggi was from the Enclave. There is the suggestion in the episode that the Enclave ended up dropping the bombs, and it looks like the Enclave has some sort of power over Vault-Tec.
Cooper isn’t happy with everything that he’s heard, but it’s too late to stop all the plans in motion by the time they get to Las Vegas. He does decide to try to get to the cold fusion before it’s given to House, though, but when he gets a young Hank drunk, he finds out that the briefcase didn’t have the cold fusion after all.
Barb turns up in the hotel room, unimpressed that Cooper has done all of this to trick Hank into giving him the cold fusion. That’s when we find out that the cold fusion was in Hank’s neck the whole time. In the briefcase was the gun used to place and extract the cold fusion. Barb gets it out, and now it’s time to do something with it. Will she give it to House, though, or is this who Siggi and the Enclave initially end up with it?
Lucy learns what her father is up to on Fallout
Meanwhile, Lucy wakes up in the vault in New Vegas, where there’s a note from her dad about coming to see him. Well, she doesn’t quite follow his requests, and instead, goes to him and decides to hold him at knife point. As she makes it clear that she will take him back to Vault 33 to face justice, Hank is relieved. That means the wasteland hasn’t changed her.
Hank goes with her willingly, knowing that it is going to take them through the main floor, where many from the wasteland are now creating the brain computer interfaces. Hank has had a huge breakthrough with the technology, and more and more people are turning into happy and peaceful people.
In fact, we see the chips working firsthand. There are two people from different Legion clans, who are hellbent on killing each other. When they finally have the chips placed on their necks, they act like everyone else — brainwashed and controlled into being more peaceful people.
They say that this way of living is better than the wasteland, but is it? They don’t have control, and it brings up a very important topic for discussion.
Lucy is shocked by her father’s actions, knowing that this isn’t the right thing to do, although she’s the one who has to push the button to stop the two Legion people attacking each other. At the same time, everyone is getting along, and maybe that is what the world needs.
Betty can’t keep control of Vault 33
Meanwhile, we get a look at Vault 33, and those dance moments from the promo now make sense. It’s all in Reg’s head, as he is so happy with the way his group is going. Of course, the group is arguably only successful because people can eat and drink whatever they want.
Betty comes in to shut the group down, but nobody is paying attention to her orders. Reg has ignored all of Betty’s requests to chat, as she continues to deal with the water shortage. Reg is pushing for an uprising in the vault, and we’ll get to see what happens when a society breaks down due to selfish actions.
Vault 32 also has a problem. Chet learns that Woody didn’t turn up to play checkers. Of course, he knows that Woody overheard something Steph didn’t like two episodes ago, so it’s not surprising that Chet is worried. He doesn’t remain worried for too long, though. Steph has put up a poster announcing her and Chet’s wedding date. Maybe Steph might have wanted to tell Chet!
The Ghoul struggles to break free
At the end of Fallout season 2 episode 5, The Ghoul found himself with a pole through his middle. He tries to get to the medicine that he needs to prevent him from completely turning, but he’s stuck, and nobody in New Vegas is willing to help him. And so, it looks like Cooper is finally going to become full ghoul.
That is until something breaks the pole that he has slid down on and takes him elsewhere. It’s not clear what this creature is at first, although he’s taken to what looks like a church, suggesting it could be the Enclave. Whatever this creature is places uranium in the middle of The Ghoul’s hole to help him heal. This guy says a war is coming and “we” need him healthy. It some sort of “abomination,” which then rules out the idea of him being part of the Enclave.
It turns out this creature wants a war against the Enclave. However, since The Ghoul won’t join him, he’s not allowed to know where they live. However, this creature isn’t going to kill The Ghoul. Instead, he just takes him to another building. The end of the episode has him wake up to find Maximus and Thaddius standing over him.
Granted, Maximus and Thaddius only find him thanks to Dogmeat. She takes The Ghoul’s hat to them, which Maximus immediately recognizes, and they follow Dogmeat back to where The Ghoul now is. With this group together, it’s time to get to Lucy.
I swear, Fallout just keeps adding more questions to the long list of questions we already have, but in a great way!
Fallout season 2 airs on Wednesdays on Prime Video.