What Is FALLOUT Season 2’s Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip and Why Is It Important?

Fallout season two is kicking off with a bang… Literally, if you’re one of a few unlucky people who cross paths with Mr. House or Hank MacLean. But what is that’s making people’s heads go bang? We have a feeling Fallout season two’s newly introduced technology, which we’re going to call the Brain/Computer Interface Implant Chip, is going to be important in both the past and present timelines. But once again, we must ask what the heck is Fallout season two’s Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip? Here’s what we’ve learned about this mysterious device so far.

What Is Mr. House’s Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip, and When Do We See It Used?

Mr. House’s Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip is one of the first things we see on Fallout season two. We learn from this scene that Mr. House’s Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip is a mind-control device that leaves humans under the will of whoever controls it, but it’s not working perfectly… yet.

Mr. House’s Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip in Fallout‘s First Scene

In Fallout‘s cold open, we see Mr. House lurking in a bar. Something he’s able to do because the pubic believes a fake Mr. House doppelganger is the real Mr. House. He purposefully picks a fight with some of the construction workers (who are Mr. House haters) and lures them outside. Once there, Mr. House slaps the Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip into the back of one of the workers’ necks, and we get a taste of what the Brain-Computer Interface Implant is on Fallout season two. At least, we see the device in its earliest iterations.

After Mr. House attaches the device to the man’s spinal cord/the back of his neck, he appears to be able to control the man’s behavior using a kind of remote control with a dial and a red button on it. When he presses the button, Mr. House appears to take over the man’s behaviors, or mind-control him. The man is forced to obey Mr. House’s orders when he verbally gives him. In the opening sequence of Fallout season two, episode one, Mr. House presses the button, activates the Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip and orders his captive to kill his friends, which he does.

But the Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip does not appear to work perfectly on Fallout season two. The man fights against Mr. House’s control and seems to break free of it. In response to that, Mr. House turns up the dial on his remote, hoping to bring the man under his control once more. The Brain/Computer Interface Implant appears to work harder on the man’s brain. But alas, too hard. The man’s head explodes, leaving only the Brain-Computer Interface Implant chip with a thin bit of skin attached to it. Yum.

The Brain-Computer Interface Implant Device in Vault 24

As Lucy and The Ghoul continue following Hank MacLean to New Vegas, they are led to a Vault which has been broken into, Vault 24. Inside Vault 24, we see yet another Vault experiment. This time, it appears to have had something to do with turning Americans into Communists through the mechanism of brainwashing. But more importantly, we see on Fallout season two that Vault 24 had been working on the Brain/Computer Interface Implant chip before went very wrong.

Hank MacLean appears to use one of the devices that remained in the Vault to brainwash a Wastelander into repeating a message to Lucy. Under the power of Fallout‘s Brain-Computer Interface Implant chip, the man tells Lucy to give up and go home, that Hank is fixing everything. Once his message has been delivered against his will, his head and brain explode. Once again, leaving the device behind with a thin layer of skin attached.

How Does Fallout Season 2’s Brain-Computer Interface Implant Device Work?

We love some good old-fashioned sci-fi mind-control technology. But what do we know so far about how the Brain/Computer Interface Implant Chip works? Well, not too much. But Hank MacLean told us a few of the components that go into its creation, though. Or at least, what might be needed for the creation of the most ideal version of Mr. House’s Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip on Fallout… one that actually works.

As mentioned, in Fallout season two, episode one, we see inside Vault 24. The Vault ran an experiment in brainwashing/mind-control, which involved the Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip. Hank confirms they were working on the “Brain-Computer interface” aspect of the implant. In our reality, “brain/computer interfaces” are defined as devices that “acquire brain signals, analyze them, and translate them into commands that are relayed to output devices that carry out desired actions.” We assume this is more or less what Mr. House and Hank MacLean are after on Fallout with their version of a Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip. But unlike devices in our, we hope, this nefarious RobCo technology wants to use the device to make brain signals carry out the desired actions of whoever holds the remote control for the device.

At the end of Fallout season two, episode one, we see Hank MacLean in a huge, swanky kind of vault in Vegas. Although the occupants of the vault have now died, we learn they were working on the device as well. He notes in his call to Mr. House that this vault had made some progress in “miniaturization.” But that all this progress would need “integrating” before the Brain/Computer Interface Implant device could be ready for… whatever nefarious means the pair have in mind for it.

What Is Wrong with the Brain-Computer Interface Chip on Fallout Season 2?

It’s safe to say that RobCo’s mind-control device is not ready for the marketplace. Right now, the Brain-Computer Interface Implant device is making people’s heads explode, presumably because it’s exerting too much pressure on the brain. Based on Hank’s comments, it’s also too big for subtle control. And the brain/computer interactions aren’t yet working perfectly.

But, mostly, yeah, the problem is it’s causing heads to explode. Also, we guess, trying to have a brainwashing technology that controls people’s minds isn’t great either.

What Is Mr. House and Hank MacLean’s Relationship on Fallout Season 2?

Hank MacLean is an original character from the Fallout TV series, but that isn’t stopping the show from connecting him to one of the most notorious figures from the games and specifically Fallout: New Vegas. At the end of episode one of Fallout season two, Hank appears to send a message to a mysterious figure, with the implication that he is reaching out to Mr. House.

Hank MacLean says in full, “This is Hank MacLean, reporting for duty sir. Nobody in Vault-Tec knows I’m here. Nobody in Vault-Tec knows much of anything anymore. Wanted to let you know I’m still alive. I hope you are too. I don’t doubt that you are. You spent so much time calculating how to survive all possible contingencies. I’ve been keeping busy, I’m Vegas these days, back in your old stomping grounds, actually. Trying to pick up where you all left off. Looks like a couple of the Vault experiments ran into some speed bumps. 24 made progress on the brain/computer interface. This one, minituratization. What it all needs is integrating. And I’m confident if I just roll up my sleeves I can bring it all home for you. Then we can finally talk about my promotion. I’m gonna complete the work you started. And when this is all over, you will be begging me to help you.”

From this, we can glean that Hank MacLean isn’t working on the Brain-Computer Interface Implant at the behest of Vault-Tec on Fallout, his employer. Instead, it sounds like he wants to work for Mr. House at RobCo. But perhaps Mr. House will not have him. Both Hank MacLean and Mr. House existed in the past timeline, before the Great War. So it will be interesting to see if they cross paths as the series continues.

The Brain-Computer Interface Implant Device Is NOT From the Fallout Games

We’ve searched high and low, and it seems like Mr. House’s Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip is not from the Fallout games, not New Vegas, nor any other. There are many Easter eggs from Fallout‘s games in season two, but this isn’t one of them.

Yes, this mind-control device is new for Fallout season two. And we love that. Not only will this technology mean something new in the world of Fallout, but it will also mean that we get to learn more about Mr. House in the series. We love when the show boldly evolves the canon of the games.

Why Is The Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip Important in Fallout Season 2

Welp, the ongoing project of the evil folks from various nefarious corporations in Fallout seems to always be creating a new world order where they have perfect control over everyone. With that in mind, a device that lets you eliminate free will with the press of the button and the turn of the dial seems like the ideal villainy in the world of Fallout. We’re not surprised that a brain-control technology is being developed. Not at all.

But hey, Mr. House, Hank MacLean, and company, free will might be messy, but it makes humanity human and not just machines. We feel like that’s something any baddie would be foolish to overlook. People will always fight for their autonomy.

We’ll just have to see what becomes of the Brain-Computer Interface Implant Chip as Fallout season two continues.

New episodes of Fallout season two drop Wednesdays on Prime Video.