When Ghouper opened the vault door at the same moment we were being shown her struggling, I was so hoping for a shot of him hearing her cries for help, panicking and running into the building. Ok we did get him showing up, but to see that would have been so good! Let’s just pretend it did happen, we just didn’t see it.

Now this moment right here. As I said in my Episode 8 Review, I truly believe this was the moment she realised who he is. The look on her face when he makes that gesture is like she recognises it, but she’s too shocked at that moment to say anything before he turns and walks away. Now MY wish for this scene would have been for Lucy to follow him. Either she drags Hank along, traps him there (more handcuffs?) or actually kills him, I don’t know, but for the sake of telling this part, let’s say she kills him. After leaving the room, Ghouper is quite far down the corridor, then pauses for a moment when he hears the gunshot, sighs, and continues on. Lucy takes a moment to come to terms with what she’s done (she’ll have a bigger breakdown later) and goes after Ghouper. He’s a bit ahead of her and when she catches up she yells for him to wait. He’s a bit surprised but doesn’t stop walking, only inclining his head to show that he’s acknowledged her. Before she can say anything, House starts chatting away again. She tries asking Ghouper about it but House answers instead, introducing himself in his charming way, while Ghouper just ignores him. House comments on “their friend” having lost any manners he had a long time ago. Lucy asks him why he was there. “For my family.” is all he says. Lucy just nods and follows him.

In the pod room Lucy sees the names Barbara Howard, and Janey Howard. Now there is no doubt in her mind. She glances at Ghouper but doesn’t say anything as his full focus is on the pods. When they open and no one is inside, only a postcard, Lucy looks at him with shocked sadness, fully expecting him to be heartbroken, and is surprised when he smiles, a true, genuine smile that reaches his eyes. For the first time in over 200 years, he finally has true hope (plays just like the show). He removes the pip-boy, ignoring House’s protests and leaves. Lucy glances at House on the pip-boy for a moment before following.

The scene then skips to them back on the surface. Both of them take a moment to take in being back outside before Ghouper starts to walk on. She asks him to wait and he stops in his tracks. “Aren’t you going to say anything?” she asks. 

“What’s there to say?” he says, not fully turning around.

She hesitates for a moment then manages, “You’re Cooper Howard.”

He sighs.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” she continues.

“Because it don’t matter.”

“It does to me.” Lucy then goes on about how she always used to watch his movies and how he was her idol, (maybe even her first crush?) and that she grew up wanting to be just like him. Tears are starting to form in her eyes.

Ghouper then turns around to fully face her and tells her that the image she has isn’t of Cooper Howard, but of the characters he played. He then explains more about who he was before the war, being the fool that inadvertently caused it when trying to stop it. He was just like her, trying to do the right thing, but in the end he was just a fool and she’d be better off not viewing him as a role model because he aint the good man he pretended to be in movies. The tears start to run down her cheek. Not wanting to leave it there, Ghouper tells her that he’s sorry about the way things happened between them and that if he could have done things differently he would have. She sniffs and nods, saying she understands he did it for his family. She then asks if he knows where they are. He shows her the postcard and says he’s heading to Colorado to find them. Lucy says she would have gone with him if he asked, to which he says he knows, but he ain't asking. She nods sadly then goes to give him his Knuckle Duster back, but he tells her to keep it. She smiles then rubs his arm and tells him she hopes he finds his family. He cups her cheek with his gloved hand, “I hope you find yours, too.” And with that he turns and leaves. More tears start to flow as she watches him go. Just before he leaves he sees Maximus entering the area. He gives him a respectful nod, Maximus returning it, and then he’s gone. Lucy and Maximus reunite just like in the show. Here she fully breaks down after the day's events.

While I’m extremely upset that Ghouper is now alone again, I would have been much more satisfied if it had ended like that. This way it stays canon but also gives us Ghoulcy shippers SOMETHING, but instead we were left hanging. I can only hope the next time they see each other will be impactful because I really love their dynamic and leaving it where they have is breaking me inside because it feels like they’ve gone back to how they were at the end of season 1. There was a bit of understanding in their eyes when they did see each other, but more needed to be addressed. The writers and Walton really made us feel like there was a deeper connection between them by this point, but I didn’t feel it in the way they expressed it. Ah well, we still love you Walton (just don’t tease us like that please, we’re dying here!). 

My hopes for next season are for Lucy and Maximus to help the NCR defeat the Legion and for Norm and Claudia to find her. Maybe by then Norm has learned about the Enclave (maybe because of a bounty on him now?) and that they’re stationed in Colorado. Maybe Claudia knows something, even if just a hint. Lucy, wanting to stop them and hoping to find Ghouper, decides to head there. While Maximus wants to stay and help the NCR, he wants to help Lucy more, and maybe even with the NCR’s blessing, they kit up and the 4 of them head out (Thaddeus too if he’s still intact?). As much as I want to see them all together in season 3, I think this would be an amazing buildup for them actually reuniting in season 4. I’m putting a lot of faith in the writers because if it doesn’t happen even close to this, I might just cry lol.

Ok now that I’m 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 wasn’t really fair. This post will focus on what happens in the episode as it is, with some comments on what I found missing, but I’ll 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 “Shut the fuck up.” 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 it’s 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 he’s playing around and being “The Ghoul”, 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 he’s become. When he said “Hot Dog!” and just went to town on them with his suit’s weapons was so damn cool. He’s truly come into his own this season now that he’s doing what he feels is right, protecting people.

Lucy killing Welch was sad but needed to be done and I’m glad she found the courage to help that poor woman. Poor Lucy is still trying to save people, it’s heartbreaking seeing her have to go against everything she believes. The Enclave is pure evil.

Glad we don’t have to deal with Bud’s buds anymore. Hated that lot. Wasn’t surprised though because the episode trailer showed it lol. I’m glad Claudia survived though, but it was kinda obvious she would. Thankfully Norm doesn’t have to be alone. I do love how the show portrayed just how terrifying radroaches are because obviously in the game they’re like the first enemy so they don’t 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, I’m thinking he’s going to be a target. Here’s 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 don’t know if she knows who he is, I’m 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 she’s seen it many times before. And it’s 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 he’s 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 can’t just go running after him. Maybe that’s just my Ghoulcy brain wishful thinking, but since the writers haven’t officially confirmed it yet, I hold out hope they’ve still to breach that topic. I know some folk don’t think it’s 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 you’d have questions, right? I certainly would! I’d 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 wasn’t such an important thing, then why hasn’t 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 they’re adorable. That moment of him being arrested and telling her he’ll take the fall was heartbreaking but also warming because it just shows how much he loves his family. “Do it for Her.” My god! What a man! He may be a fool at times, but he’s a lovable fool and he’s ours! Can’t wait to see more of the past in season 3. I’ve seen some people talk about how they still think Barb isn’t as she seems, and as much as I like the CoopxBarb relationship, I hope they’re right because Barb is so much more interesting when we suspect she’s not being entirely truthful. Guess we’ll wait and see.

I’m 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 Steph’s 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 it’s 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 I’d be rooting for this character, but here we are! You go Mr. Centaur! (or whatever the hell you’re becoming).

Damn NCR coming in like that was Fucking epic! I don’t know much about them (yet to play NV) but that was cool as hell. I was almost brought to tears!

Now I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this scene. Sure, it was sad for Lucy, but as a viewer I’m just left wondering how this is going to play out, what with the mainframe being dead and all. Part of me is glad he’s still alive because that means Kyle is still a part of the show, and he’s great. But another part of me wished she had killed him because he doesn’t deserve redemption, assuming that’s where they’re 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.

“Initiate phase two.” Ok, I am now invested in what’s in store for the vault dwellers, because whatever it is, it’s not going to be pretty. I hope whatever happens that Chet and Betty will at least survive, even if changed (can’t have it all good). Steph is building up to be a great villain, which I didn’t 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 wasn’t 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, it’s something to look forward to!

Ghouper just leaving House in the pip-boy behind. “We’re not done, Mr. Howard. We still have business.” “Not with me, you don’t.” Is such a big “fuck you” LOL!! You tell him Ghoup! I hope that doesn’t 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, they’re divided. They could have AT LEAST given us a goodbye scene!! But since they didn’t, I’m hoping that’s because they’re going to reunite in the next season, hopefully early on. We can only “bet on hope”.

So when Cooper gets into the vault-tech building we assume he is going to reunite with Lucy first, but what if he finds Hank while Lucy is busy in the basement. Cooper demands Hank take him to his family, holding him at gunpoint. Hank being Hank is all optimistic and not at all threatened and agrees to take him. As they’re driving in the golf cart Hank is talking about how he was surprised to see Cooper alive after all these years, acting like they’re old friends. Cooper doesn't give a shit and just tells him to keep driving. 

They reach the room with the pods and for the first time in over 219 years Cooper feels hope. He demands Hank to let them out, which Hank obliges. Cooper is so focused on the pods as they’re about to open he doesn’t notice Hank slowly creeping away from the console. The pods open and from the mist creatures leaps out at Cooper, taking him by surprise. He kills them but just as he’s about to turn back to Hank he’s hit hard over the head, knocked out.

When he comes to, he's tied down to a chair with Hank watching him. Hank says he’s disappointed that Cooper would be so foolish to fall for that trick and believe his family is still alive. Cooper, hope completely broken, doesn't speak while Hank goes on about how he used to idolise him but now thinks him a fool. Lucy then comes into the room and is surprised to see Cooper there. Hank welcomes her like it’s no big deal, saying he had a little altercation with their friend Mr Cooper Howard. Lucy, first time hearing his name, and Cooper stare at each other for a moment but neither say anything. Hank goes on about how he knew Cooper back before the war and what kind of man he was and that it was a shame he wasted all those years looking for his family who, if they were still alive, probably wouldn’t want anything to do with the monster he has become. A tear falls down Cooper’s eye as he has also thought about it. Lucy just watches in horror as Hank continues until he then holds up something that once belonged to Janey (from her lockbox). Shocked, Cooper immediately recognises it. Hank smiles in satisfaction knowing he’s getting to him. Hank turns away for a second and Cooper cuts the rope binding him with a knife hidden in his sleeve before launching himself at Hank but Hank reacts just as quickly and grabs the gaus rifle that Cooper had and shoots him, blowing another hole through him (but not as bad as the previous one, but still, poor guy). As he writhes on the floor in agony, Hank goes to shoot him again but Lucy immediately shields Cooper and begs Hank to stop. Hank tries his manipulation tactics again saying that Cooper is not the cowboy from her movies, he’s a monster and there’s no hope for monsters like him, unless, he pauses and lowers the gun. He puts it down and shows Lucy the small mind control device. Lucy stares at it and him in horror. Hank tries to convince her the only way to save people who are as violent as him is to mind control them, just like the others he’s used it on. Lucy refuses to let Hank use it on Cooper and begs him to let him go, Hank sighs, seeing he has no other choice. He puts the chip away and turns to pick up the gun. Lucy immediately grabs the Knuckle Duster from Cooper’s boot and points it at him. Hank stares at her in shock for a moment, saying she wouldn't shoot him and as he is about to aim the rifle she shoots him. Hank is shocked that she actually shot him and tries to raise the rifle but she shoots again and again in anger until he drops it and falls down. He stares up at her angry face as she calls him the monster and shoots him one last time. She takes a moment to take in what she’s done and cries over her dad’s body but when she hears Cooper struggling to get up she turns her attention back to him. She tells him to stay still while she checks his wound, which is mending itself thanks to the uranium. Lucy is a little surprised but relieved and reassures Cooper he’s going to be fine. Cooper says he’s not because his family is dead and she should have just let Hank kill him. Lucy doesn't believe it for a second and tells him not to give up as he’s not the kind of person to do that. Cooper tells her he saw the pods and they were empty. Still not believing it, Lucy convinces Cooper to go back to the pod room so she helps him to his feet and they make their way there. 

As she’s driving the golf cart, Cooper tells her he's a fool and sorry for using her as a bargaining chip. She tells him she understands and is sorry for punching him out the window. He says he probably deserved it and worse. They reach the room and while Lucy is looking at the logs on the terminal, Cooper sees the keepsake boxes. He finds Barb’s and Janey’s. Opening Barb’s he finds nothing but in Janey’s what he finds catches him off guard. Lucy calls to him to tell him what she found but seeing him distracted she goes over and in his hand is the photograph that Barb had of the three of them. Lucy stares at the photo in shock, not quite believing her father when he said the Ghoul was Cooper Howard, but here he was with his family, smiling. She smiles, her eyes watering, and looks up at Cooper, another tear falling down his cheek and a look of defeat on his face. She comments on how happy he looked, to which he says he hasn’t felt that way in a long time and won’t ever again. He stares at it for a long moment before dropping it and starts to walk away. Lucy tries to tell him to wait but it isn’t until she calls him by his name that he actually stops and looks at her. Lucy tells him that he can’t give up yet, but before she can say any more he interrupts her and says the only hope he ever had in 219 years of wastelanding was now dead and she should stop trying to convince him otherwise. He turns to walk away again but this time she runs to him, blocks his way and grabs his arms. She tells him to “shut the fudge up for a moment and listen”.She tells him she scoured the data on the terminal and found that the pods had been reactivated since her father had come there but not too long  before that (maybe a year or two?) they were deactivated and both occupants were alive. Cooper stares at her in disbelief, not daring to feel hope again. She then hands him the photo he dropped and shows the back, where a note is written (no idea what but a clue to their whereabouts?). She rubs his arm and says there’s still a chance and that she will do everything she can to help him find his family. He stares into her eyes for a moment, seeing the hope and enthusiasm she always carried with her. After a moment he sighs, a little less weight on his shoulders.

“Well then, Sweetheart, we’d best get to it”

They then leave the vault-tech facility and return to the surface, Lucy having found a change of clothes. They reunite with Maximus who is being hailed as a hero for defeating the deathclaws. Lucy and Max hug and kiss (maybe a little smirk from Cooper?). Cooper gives Maximus another flick of the hat in acknowledgement. They celebrate for a moment but it’s cut short as some townsfolk come running screaming about the Legion approaching. The trio find a high point and look out at the huge army marching towards them with heavy artillery. The three of them look on in worry and the camera zooms in on Lucy.

“Okey Dokey.”

Roll credits.

So yeah, that’s what my cheesy overactive imagination came up with randomly this morning at work and I just wanted to share with the class. It’s probably totally cliché and predictable but sometimes that’s all my brain wants lol. And if you’re wondering why I don’t just write it as a fanfic, it took me long enough to write this, and considering I’m very much a perfectionist, I wouldn't do it enough justice so this will have to do. So yeah, hope you enjoyed, and thank you for joining me on the cringe train 😆

OK so I saw an X post saying that they think this piece of music will be used for when Lucy realises the Ghoul's identity, and for when she faces Hank for the final time, and as I listened to it I could picture it all perfectly in my head. So this is what my mind's eye saw.

Part 1 in slow motion.

00:00 - 00:50

Maximus and The Ghoul in a battle trying to get to Lucy, maybe things are going bad. Cuts between them and her in the simulation room watching one of Cooper's movies. Her brow furrows as something seems very familiar about Cooper's character.

00:50 - 01:30

Suddenly she starts having flashbacks, the Ghoul's voice, just like Cooper's, his mannerisms, just the same, his smile, the same, and his eyes, though not as clear on he TV she can still see them. They're the same. Finally it clicks, her eyes wide in realisation.

01:30 - 1:56

Making her decision she leaves the simulation room, grabs the crowbar from the trailer and goes to find him.

Part 2 later point

02:00 - 02:40

Lucy facing her father, her gun pointed at him. Lip trembling she's trying to find the nerve to pull the trigger. The Ghoul and Maximus are standing nearby watching in anticipation. Hank tries pleading with her, telling her she wouldn't shoot him. Good memories of their past start flashing and tears start to form in Lucy's eyes.

02:40 - 03:18

BANG! Everything goes slow motion. Lucy and Hank both stare at each other in shock. A quick glance at the gun, Lucy realises she didn't pull the trigger. She turns and sees the Ghoul, Cooper Howard, pointing his gun at Hank, the barrel slightly smoking. Lucy and Cooper stare at each other for a moment, a look of "I did it so you wouldn't have to" in his eyes. He then turns away, unable to look at her.

03:18 - 03:45

Lucy turns back to Hank just as he starts to fall forward. She rushes to him and catches him in her arms. She holds him as he dies, he's telling her how sorry he is, but we hear no words, only the music. Another happy memory flashes as she holds his hand. Then he goes still.

03:45 - 04:31

Lucy begins to cry uncontrollably, screaming at the top of her lungs. Maximus goes to her and tries to comfort her while Cooper stands to the side just listening to her pain. He then leaves the room and as the music comes to an end the camera pans out as Lucy is sobbing into Maximus' shoulder.

If this were to happen it would probably be much longer than the time the music takes, but that's what my brain came up with as I listened. This could be taken as Ghoulcy, or not. It works either way, but my mind totally went Ghoulcy here. I swear I didn't originally ship them but you lot have kidnapped me 😆

When Vincent said his bond with Sephiroth was "unique" it got me wondering if Vincent really is his father instead of Hojo. Hojo could just have claimed to be his father because he "created" him. It would also explain how he was "unable to pull the trigger" whenever he saw him. Though I suppose that could also just be down to him being Lucrecia's son. But we can't deny Sephiroth resembles Vincent quite a lot and I'm gonna die on this hill!

I think I read somewhere that there are no DLC planned for Rebirth but I think a DLC of Vincent's past would be perfect. We play as him as a Turk so we can get more details on his time with Lucrecia and see their relationship build. Maybe with a new character as his partner who gets injured then experimented on by Hojo and becomes the final boss?

Then in the next part when they meet Lucrecia it could be a touching reunion instead of a flashback sequence. Then to make things worse, Sephiroth could show up and kill Lucrecia, after which her spirit is "absorbed" into the crystal. Vincent would feel tremendous guilt of once again being "unable to pull the trigger" to stop Sephiroth like so many times before but this time it's the push he needs, especially now he has Cloud and the others with him.

Young Alphinaud and Alisaie fallen asleep with their father while reading. Also their pet dog Angelo (which I just assumed was a Black Hayate)