Cooper tempting Lucy by appealing to her curiosity, just as Moldaver did in 1.08. I love the characterization of Lucy as being insatiably curious and what that will mean for her relationship with Cooper going forward as well as how she navigates the wasteland. I just know Lucy has A MILLION questions for Cooper and she won't be able to leave well enough alone. She has to go after him and won't be satisfied until she gets what she wants.

"...but this is still Lucy, so she has to try to find a peaceful path forward."

Lucy's moral resilience and steadfastness in who she is, despite the cruelty around her.

Cooper's flashbacks are set three years before the bombs drop. That's very interesting for the timeline. A lot can happen in three years... (also a little continuity issue with Janey being shown as a similar age in both the flashbacks and in the cold open of 1.01 when the bombs drop—she should have been older.)

[The Ghoul] "RECOGNIZING THE OBJECT"

Lucy MacLean: Hey! Hey, look at this! 😁 How big do the chickens get out here? Huh? 🐔🐔🐔😂😂

The Ghoul: Those aren't chickens! 😨

Lucy MacLean: Well… whatever it is, I think we can take it. 😂

extremely messed up buddy comedy.

Frances: I think there's a lot of ground to cover from that moment in the airport to the birthday party that he's playing at when the bombs drop. So there's still a lot to learn there...

Geneva, smirking: Mhm. Yeah, there's a lot of territory to cover. I couldn't have said it better.

They're definitely divorced, everyone. And it seems like there might be more twists to come with Barb that will make their divorce legitimate. Which I expected because that whole "they just got divorced to preserve their spots in the vault" thing really invalidated how Cooper was in s1. Why was he so bitter and angry and betrayed then if they actually separated on those terms?

Watch them get to the divorce flashbacks in like s4, when Cooper's relationship with Lucy is probably better than ever before in present time, and he finally starts referring to Barb as his "EX-wife".

Source here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Illustration of Chapter 4 of A Strange Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by livingmeetthedead on AO3

commission for @estellisa

Ghoulcy is written in the subtext, its a part of the story, I can't claim to know the writers intentions or where they will decide to go, but at the end of season 2, beyond parallels that people have pointed out they are the two people who have impacted each other's character the most, rewatching the show thinking about characters need vs want the path the story could take going forward is sort of illuminated.

just thought id share these thoughts, applying character relationships in the show to story structure makes me very excited for the following seasons.

Couldn’t agree more my beautiful anon. And many other ghoulcies have pointed this out with their great analysis like my pals @tesla86 , @goobygirlsblog , @mimir-anoshe , @realityisforpplwhocantdream and @auguryintheether just to name a few (recommend checking out some of their text posts as they’re all very smart and well written analysis)

As someone with a degree in literature, YES, their romance is in fact in the subtext, and arguably, in the text! The parallels between them and their journeys would be enough, but then you have the fingers, the obvious sexual tension, the way cooper resents all the things about himself he sees in her.

But my favorite argument for ghoulcy? They are the only people who can give each other what the other person needs! Lucy needs freedom, connection to the old world, she needs to learn a new way, a more realistic outlook while maintaining her humanity, while cooper needs humanity, he needs to be reminded what joy looks like, what innocence looks like. She can give him life, he can give her freedom. That’s why the taboo of their relationship actually lends itself to this, because it challenges everything both of them have ever known.

Please don’t be afraid to voice your thoughts anon! We want to hear your Ghoulcy theories! Don’t fear the antis, they’re all bark and no bite. You don’t have to block too many people to shut them out.