Listen, having a favorite character who is not a main character is stressful. If you love a main character, you can almost always feel confident in their return for more adventures in a story. But if you love any other character, there’s always a little anxiety about what the future might hold for them. In the Fallout series, there are three incredible main characters, but also an array of many other incredible characters. Among them is Justin Theroux’s Mr. House. My staff writer said to me, upon watching episode one of Fallout season two, “You completely overhyped his performance. And it’s somehow still better than I expected.” And that’s basically the in-sum of how wonderful Theroux’s Mr. House is on Fallout season two. So it was natural for me, and the many Mr. House apologists out there, to worry about whether Theroux’s House would return for more in Fallout season three and beyond. And so, I am happy to say, worry not, my fellow dwellings, Mr. House will be back for more in future seasons of the Fallout series.
Speaking to Fallout series showrunner, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Nerdist asked about Mr. House’s future on the series, his return, and whether there was more left to explore in our favorite Fallout relationship, the one between Mr. House and Cooper Howard/The Ghoul. Here’s what Robertson-Dworet told us when we asked if she thought there was more to explore there. “I do,” said Robertson-Dworet, “I think they have a real history that we’re excited to unearth more of. I think House is deeply fascinated by Coop. And that he can’t quite understand why his algorithm keeps telling him that this figure is so important. And Coop has done a big move that confirms that this season, but is there even more to it? So, we’re excited to keep exploring those two. And I think they’re amazing on screen together, Walton and Justin have such a hilarious, incredible dynamic.”
Robertson-Dworet doesn’t necessarily confirm that Justin Theroux’s Mr. House will return in season three of Fallout, but it sure seems likely, doesn’t it? Someone will have to spring Cooper Howard out of prison and save him from the American government. And all the interactions between Cooper Howard/The Ghoul and Mr. House in the past and present point to a deeper relationship between them.
In the past timeline, Mr. House takes the time to call Cooper Howard and warn him of his upcoming imprisonment. He wants Coop to know, “It wasn’t me.” And that’s because Cooper Howard is his first and only friend, in my opinion. I find the interaction sweet.
In the present, Mr. House and The Ghoul’s interactions seem to hint at a depth of relationship between them as well. Mr. House continuously refers to Cooper Howard as “old friend.” And The Ghoul even seems kind of hurt when he tells Mr. House, “You didn’t tell me there was a Vault in Vegas.” As though there was a reason that Mr. House might have done so. That certainly seems to imply a depth of a relationship beyond just the one meeting we saw between Cooper Howard and Mr. House in Fallout season two. And now, we know we’ll get to see it play out when Justin Theroux’s Mr. House returns to the world of Fallout.
With any luck, Justin Theroux’s Mr. House will be back in season three. Could he really let Cooper Howard/The Ghoul wander the Wasteland alone? We bet we’ll see Mr. House occupy a Securitron screen to come along… Or maybe he can make himself a synth body? Perhaps, our good friend, Bobby Apartment, will somehow play a role. We have hope. Perhaps he’ll even do the right thing now that he has the Cold Fusion diode at his disposal and save the Wasteland. A girl can dream!
In any case, like me, fellow Mr. House fans have to wonder no more. Justin Theroux’s Mr. House will be back in future seasons of Fallout.
Fallout season two is now streaming on Prime Video.
Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She knew Robert House would be her favorite character from his first moments on Fallout season 2. And, yes, she is a Mr. House apologist.