Warning: Spoilers ahead for Fallout Season 2, Episode 1, “The Innovator.”Fallout Season 2’s premiere, “The Innovator,” comes with a huge reveal about Vault 24 that both fleshes out the game canon and pushes the Prime Video show’s storyline onward. Of all the vaults in Fallout, Vault 24 is among the most enigmatic. With the show being set within the same continuity as the games, Amazon is quietly giving fans of the source material the information they’ve been seeking on Vault 24 for years now. Although the clues provided could mean a few different things at this point, one dark theory is particularly convincing given the larger story’s narrative trends.
Vault 24 has yet to play a major part in the Fallout games, but it was introduced in that branch of the franchise before the spinoff TV show had even aired a single episode. Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) and the Ghoul, formerly known as Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins), stumble across Vault 24 while tracking Lucy’s father, Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan), and attempting to bring him to justice for his actions that were revealed in Fallout‘s Season 1 finale. What they discover inside Vault 24 is deeply disturbing for a number of reasons. On the surface, the experiments on the souls within seem void of logic, but there is an explanation that sadly makes sense.
Why the Americans In Vault 24 Were Being Brainwashed Into Becoming Communists
“The Innovator” doesn’t explain why those in Vault 24 were being brainwashed, as that’ll probably be one of the biggest mysteries that’s slowly unveiled as Fallout Season 2 progresses. However, the show has already provided several clues that could reveal the true reason behind the experiments. Vault-Tec, which built and sold places in the bunkers that protected the elite and their descendants from the nuclear war raging on the planet’s surface, has already been established as the primary reason why the Earth is in ruin. Fallout Season 1 included the shocking twist that it was Vault-Tec who fired the first shot, so they were able to make good on their promise of safety to those who had parted with their money.
In other words, Vault-Tec was effectively selling the end of the world. The American organization was cashing in on the looming threat of nuclear annihilation that was supposedly coming from Fallout‘s version of communist China. So, Vault-Tec took extreme and incredibly unethical measures in the name of making money. The brainwashing experiments in Vault 24 suggest the company wasn’t satisfied with its villainy once the bombs had been dropped, and that another plan to line their pockets was quickly put into motion. When the surface was ready for radiation-less repopulation, Vault-Tec wanted a baked-in revenue stream.
Communism, as a concept, is what was framed as causing the war in Fallout. That mindset only intensified as the vaults’ generations passed down their negative thoughts and feelings on the political ideology. So, by the time Reclamation Day arrives, those making their way to the surface will have the same thought processes about communism as their ancestors, if not an even more intense version. Those believed to be communists would be public enemy number one, and Vault-Tec likes it when the public is afraid. It makes them spend money.
It’s unlikely that the brainwashed individuals would have immediately emerged from Vault 24 and started causing chaos. Instead, they’d probably conduct themselves as regular old patriotic Americans helping to rebuild their country. Think of them as sleeper agents. At the very least, they’d be spies who were consciously aware of their ultimate goal of violence. Once America is up and running again, no matter how long that takes, the brainwashed communists and/or their like-minded descendants would be so integrated into the new society and hidden in plain sight that it would be impossible to tell them apart from the non-brainwashed individuals — until Vault-Tec deemed the time was right for them to strike.
Once the American communists have been activated, Vault-Tec can start scaremongering again. Sure, the war is over, but what if history repeats itself? As soon as a whisper of communism starts to sweep through the rebuilt America, Vault-Tec will inevitably start promoting goods and services that provide solutions to problems that they caused themselves. The cycle begins again, and the American people are no wiser. Thankfully, the Vault 24 experiments appear to have failed. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean Vault-Tec’s potential post-war moneymaking scheme is dead in the water.
How Hank MacLean’s Loyalty to Vault-Tec Ties Into ‘Fallout’ Season 2’s Brainwashing Twist
In all the drama and speculation, it’s easy to forget that Lucy and the Ghoul only found Vault 24 by tracking Hank, who had been there just before they arrived. Kyle McLachlan’s character had been experimenting on his own by implanting a Brain-Computer Interface Chip into an unsuspecting Wastelander — whose head promptly exploded. The moment creates a solid connection between the brainwashing program and the chip itself.
Introduced in the cold open of Fallout Season 2’s premiere, the BCIC — or at least its prototype — can also be seen in action, along with its gory side effects, which were apparently never circumvented. Developed by Mr. House (Justin Theroux) at RobCo, the chip was clearly of interest to Vault-Tec, as proven by its presence in Vault 24. Therefore, it’s logical to assume that Hank is gearing up to further refine the BCIC so that Vault-Tec’s original goal of sowing chaos in what should be a new era of peace can eventually be achieved. All signs point to Mr. House being who Hank is reaching out to at the end of Fallout Season 2’s premiere, so there should be an enthralling, bumpy ride ahead.
- Release Date
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April 10, 2024
- Franchise(s)
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Fallout
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
