The Dark Tragedy of The Ghoul - Fallout 

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The Ghoul is basically a jaded veteran Fallout player who doesn't even have to try anymore.

Cooper's line to Lucy is really perfect: “I'm you, sweetie, just give it a little time.”

Somebody pointed out how the ghoul and lucy are 2 opposite ends of the fallout player spectrum. Lucy is trying to make good decisions scared of being a bad person, and focused on her main quest. Meanwhile the ghould is somebody's 80th playthrough, stealing everything and being a badass who doesnt care about being a good guy anymore, embracing the cruelty of the wasteland

Walton Goggins is CRIMINALLY underrated. Every role he touches is phenomenal. He's the reason I’ll be giving this show a watch.

The moment that made me realize that The Ghoul still has a heart was when he mercy-killed his old ghoul friend that was turning feral, making sure his last thought was a happy one.

I just realized he carries the saddle of his old horse around…and now I’m sad.

This show truly opened my eyes to how much of a phenomenal and CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED actor Walton Goggin truly is

I loved how the first episode hinted at the Ghoul and his relationship with Vault tech with one of the parents at the party asking him to take a picture with the Ghoul doing his "iconic thumbs up" i.e. Vault boy's thumbs up. On first viewing, you wouldn't have noticed that little hint, and it is these little hints that made a second viewing even better

This show really nailed the ridiculousness of the games rather than trying to be a standard Hollywood adaptation which I admire. I'm also glad they went with an original story set in the canon rather than retreading the plot of Fallout 4.

We're getting to the point where game adaptations are more likely to be good than bad and that really excites me

Fallout 4 actually was shown to have many Ghouls who retained their identities. Idk why some people keep forgetting that lol.

I kept getting the feeling that he's been playing the role of the ruthless wasteland bounty hunter for so long, he's forgotten it was an act.

one of the best things of watching the show was cutting between the past and the present and wondering whatever happened to that kind and loving man that turned him into that monster, in more than one way

I think Fallout does what some game adaptations can't. It's able to authentically convey not only the atmosphere of the game, but also the tone with all of its satire, darkness and, in some situations, the absurdity of the situations occurring in the game. The level of fan service for Fallout players is incredible, perhaps the best attention to details on my memory. And in general, you may like the main characters, although not all of them are good people, for example Ghoul. I liked Cooper Howard's story the most from all 3 main characters, it really fits the Fallout universe as a whole. For me, this is the best adaptation of a game on the Arcane level. They are very different, but they do something that some projects simply cannot give to the average viewer or fan of the game.

The Ghoul is the protagonist of The Fallout Show and nobody can convince me otherwise. The first and last scenes in the season were about him, he is the Audience’s connection to the Pre-War World, and he is the only one who got a proper Fallout Protagonist Title. Fallout 1: The Vault Dweller Fallout 2: The Chosen One Fallout 3: The Lone Wanderer Fallout New Vegas: The Courier Fallout 4: The Sole Survivor Fallout Show: The Ghoul I expect Season 2 to be centered around his journey more than any other character.

And so we learn of another interest of captainmidnight. Had no idea he was such a Fallout fan until now.

I loved the interactions between Coop and Lucy. He taught her a lot about the Wasteland and she helped bring back a little of his humanity

This performance has elevated Walton Goggins from a character actor who I recognized and thought was good, to a potential star who I'll go out of my way to see. I think you're absolutely right that the show leaned on him and it really payed off.

The ghoul is, in a way, what Lucy could become become of she allows herself to become as disillusioned as him. A dark mirror.

The ghoul is the most interesting character to me. He went from your basic good-ish guy just sort of flowing along with life to someone that was aware of the greed around him but, as of when the war happened, not able - or not trying - to do anything about it. When Lucy comes on the scene it's clear he's been ground down to where it appears there may be nothing good left in him. But there are a couple clues that's not the case. He doesn't use violence without purpose, and more importantly he saves Dogmeat. There's still a spark. By the end of season one we see the spark has grown, just a little. I do hope he's on a redemption arc. I love a good redemption arc and he seems worthy.

Would LOVE a Person of Interest retrospective

Thanks for pointing out The Hateful Eight be underrated. It is a masterpiece. Goggins is special in it. Also underrated as an actor. His delivery is up there with any actor and he shows it in that movie! He caught my attention in Justified.

Tbh, I’m equally invested in all three of the main characters. Such a great cast.

I think the Ghouls wester referencing, on a meta layer turning from the obvious cowboy hero to the cowboy antihero who has been worn down to bone while still being a ethical yet compromised hero is definitely a feature and not an accident or bug. Jonathan Nolan is why.

You put Walton Goggins in anything, he will make the final product much better. Or at least just the scenes with him in it.

A part of me thinks the the reason the Ghoul brought her to be harvested is cause he knew she would win. As soon as he lets her go, he passes out with basically her being his only hope to survive. Those 2 guys inside wouldn’t think twice about leaving him and just keeping their vials, but some silly vault dwellers might pull through

I'm kinda excited to see where they take Thaddeus. I didn't expect to like him but by the end I was interested in him and wtf is going on with him.

I truly believe this is Walton Goggins 'Trevor Phillips' moment. Steven Ogg has been immortalized in GTAV forever, Walton will be no different in Fallout.

The Ghoul reminds me of Mad Max. Both are antiheroes who lose and regain their humanity through the people they encounter on their journeys.

I have to think the implication is that he’s aware of the cryostassis, and Howard’s plan was keep looking for wherever they’re sleeping or wait long enough for them to awaken on their own. In a life that’s 300 years old he would surely have had gotten used to coincidences by now,but that he suspected Lucy was not just a decedent of Hank but more closely related to him would imply that he was somewhat aware of Valt-Tech having a long term storage plan.

Next season we better get at least one character using the fat man launcher while Atom Bomb Baby plays

in season two they can really flesh out Lucy and The Gouls relationships. Lucy learning about his past and and becoming friends in something i am excited for.

It's a bit of an aside but i love how fitting your channel's theme is for talking about Fallout, the retrofuturism fits the straight up retro vibe so well Love the channel, please keep it up 😊

This show was surprisingly good Walton goggins was definitely the highlight for me Im excited for season 2

Fallout 4 ghouls have it great. They used to be rotting, smelling, decaying sacks of meat. Their only perks being an extended lifespan and a resistance to radiation that slowly turned them feral. Come Fallout 4 and they all seem to have no flesh decay whatsoever. They live for centuries, apparently do not need to eat, drink or breathe if the boy in the fridge or the Overseer of Vault 88 is any indication, and the discrimination they face has been dialled down considerably. What was once a curse is now a way to gain some nice superpowers.

Of all of the Fallout series discussions on RU-vid, this is by far the most unique and and fascinating one I've seen. I like how you've spoken about the show with perspectives from a more film and acting perspective rather than from the games. I've played the games like most other creators who made a video so it was refreshing to see this kind of analysis for a change.

I'm curious as to how him and his daughter got separated Because they were together when the bombs dropped, yet he doesn't know where she is 200+ years later

fellow person of interest enjoyer, I'm in tears and subscribed

Goggins is so good in righteous Gemstones. Such an undrrated show.

Another banger from captain midnight

When you said “in the post-apocalyptic present day” I genuinely accepted that statement, forgetting for a second that we we were talking about Fallout

I was taken by surprise as I’m not a gamer. The series is brilliantly produced. Loved Cooper, the Ghoul, Lucy was outstanding and Maximus was great. Loved the music mixed in with the tragic scenes. Really enjoyed all eight episodes.

man is so good see this much love for Walton Goggins, this man has been incredible for decades now. And also great to see Justified mentioned. His relationship with Raylan was the heart of an amazing and very underrated show. One of the best I've seen

What a great show. The usual suspects were calling it out before it even aired. Best thing I've watched in a couple of years. If they do merch I'm all in for a classic Cooper Western poster.

"Yellow Jackets' Ella Purnell" Ahem. That's ARCANE's Ella Purnell, sir.

I just hate how we get 8 episode seasons that come out every two years on prime and it seems more networks are doing shorter seasons.

I'm so excited that you decided to dig into this, and honestly could use another hours worth of deep dive! I had such low expectations and only turned on episode 1 because I was bored....but MAN

Nothing is perfect, but this show is well above the rest. Excellent cast.

This show blew me away! I only played a little bit of Fallout 3, so I didnt know much of the story, but man! Each character was done so well, and the writing/set designs was spectacular.

Person of Interest is one of my favorite shows! Very underrated and still holds up.

the treatment and effective writing off of the NCR kind of tarnished my otherwise profound surprise and appreciation with the time and care the showrunners went to make this series. Apart from that, this is a genuinely good show and I can't want for the future

Fallout was the first show in years I binged as fast as I did (2 episodes 1 day, 6 the next). Lots of interesting threads for them to pick up in S2 and I like that they didn't cut off the flashback, pre-bomb drop story. There's still lots to explore there like how Moldaver was still alive (and not a ghoul), where his family is at (I'm guessing Vault 31), and how/why Cooper got replaced by Vault Boy as the mascot.

This has been the best series in a long time.

I was more interested in the Ghoul than Lucy, I kept wanting to see more of the ghoul's backstory, I can't wait to see more from Walton Goggins in S2!

Fallout season 1 was amazing! I know some people were upset at some lore changes, but I thought they were fine. Even the original creator of fallout said it was fine when the lore of long running franchises change.

My biggest disappointment with the show was no Ron Perlman as a narrator or a TV newscaster

11:16 i just bought a bunch of Captain Midnight WWII comics from 1944 and 1945 from an estate sale along with decoders that look like badges that go with them. Got the whole lot for $55 dollars, got $2400 on EBAY. Got another $1700 from a few "Radio Orphan Annie" WWII comics and decoders and ovaltine mugs i got for $30. Ive never heard of captain midnight until that estate sale, now im seeing it in this video lol.

Mr Goggins had me sold before I saw a single frame, I have never seen him in a bad project since Justified.

I love the ghoul and walton goggins as a cowboy in general. His role in hateful 8 was a tone setter. I expect nothing less this role is perfect for him

Finished watching this 2 nights ago, and yeah, it was so much better than I originally expected. I think you captured what made it so good, and that's that it developed original and compelling characters whose stories and motivations you really want to follow along with. It avoided the pitfall another forgettable adaptation might have where it tries to reproduce something directly from the games and leans too heavily on referential material. Which is funny because the same people whining about this show ruining canon or whatever would probably also whine about a show like that not getting everything perfectly accurate. I think this show has wide enough appeal to be enjoyed by people completely unfamiliar with the games (as it was with my friend who watched it together with me), which hopefully gives it enough staying power to finish telling the story they want to tell. Walton Ghoulgins is such a treasure. Makes me happy to see him getting more high profile work and recognition.

Don’t forget his role in Diablo, he was fucking amazing and it feels like he’s playing both Scott Eastwood character and his from that movie. Probably my favorite thing he’s been in.

one of the best new shows, that wasnt a spin off, reboot or sequal, of the last few years

This was a great review. I'm a first time watcher and enjoyed it thoroughly. The character relationships were excellent leaving for MORE every episode in between.

I would absolutely love to see you cover The Shield at least once🙏 It's my favorite show of all time and I think it is far and away the best cop show there is. The show has such an interesting concept in really being forgotten by the zeitgeist despite making great strides in what could be shown on standard television

A man livin' in the new world with an old soul... That's how I describe this guy.

0:33 love Person of Interest! Especially watching it with Grandma. As a matter of fact, I’m gonna rewatch it with her again. Great breakdown man, just started the show and the game recently!

Shout out to Lisa Joy. Respect due

I’m glad this show is giving Goggins the attention he deserves. I’ve been in love with him since Justified

Person of Interest was one of the best shows to have ever been on TV.

This show actually made me return to fallout 76, and I'm glad I did, because it's not the buggy hellscape it launched as. I was actually really really surprised by the TV show, and yeah it could have been better, but man, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the Lucy character was fantastically done. The Ghoul was amazing as well, and next year we'll be able to play as Ghouls in FO76, hell yeah!

While Walter Goggins as the Ghoul is the gem of the show. Ella Purnell is just as good, and just as sharp. So happy these two characters are joining up for now, their dynamic works so well off each other.

I went into this show with the lowest of expectations and came out wanting more after finishing the series in one sitting. God damn. It’s been a while since that’s happened.

What got me excited about the fallout tv show is the fact that not only video video game adaptations could become great but a vassal for new characters and storylines on the same universe that could come out as just a fresh of breath air. If done right and justice to it’s original source material of course.

I just love how Cooper’s western outfit in the opening is the same colours as the vault jumpsuit

This cast was great but Goggins stole the show, what an utterly devastating origin story for villain

I really hope Maximus takes a darker turn in season 2. The new found power and the fact Lucey left him could be the catalyst.

I have a theory of what made changed Cooper from the somewhat decent man he was to the ruthless and cynical ghoul he became. I think it's so good that, frankly, if it's not what the studio intends to write they should. In season one it seems to me that Cooper sees his wife as this embodiment of goodness, his guide star, someone he can always count on to do the right thing. We saw how traumatic it was when he heard his wife of all people seriously intending to set off a nuclear war. I think that what turned him into a monster was giving up on goodness. And what caused that wasn't surviving in a post nuclear world but witnessing the world as he knew it being destroyed and 90% of it's people killed, then 200 years of wandering the wastes, seeing millions of skeletons, witnessing the struggling and suffering of those who survived, the world reduced to a shadow and nightmare version of what it once was. And the whole time thinking "My wife did that." The best person he knew did the worst thing in Earth's history, that's what broke him, what made him give up on morality. What I think happened is that, as the bombs were falling, Cooper's wife and daughter were snatched up by Vault-tec as she was upper management and taken to a reimagined Vault 0. Where either Barb and her daughter are both put in cryogenic storage or just the daughter and Barb ended up in some kind of brain-in-a-jar situation. I think that at the end of season 2 or 3, Cooper rescues his daughter he gives her the dog he's gotten as a replacement for the one she lost in the war. Possibly he stays with her to protect her or he get's killed but thinks she'll be better off without the monster he's become.

I know this is a video about Walton Goggins's character. But, since we're on the Fallout topic, and since you've done so many actor career videos, I was wondering, could you do one about Kyle Maclachlan's career? He has had so many memorable roles on his resume.

Person of interest was so good. Not many know about it

Idk how many people have seen Walton in vice principals but his acting is amazing

I’m surprised you didn’t catch the scene with the Ghoul and Erik Estrada that’s an homage to the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

I've been loving goggins since the Shield!!

Maximus is the New Vegas Character who gets kicked out of every Casino for winning too much.

I noticed on my second watch through that when Goosey tells the Ghoul about her Father surviving through a famine, the Ghoul forshadowingly opines that her Father was likely first in line to cannibalize others.

You can’t forget about Walt goggins as baby Billy.

cooper is such a cool character i loved his entire story

I love seeing the two worlds collide. Those who are deeply ingrained in the Fallout lore, and those who have never heard about it before. Both loving this series ❤

I love the Nolan families work, so I had high expectations but I did not expect it to be that good for a Fallout series and I do think the Ghoul is my favorite character, though I was born decades after Clint Eastwoods prime I still love his work.

If you watch it with subtitles, you'll see that post-apocalypse Cooper is never called "Cooper." Only ever "Ghoul." Cooper died 200 years ago.

Fallouts strength has always been its unique characters that you'd never find in any other setting, and showrunners nailed that to a tee

Vice Principals and Righteous Gemstones are some of his best work

I love how we were fooled to believe he would be a villain in the first half, but we realized in the second half that he is lot better morally than a lot of the other characters including some of the supposed “good guys”

This show perfectly walked that line of great easter eggs for gamers while also being a really good show to watch for newcomers. It didn’t cater to only one or the other, and it didn’t feel like it was talking down to us either. I was really pleasantly surprised! A refreshing show after a bunch of other adaptation fails lately

I really enjoyed it, despite (and maybe because of) being only a casual Fallout game fan. What I think has the most potential is that there's potentially unlimited vaults to draw from in future seasons. In theory it could go on nearly forever. But I agree, I'd have loved a few more episodes for arcs to be set up and characters expanded on.

I knew Walton Goggins would be someone after The Hateful Eight.

The irony that Chris made a movie about the creation of the nuclear bomb, and then Jonathan made a show exploring its consequences is great

No wonder I get very happy to see the ghoul on screen. That episode 2 sequence is iconic

Ahhh a fellow fallout tactic brother hope you enjoyed drinking the sweet taste of Nuka cola yellow

I think the reason why it was so good is because we all, subconsciously, went in with low expectations. We didn’t expect it to be as good as it was, and man it was amazing. Also, is it just me or do Cooper, Lucy, Maximus, and Norm all feel like the Player Character in how they are acted by each person?