“We Are Not Saying the Bombs Drop on a Different Date” Fallout EP, Showrunner Talk Mr. House’s Predictions in Episode 5

If there’s one thing fans know about Fallout, it’s that war never changes. If there are two things fans know about Fallout, it’s that the Great War took place on October 23, 2077. That is an immutable piece of lore, cemented by how close in the timeline Fallout 76 is to the Great War. Fallout Season 2 has been dealing with the events leading up to the Great War, perhaps even more so than Season 1, but what may surprise fans is how Episode 5 plays with the specific date.

Indeed, it does seem that Fallout Season 2, Episode 5, may fly a little too close to the sun by suggesting that the Great War could take place at any time before October 23. It’s worth noting, of course, that this is the first time fans have gotten such an in-depth look at events taking place before The Great War, so when Mr. House suggests a date sooner than October 23, it’s not outside the realm of possibility. Luckily, everyone working on the show is well aware of canon and works closely to uphold it, even if some events, like Shady Sands, cast stuff in a new light. I recently sat down with Fallout executive producer Jonathan Nolan and showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet to discuss Episode 5 of the series, especially around the mentioned date.

Mr. House Comes Face to Face with Cooper Howard

Fallout continues to reveal what happened before The Great War, with one scene set in the past showing Cooper Howard come face-to-face with Mr. House. He’s there on other business, but he is invited to speak with Mr. House. The confrontation raises the specter of the end of the world and a surprising prediction from Mr. House. He says that the world will end on April 14, 2065, at 5:17am. Not only is this a full 12 years before the canon date of The Great War, but his prediction also changes. Because Cooper Howard came to the Las Vegas Strip, the date jumped forward by one full month: March 14, 2065.

If this were the case, it would be hugely problematic for the timeline of events. Not only is there the timeline of the Fallout games to consider, but in fact, fans see the Great War take place in the show. Cooper Howard is with his daughter at a birthday party, near Los Angeles, when the bombs drop in Season 1. Intrigued, I of course had to ask Nolan and Robertson-Dworet about this specific moment of the show, with the pair highlighting that this is not breaking canon because it is a shifting prediction. As Nolan said,

“One of the fun things about meeting Robert House, in what you call the here and now or the before, depending on how you look at it, is the larger mystery of the bombs, what led to the events of the end of the world, who was exactly to blame, and how those sort of machinations played out.”

Indeed, the excellent scene from Episode 5 mentions all of this. Robert House himself does not understand who or what exactly is pulling the strings, be it Vault-Tec, the countries, or a Fallout faction like The Enclave, but it is heavily teased throughout the games and in the show. The phone call that Hank MacLean makes in Fallout Season 2, Episode 1 could be tied to this mysterious world-ending party, for one. Regardless, Nolan and the show play around with the events of what happened to cause the Great War—and, as importantly, when. Nolan continued,

“I think Geneva and Graham [Wagner] have found some amazing, thoughtful, and artful ways to deal with the multiple endings of all the different games, even as we’re years in the future, we pay close attention to the canon. But I think the other thing that’s such a privilege about this show is the ability to cut whole cloth and do some original storytelling within it.”

Fallout Season 2 Plays with the date of The Great War, But Won’t Change It

All are important considerations in a gaming adaptation. In fact, one of the reasons why Fallout Season 2 has continued to earn rave reviews is because it is an original story within a beloved world. Recreating any of the Fallout games is possible, but it wouldn’t likely create good television because of how different the mediums are. Instead, original storytelling within Fallout‘s canon goes a long way. And, Robertson-Dworet wanted to be clear regarding any lingering concerns about the date of The Great War:

As of episode 5, it’s uncertain how much more fans will see about this coalescence, but dealing with the events leading into the Great War is a great way to hook players from episode to episode. Hopefully, the payoff is deserving of The Great War’s title.