Robert House: Fallout Season 2's Most Important New Character, Explained
This article contains spoilers for "Fallout" season 2, episode 1.
For those who wondered how long Prime Video's "Fallout" adaptation would take to introduce Justin Theroux's season 2 character, the sophomore season's premiere offers a nice surprise. The very first scene of the new season introduces Mr. Robert House in all of his condescending glory as he confronts some blue collar bar tough guys to test out a nasty piece of mind control technology. Even after this pre-apocalyptic flashback, the robot tycoon continues to exert influence over the entire episode; his home base of New Vegas, his role in starting the apocalypse, and Cooper Howard's (Walton Goggins) possible mission to assassinate him in the past timeline are all essential building blocks of the season premiere.
It's pretty obvious that the stellar "Fallout" video game adaptation intends to go all in with Mr. House, and the New Vegas-heavy season 2 trailer previously alluded to further developments pertaining the character. With that in mind, a quick crash course on the individual who watches over the New Vegas Strip — or, at least, his video game incarnation — might be in order.
Perhaps the single most memorable character in Bethesda's "Fallout: New Vegas," Mr. House is the CEO of the robot-making RobCo Industries and a survivor of the nuclear apocalypse. He's a reclusive fellow who's somehow managed to use technology to extend his lifespan well beyond what's natural and now interacts with his surroundings only with the assistance of technology. Though his survival into the post-apocalyptic timeline of "Fallout" season 2 isn't explicitly confirmed in the season premiere, the screen image of him that can be seen in the official "Fallout" season 2 trailer heavily implies that a similar arc may be in store here as well.
There are already differences between the game and live-action versions of Robert House
One thing that fans of the "Fallout" games may be wondering is why Mr. House is using mind control devices in the live-action TV adaptation despite never showing much interest in such matters in "New Vegas." Another thing that might turn out to be pretty interesting is the pre-apocalyptic arc the season 2 premiere is teasing between him and Cooper Howard before the tech mogul can kickstart the apocalypse. On the surface, at least, both aspects of the show's Mr. House seem strange. Neither being an active agent of the apocalypse he so detests nor the brain chip stuff seem like they'd be up the "New Vegas" iteration of the character's alley, and it'll surely be fascinating to see how the "Fallout" show intends to fit the pieces of the House puzzle together.
That aside, House's presence on the show doesn't really clash with his role in the source material. As one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the pre-apocalyptic world, Mr. House no doubt went through a whole lot that wasn't depicted in "Fallout: New Vegas." That means a pre-apocalyptic encounter with an actor-slash-Vault-Tec spokesman like Cooper wouldn't be something he'd necessarily bother mentioning to any post-apocalyptic acquaintances. What's more, the show's events take place in the year 2296 — a cool 15 years after "New Vegas" in the "Fallout" timeline (and well after every other "Fallout" video game, for that matter). And since "New Vegas" leaves Mr. House's canon fate obscure, the show is ultimately free to continue the character's story however it pleases.
"Fallout" season 2 is currently streaming on Prime Video.