Listen, you know we love Ghoulcy here at Nerdist. And there’s no denying that season two gives fans plenty of material to work with as the Ghoul and Lucy go on their journey together and help evolve one another’s characters. But, if there’s one thing I feel I have honed in my fandom life, it’s a ship radar. And phew, the readings were off the chart in Fallout season two, episode three. While Cooper Howard debates the morality of trying to kill Mr. House in Fallout‘s past timeline, Mr. House has already tracked him down… to A BATHROOM. Ehm! And when I say this meet-cute, which involves someone’s pants being down, is full of off-the-charts chemistry, I do not exaggerate. I have borne witness to the big bang of many ships in my day, and, yep, Walton Goggins’ Cooper Howard/The Ghoul and Justin Theroux’s Mr. House are about to be shipped big time in Fallout season two. As the self-proclaimed founder of this ship, I originally dubbed this torrid affair GhoulHouse, but I am so here for the fandom’s pick, RobCoop. Amen!
In Fallout season two, episode one, Moldaver proposes to Cooper Howard that he kill Mr. House to save the United States from nuclear destruction. Moldaver believes, perhaps incorrectly, that Mr. House is building a missile system to destroy the world and will be the person who will press the button that drops the bombs when the time comes. In episode three, we see Cooper Howard, who initially shuts down her line of thought, considering whether killing one man, Mr. House, to save the lives of millions, would ultimately be a moral good.
But it seems like killing Mr. House is going to be difficult for one Cooper Howard, even if he can get close enough and somehow transform into an assassin, because Mr. House is on his scent. No, we mean, Mr. House is literally smelling Cooper Howard in Fallout season two, episode three. Okay, we also mean figuratively. Somehow, Mr. House appears to know that Cooper Howard is considering his murder because he arrives at a small ceremony honoring veterans, including Coop’s friend Charlie Whiteknife, and corners the other man in a bathroom. And thus, the ship between Robert House and Cooper Howard/The Ghoul is born on Fallout season two. (Like I said, GhoulHouse, RobCoop, whatever you call it, it is present.)
Fellas, is it gay to talk politics when a man has his dick in his hand? Fellas, is it gay to track the object of your interest into a bathroom and then charmingly menace him in the mirror? Fellas, is it gay to have so much chemistry that I gasped and kicked my feet while watching this scene the FOURTH time through? FELLAS! I say, yes, yes, it is. And Mr. House and Cooper Howard do it so beautifully that I had to compose this new ode for my ship.
As this scene begins, the tension between the pair is so thick you can cut it with a knife. And it never lets up once throughout the conversation. Add to that the insane, sparking tension between the two characters, well, characters have been shipped for MUCH less than what Cooper Howard and Mr. House deliver in their first Fallout meeting. I might even dare to say this is one of the most chemistry-filled scenes I have EVER seen on TV. Walton Goggins and Justin Theroux both bring their A-Game, and it’s clear that they work incredibly well together. Something about their volleys is hypnotizing—it literally made my breath catch in my throat.
Theroux told Nerdist the following about working with Walton Goggins on Fallout season two, “We’re really giddy to be playing them together. He’s an old friend, and we just had such a delicious time making those scenes together.” And we have to agree, “delicious” is an incredibly apt adjective.
As Mr. House sizes up Cooper Howard, it’s clear that he’s done some research into him, and he’s curious about what he sees. “Star of the silver screen,” He drawls, his eyes firmly on Cooper Howard. And yeah, Mr. House is a weird, weird man; terrible, obviously, but we kind of love him anyway. Cooper Howard, of course, has no idea he’s meeting the person he might try to murder, because, like the rest of the world, he believes that Mr. House’s fake double is the real Mr. House and that this man watching him in the bathroom is… just some man. During their conversation, Mr. House appears to try to work out whether Cooper Howard leans communist/liberal. Interestingly, he says he even empathizes with the “pinko” cause and its complaints against structures of power and traditional institutions, which he considers “entirely justified.”
And that is interesting, but we’re also more than a little interested in just how close Mr. House gets to Cooper Howard as he speaks. Like, CLOSE, let me avert my eyes, this is indecent, close. Mr. House, bless his heart, is, as the saying goes, all up in Cooper Howard’s space. Let’s call it, Castiel-close. Real ones know what that means. No personal space here. And what is Mr. House talking about as he watches Cooper Howard in the bathroom mirror’s reflection, ah yes, “backing bodies into a corner.” I mean, we just have no choice but to ship Cooper Howard and Mr. House—Fallout season two has literally gives us no other option.
And, let’s just all be honest. Mr. House fully and completely checks out Cooper Howard after the latter snarks at him, “I take it you’re not a vet.” You saw it, I saw it. We all saw it. And then the dick talk, as a cherry on top. Icons. As Mr. House says, “Until next time.” RobCoop, here we come—I just know this is going to be a magnificent Fallout ship. (And to all my Ghoulcy shippers out there, fear not. Ghoulcy is also magnificent. I think… The more the merrier. The Ghoul just can’t help that he’s so charismatic.)
For, hopefully, more of Cooper Howard, Mr. House, and RobCoop, maybe even GhoulHouse proper, tune into Fallout season two as it airs on Prime Video. New episodes of Fallout release on Wednesdays.
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Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief at Nerdist and a huge shipper. She’ll ship anything if you give her five minutes, but Cooper Howard and Mr. House only took about five seconds.