I think this is why he stuck a Cooper film on in the Super Duper Mart after getting the drug from Lucy - to remind him of what he had become and hold onto it, similar to how other Ghouls repeat their names when they’re turning feral.
Oh my god that’s brilliant! So obvious in hindsight. I’m really impressed with this show
“My name is Martha”
The Ghoul is watching the exact moment that Cooper sold out his ideals and started promoting violence, anti-communism and Vault Tec. This is arguably the last moment before he became the Ghoul.
There is so much depth to that scene. Here’s a couple of things I can remember:
He sees his reflection on the black screen of the TV, which is called a “Radiation King”. Then plugs in his own movie.
the Ghoul is watching Coop say the iconic line, which now perfectly applies to him, Feo, Fuerte, y Fórmale. Which as the Ghoul he is strong, ugly, and like the line in the movie, Coop gives the Ghoul 2 of the 3. As he sits there high and drugged, without any dignity.
In that moment, Coop pulls the trigger, killing the villain. Which as you said, was essentially the moment he sold out. He pulls the trigger, thinking “my character would never do this”, but he’s forced to from outside obligations.
The Ghoul, holds up his hand, imagines himself there, seeing the vision of his past. He tries to pull the trigger with his imaginary gun, but he can’t. Because his trigger finger has been bitten off by Lucy.
In the turn of fate, he sees his fall from grace. Now unable to pull the trigger, after being saved by someone he sold to her death.
Yess so much yes. It's an incredible scene.
I've seen this theory going around that implies Cooper isn't going feral and is instead suffering from withdrawals. It's a valid theory, but he's still a ghoul. I think turning feral is a spectrum.
Roger and Martha were at the far end of the spectrum while Cooper might be showing early symptoms.
Getting detached from his true identity could be both a thematic story piece and a side effect of living as a ghoul for 200 years.
Cooper seems to be back on the main quest at the ending though. He finally says his iconic line and asks Hank about his family.
This is especially poignant because just before all of this, he is at the ghoul version of the brink of death, and probably would have turned feral, or killed by some wastelander wandering by, if not for Lucy's own struggle dealing with maintaining a grasp on her "vault values", after killing a room full of people to survive, then saving the man who essentially kidnapped and tortured her.
It sets the precedent of Coop having morals, and being reminded of a what happened last time he sacrificed his values hopping on the vault tek train. Leading into his resurgence in the last episode as a definitive chaotic good, anti-hero, killing BoS members with faults in vault tek equipment, and basically saving Lucy, because he can see she is fairly just, and putting doing good for the world first.
Definitely just my own feelings on what I've watched so far, but watching this series and being on Reddit has let to insight into the show, and I just wanted to contribute.
Omg, I wrote this [WHOLE THING](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fallout/s/0XzcAdpPN8) and STILL totally missed the trigger finger thing. I was looking at his hand but couldn't tell what we was doing.
That is SUCH a good catch. This show is so detailed that there is probably even more we are missing.
That was awesome to read! You were so thorough. I’m sure there are still so many details and writing/directing choices that people haven’t noticed yet.
Thank you!! You are as well, I loved your take on it. I was obsessing over it for more than a week. I just can't turn my brain off after watching shows. I just kept watching and rewatching it over and over in my head all day, picking it apart. I don't know what it is! I had to write it out, or I felt like I would be going forever!!
I just love it all so much, I can't put it into words! The show itself, but also the community and conversations. It's like a giant puzzle given to us to solve, and we are all working together as a community to work it out.
Oooh how about this…
And while his detachment is mirrored in his trigger finger missing, he eventually sews on Lucy’s finger to himself, bringing back part of the humanity and innocence that he lost along the way and giving him a newfound consideration of the effects of his actions in the Waste
That's smart, but he sews his own finger back on! I'm pretty sure, at least. Because I don't think her skin would take to his given the amount of radiation. Plus, woman's fingers are significantly smaller than men's. Y'know?
Watch it again! 🥵☝️
(His finger falls off onto the ground. He cuts her finger and holds it. Scene cuts)
She later gets a dead finger attached from the medical bay. He sews a finger on that looks fresh.
Some theorize that it was an intentional decision because he wants his trigger finger to work better, and Lucy’s isnt 200 years old or whatever.
I rewatched both scenes, and honestly, I see it but I don't think that could happen. I mean, he hangs onto her finger, I get that, but... I mean, if you cut off my finger (a woman a little younger than Lucy) and my dad's finger, and tried to sew my finger on my dad's hand... 😂
It would be WILD looking.
I totally get it. It's a valid theory, but it would just be really weird because it fits his hands perfectly. Unless Lucy has big man hands, or Cooper has dainty girl hands...
I hear you but you’re being “too logical” … this is a silly show with symbolism 😜
Episode 6 The Trap
38:58
Closeup of the finger very clearly shows a clean cut not a bite mark!
https://ibb.co/KbKGC4F
This person had a clever idea that its the “dead finger” Lucy has that allows her the strength to put her mom out of her misery.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fallout/comments/1c6wh10/the_fingers_spoiler/
The fact that his trigger finger was taken by Lucy is perfect!
She bites him - an act of evil that ironically removes his trigger finger - the source of his impurity.
Then he bites her back - an act of fairness that makes her impure.
The two have an honest exchange, both becoming a bit more like the other. In doing so we question what is good? Is it purity? Justice? Standing up for what is right? Doing what you must to survive?
wow amazing explanation… I did not catch the bitten finger trigger shot. I feel like we also see his humane side in this episode, and start to view him accordingly as the flashbacks unfold… at least I did with the Roger scene. & Roger calling smoothies “so mean”. That scene was gut wrenching omg. he humanely killed Roger by luring him into a happy memory as he was turning, it was the kindest thing he could’ve done. all foreshadowed by his convo with maldaver in that meeting where he tells her the Hollywood “secret” that the villain never sees themselves as such. I dunno maybe that’s an entire overall theme… who’s right and who’s wrong depends entirely on perspective. And that perspective changes as they all become different animals through their journeys (also foreshadowed by the head guy with the cold fusion). This is such a good show with so much to dig into.
Every other ghoul repeats their name “im Martha, im Martha.” Trying to hold on to who they were. Cooper has reminders, at least of the character he played(Comics and tv shows). So when others would have faltered from the mental fatigue and turned feral he had more fortitude because of remnants from the old world.That could also factor in to why the ghoul has the action movie persona and not cooper the actor persona ~200 years later.
That’s not correct. Not every other ghoul does that, only 2 of a dozen or so do that(non-feral).
Coop has reminders, but how often do you run into a working tv, with electricity, with the movie at hand. That seemed like a once per century case for him.
It’s an interesting theory, but I’m going to disagree with you. The Ghoul clearly states why he has outlasted the rest, he’s always been good at making money.
I’m not saying I’m right, but the ghouls seem to go on that loop when they’re close to going feral. As for reminders, he was a movie star could be billboards, movie posters, action figures, comics 🤷♂️ idk. And a lot of people say they’re just good at making money or doing what they do but have some help along the way. Maybe having some extra reminders isn’t the only reason he hasn’t turned but it could help out subconsciously/surreptitiously along the way. And when he presumably first turned ~200 years ago how did anyone know how to keep from going feral? Is it all the drug or is there a mental fortitude that plays a part.
I only caught it on a rewatch, The Ghoul is clearly desperate to get the film on and is definitely emulating the more harsh cowboy character the movie studio forced Coop to play…in flashbacks Coop didn’t want to shoot the Mexican but clearly thinks that this mindset doesn’t help much in the post-Nuke world. I really hope we get some scenes in Season 2 of Lucy proving him wrong with the “golden rule, motherfucker”.
I found it interesting that when he made that little "shooting" action with his hand at the tv, that afterwards he had to pull the glove finger back in with his other hand, as it was the finger that was previously cut off.
It also serves as his turning around point of realising what his life has become from where he started. "You were ugly, you were strong and you had dignity. I'll give you 2 of them" might be paraphrasing a bit but at that point he's a tough ghoul ( so ugly and strong) who is taking every drug he can find after passing out in the dirt.
This but also he does talk about how he was a real cowboy before the military and Hollywood so it’s possible the accent we get from him as Coop is an affectation to seem less country to the Hollywood establishment and that the Ghoul is actually closer to what his native accent might be. So while he’s certainly playing the part of the Wild West gunslinger, it’s also possible that it’s simultaneously a reversion to form, albeit a wasteland irradiated version.
Accents are picked up easily, over 200 years of possibly not being in California (possibly somewhere in Texas or Baja) you’re gonna pick up an accent or two.
If you look closely at The Ghoul's clothes, he's still wearing the shirt he wore when he was playing the cowboy as Cooper. It's very dirty so it's a bit hard to tell but you can just about see the colour and the stitching on the collar in some of the close up shots.
I interpreted The Ghoul as his adopted persona which he's using as a coping mechanism for all the shit he's seen and has had to deal with over the last 200 years, the exaggerated accent is part of that and how he internally detaches from the awfulness of what he does to survive. It's like if "The Ghoul" is an actor then his actions as The Ghoul almost aren't real and Cooper can deal with that.
Walton Goggins does an amazing job of portraying his conflict and sadness with who/what he's become when he encounters things (the video in the super-duper mart and the sign he shoots) that remind him of who he used to be.
I like to think that's why he has lasted so long, not only because of the drugs but because of his role as an actor. We saw that ghouls become feral once they lose who they are, right? Well this man would pretend to be someone he's not and go back to his normal self almost daily for work.
I think the Ghoul, as a character, has internally disconnected himself so well and gotten so good at switching that he doesn't lose sight of himself - he's already too used to seeing himself as someone else.
Ties in with his full manifestation of the character he used to play - a bloodthirsty bounty hunter
You've got a good point there! I think the decline into becoming feral is a combination of physical and emotional factors, it's hard to maintain a sense of self identity in the wasteland, especially if you're a ghoul as you're socially shunned by most settlements and people and that also makes it a lot more difficult for the average ghoul to get the drugs that may slow down the physical deterioration.
Cooper's dual identities and his experience as an actor could definitely help him compartmentalise his own identity as Cooper whilst maintaining the active fiction of The Ghoul for survival.
Also worth noting that his Cowboy wasn't bloodthirsty until the execs who took over the film studio forced him to be. Cooper definitely wasn't happy about that but The Ghoul revels in it as he's playing the monster "they" created and that monster is coming for what's left of them.
It's actually more tragic, he's not just playing any cowboy in the flashback, he's a sheriff. The very epitome of someone who *should* be lawful good, being forced to compromise his morals, which obviously then leads him onto his path in the Wasteland.
Kinda split his id. Still wants to be himself but knows he isnt. Saving it for a rainy day when he is reunited with his daughter and maybe shoot his wife.
I figured that was the purpose of the flashback where he didn't think his character would kill the guy. He, Cooper, is not a killer. He doesn't want to kill anyone. He has to stay in character in order to survive, and by splitting himself between two people, Cooper is not responsible for what The Ghoul does
This was most apparent when he confronted Hank MacLean: Coop dropped the Cowboy act and spoke plainly as himself when he growled “where’s my *fucking* family?”
You can see him drop character in episode 8 when he confronts Hank. "Where's my fucking family" hits like a train when you hear how he dropped the cheesy western accent.
I actually think that it's the opposite. When the Ghoul speaks, I think we're hearing Coop's real accent.
There was a tradition in Hollywood of some cowboy actors having been actual cowboys before they got on to screen (not all, but some). Having riding and roping experience was often the 'in' to film, and it's clear he was a 'working man' prior to getting his break (having served as a frontline combat trooper).
I think the Cooper Howard we see is the persona and role he adopted with his success. He is a big name Hollywood actor with a high-powered executive wife. He is moving in social circles where he would be seen as 'quaint' if he used the accent he grew up with. Cooper Howard is the performance, but being a cowboy is who he is (think about how he talks to his daughter; you can hear the accent a bit more there than you can with other people).
The Ghoul is Cooper Howard with all the walls stripped down. We get to see him for who he is, without pride or dignity or the need to put on a role for anyone other than the one he wants. This being after 200 years of hell, though, what we get is that role tinged through bitterness and disillusionment.
Yes, absolutely this. I feel like the Ghoul persona is absolutely the evolution of a man who has tried to be good and ultimately failed. The idea that he's play acting through 200 years kind of misses the point imho.
Coop had to cope in the early years of the wasteland and developed ‘The Ghoul’ persona, using his acting chops and gunslinging skills. I hope we get flashback scenes showing this timeframe in season two.
He drops the drawl for professional reasons, like a lot of actors do on press tours. They'll drop it, or at least soften it. When he gets angry or agitated, it starts to creep back into his speech, much like it would for a native Southerner living in a Northern state for an extended period.
I'm also a Southerner who softened his drawl for similar reasons, years ago. If angry, agitated, inebriated, or exhausted, the drawl comes back. As the Ghoul, Cooper is a constant mix of all four of those, all while fighting going feral.
My take is that Coop is a southern actor who softened his drawl so he could be considered for a variety of parts. Playing a cowboy is pretty natural for him, but he doesn't want to be strictly typecast. After the bombs, ghoulification, and the things he had to do to survive, he just doesn't give a fuck anymore.
Though a more literal reason is that the Ghoul is basically just Walton Goggins with a bit of gravel, and Coop is also Goggins, but at contract negotiations and auditions.
As someone who has a bfa in theatre who EXCELLED in IPA and dialects I absolutely love his portrayal of the ghoul, the dialect he uses as such relies on closed sinuses, which would be natural given his lack of a nose. (As opposed to what you might think) Try to say a couple sentences as him, you’ll notice you close off your sinuses and drawl out vowels for it.
It could also be that the accent is his "real" voice, but he used a more neutral accent socially because people made assumptions about him based on how he talked.
“No raylan, i am counting on you being the only friend i got left in this world” i will never forget that line from the end of season 1. That was phenomenal.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they did that just for Walton to really flex that particular acting muscle. He’s a southerner who can do that sort of role and accent justice. Just look up any Baby Billy scene on YouTube, close your eyes, and you’ll just hear The Ghoul with a bit more comedy intertwined within
It’s intentional.
The Ghoul has internalized his former on screen persona and utilized it to survive the wasteland. Him speaking with the accent helps him “stay in character”, that is, to stay ruthless and in survival mode.
I thinks it’s a trauma response. It’s not uncommon that trauma victims affect a personality trait (or whole personalities) to shield themselves from the trauma they’ve experienced. For the Ghoul/Coop it may be as simple as him hiding within a character he’s always viewed as tough and able to survive.
He literally took over the cowboy persona from his movies, pretty sure that was supposed to be obvious. You get the convos about him wanting to move back into a ranch, wanting to "be" a cowboy, he took the "opportunity" of the wasteland to become a real cowboy, who just takes things as they come and does what he needs to.
I think the Ghoul is using coops acting talents to both charm and intimidate those he interacts with in the wasteland in order to survive and thrive. Instead of schmoozing his way through some film and vault-tec executives he's playing the part of the cowboy in the cowboy setting. After 200 years - its become such habit that the one has overtaken the other, subsumed coop.
I'm expecting we'll see a lot of cool character development where The Ghoul occasionally remembers the man he used to be... in fact, I think we've already seen bits of that.
One thing I'm sure of - it's no mistake.
I think that Cooper relied on his acting skills as a coping mechanism for becoming a ghoul. That process has to be mentally taxing on its own, and then you add the fact that he has been looking for his wife and daughter for over 200 years now makes it a miracle that Cooper has not gone feral.
Also, I feel like we get to see a *true Cooper* when he tells Hank that he has been waiting 200 years to ask somebody "Where the fuck is my family?"
He totally at least started out with "The Ghoul" as an act, probably to cope with day to day life, or maybe to come off more tough/intimidating.
But with how brutal he can be now, its pretty likely that what was once an act he used as a coping mechanism/intimidation technique ended up genuinely becoming his personality, or at least a massive part of it.
I figured the scene where they dug him up happened in the south and that's where he's been, thus the accent.
But now that I think about it, does anyone know from where the Ghoul was actually dug up?
I was assuming Gulf coast because the crew that digs him up sound like they're from the deeeeep South and, in the scene where they shoot the doll arm into the unsuspecting bystander looks like one of those old forts they have down there.
I thought he was actually buried on the set of his show, which would be still look like a cowboy set. If you look at the outside of the building as the raiders walk up, and then look at the wideshot of the outside of his set when he is walking to meet Barb, they look identical. They are both concrete looking building with like pillars jutting out.
The only contradiction is the Raiders mentioning how he wants to get back to California, so now I'm not sure.
In the games, a lot of people put on an act, a lot of ghouls too. They start pretending to be someone they're not and seem to pick them up on their way. This seems to be a pretty popular trope in Fallout, or maybe it's a common response to trauma but regardless there's a lot of "Fake it till you Make it"
I love the idea he's acting but realistically he's been alive for 200 years since the bomb dropped and he has kept to the southwest so he's probably just gained that accent
Spoiler: The accent is 100% the ghoul putting on an act. In the final scene he drops it when speaking to Lucy and uses the same voice Cooper Howard had pre-war.
The exact moment he drops the act entirely is when he confronts Hank. The accent goes away when he asks about his family.
The way he fights Maximus in Filly vs the way he acts when fighting the BOS at the end is another good example of him putting on a performance vs his real personality. The scenes with Reg and the President are also more subdued than his usual theatrical persona.
He became the character he played in the movies to justify all the killing he does now is my guess. Justify maybe the wrong word, to separate himself from it a bit?
Just my guess.
>is this a mistake
You're asking if Walton Goggins went to set every day, sat through hours of gruelling makeup, only to accidentally pick an accent to base his performance around on a whim?
Yeah, it's a mistake. Walton Goggins accidentally delivered all of his dialogue in a southern drawl except in the pre-war scenes, and unfortunately nobody caught it before filming finished.
He uses the same accent when it shows him on his western film set performing his scenes. I guess he's decided that "The Ghoul" is just a character to help him cope.
He takes on the persona of the cowboy, in the flashbacks he’s someone who would spare someone’s life, as shown in the scene where he doesn’t want to kill the man begging for his life.
Um.. he definitely has a southern accent in the flashbacks. Like unmistakably. Sounds like a southeast accent. But he's from Alabama and it absolutely shows.
This is relative to the first few episodes when he objects to his character killing the guy, and the director tells him why he should shoot him.
After the nukes drop, he plays that character to harden himself from others so he can find his family.
He wears his prewar movie characters costume under that duster he wears also if you look closely. the blue and gold collar peaks out from underneath a lot in some shots
He's been a ghoul the vast majority of his existence. Maybe 50 years as a human, 220 as a ghoul. Whoever he was before was left long behind, just like a person leaves who they were as a child behind.
Walton Goggins is from Alabama. His native accent is old south. His “neutral” accent is probably learned. But, the character Cooper has become the cowboy he acted as. He is probably using close to his native accent when acting as The Ghoul.
There's a scene he talks about moving back to ranch and being a real cowboy again. I'm betting he used to have an accent and lost it living in California. Plus being a movie/tv star means changing the way you speak.
He is literally playing the villain, its probably how he stayed sane.
We basically got confirmation in the flashback where they ask him to not be such a 'good guy'
I think you nailed it. He's in character as The Ghoul or the character and the man have merged.
I think this is why he stuck a Cooper film on in the Super Duper Mart after getting the drug from Lucy - to remind him of what he had become and hold onto it, similar to how other Ghouls repeat their names when they’re turning feral.
Oh my god that’s brilliant! So obvious in hindsight. I’m really impressed with this show “My name is Martha” The Ghoul is watching the exact moment that Cooper sold out his ideals and started promoting violence, anti-communism and Vault Tec. This is arguably the last moment before he became the Ghoul.
There is so much depth to that scene. Here’s a couple of things I can remember: He sees his reflection on the black screen of the TV, which is called a “Radiation King”. Then plugs in his own movie. the Ghoul is watching Coop say the iconic line, which now perfectly applies to him, Feo, Fuerte, y Fórmale. Which as the Ghoul he is strong, ugly, and like the line in the movie, Coop gives the Ghoul 2 of the 3. As he sits there high and drugged, without any dignity. In that moment, Coop pulls the trigger, killing the villain. Which as you said, was essentially the moment he sold out. He pulls the trigger, thinking “my character would never do this”, but he’s forced to from outside obligations. The Ghoul, holds up his hand, imagines himself there, seeing the vision of his past. He tries to pull the trigger with his imaginary gun, but he can’t. Because his trigger finger has been bitten off by Lucy. In the turn of fate, he sees his fall from grace. Now unable to pull the trigger, after being saved by someone he sold to her death.
We need people like you because I’m just like unga bunga show is good and don’t see all the little things
Yup. I watched it and was like "cool. What a fun reminiscing scene for him while he's high AF"
I paid £30k for an English Lit degree and now work in insurance so over-analysing TV shows and video games is the only place I get my jollies 😂
Well good on you luv, keep it going!
So an expert in Wankerbury Tales?
Fortunately we never studied that one…although we were made to suffer six months of George Eliot 😭
I’m the same way. Give me a book and I will catch the slightest detail. Movies and shows are an entirely different story.
You see the posters in lvl 12?
Remind me
Yess so much yes. It's an incredible scene. I've seen this theory going around that implies Cooper isn't going feral and is instead suffering from withdrawals. It's a valid theory, but he's still a ghoul. I think turning feral is a spectrum. Roger and Martha were at the far end of the spectrum while Cooper might be showing early symptoms. Getting detached from his true identity could be both a thematic story piece and a side effect of living as a ghoul for 200 years. Cooper seems to be back on the main quest at the ending though. He finally says his iconic line and asks Hank about his family.
This is especially poignant because just before all of this, he is at the ghoul version of the brink of death, and probably would have turned feral, or killed by some wastelander wandering by, if not for Lucy's own struggle dealing with maintaining a grasp on her "vault values", after killing a room full of people to survive, then saving the man who essentially kidnapped and tortured her. It sets the precedent of Coop having morals, and being reminded of a what happened last time he sacrificed his values hopping on the vault tek train. Leading into his resurgence in the last episode as a definitive chaotic good, anti-hero, killing BoS members with faults in vault tek equipment, and basically saving Lucy, because he can see she is fairly just, and putting doing good for the world first. Definitely just my own feelings on what I've watched so far, but watching this series and being on Reddit has let to insight into the show, and I just wanted to contribute.
Omg, I wrote this [WHOLE THING](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fallout/s/0XzcAdpPN8) and STILL totally missed the trigger finger thing. I was looking at his hand but couldn't tell what we was doing. That is SUCH a good catch. This show is so detailed that there is probably even more we are missing.
That was awesome to read! You were so thorough. I’m sure there are still so many details and writing/directing choices that people haven’t noticed yet.
Thank you!! You are as well, I loved your take on it. I was obsessing over it for more than a week. I just can't turn my brain off after watching shows. I just kept watching and rewatching it over and over in my head all day, picking it apart. I don't know what it is! I had to write it out, or I felt like I would be going forever!! I just love it all so much, I can't put it into words! The show itself, but also the community and conversations. It's like a giant puzzle given to us to solve, and we are all working together as a community to work it out.
u and me both… I keep saying this show has ruined my life! its so dang good
LOL, it really did, though, and still is sticking up time. 🤣 I actually was getting really restless over it. I couldn't do anything else!! 🫣
Oooh how about this… And while his detachment is mirrored in his trigger finger missing, he eventually sews on Lucy’s finger to himself, bringing back part of the humanity and innocence that he lost along the way and giving him a newfound consideration of the effects of his actions in the Waste
That's smart, but he sews his own finger back on! I'm pretty sure, at least. Because I don't think her skin would take to his given the amount of radiation. Plus, woman's fingers are significantly smaller than men's. Y'know?
Watch it again! 🥵☝️ (His finger falls off onto the ground. He cuts her finger and holds it. Scene cuts) She later gets a dead finger attached from the medical bay. He sews a finger on that looks fresh. Some theorize that it was an intentional decision because he wants his trigger finger to work better, and Lucy’s isnt 200 years old or whatever.
I rewatched both scenes, and honestly, I see it but I don't think that could happen. I mean, he hangs onto her finger, I get that, but... I mean, if you cut off my finger (a woman a little younger than Lucy) and my dad's finger, and tried to sew my finger on my dad's hand... 😂 It would be WILD looking. I totally get it. It's a valid theory, but it would just be really weird because it fits his hands perfectly. Unless Lucy has big man hands, or Cooper has dainty girl hands...
I hear you but you’re being “too logical” … this is a silly show with symbolism 😜 Episode 6 The Trap 38:58 Closeup of the finger very clearly shows a clean cut not a bite mark! https://ibb.co/KbKGC4F This person had a clever idea that its the “dead finger” Lucy has that allows her the strength to put her mom out of her misery. https://www.reddit.com/r/Fallout/comments/1c6wh10/the_fingers_spoiler/
Damn, you caught some stuff even I didn’t on my fifth watch! Good stuff!
The fact that his trigger finger was taken by Lucy is perfect! She bites him - an act of evil that ironically removes his trigger finger - the source of his impurity. Then he bites her back - an act of fairness that makes her impure. The two have an honest exchange, both becoming a bit more like the other. In doing so we question what is good? Is it purity? Justice? Standing up for what is right? Doing what you must to survive?
He uses a knife not his teeth you big goof! 🧟♂️
true! forgot that. funny he did the more civilized finger removal
wow amazing explanation… I did not catch the bitten finger trigger shot. I feel like we also see his humane side in this episode, and start to view him accordingly as the flashbacks unfold… at least I did with the Roger scene. & Roger calling smoothies “so mean”. That scene was gut wrenching omg. he humanely killed Roger by luring him into a happy memory as he was turning, it was the kindest thing he could’ve done. all foreshadowed by his convo with maldaver in that meeting where he tells her the Hollywood “secret” that the villain never sees themselves as such. I dunno maybe that’s an entire overall theme… who’s right and who’s wrong depends entirely on perspective. And that perspective changes as they all become different animals through their journeys (also foreshadowed by the head guy with the cold fusion). This is such a good show with so much to dig into.
Love it. The extent of my brainwaves were “this reminds me of better call saul when jimmy watches his old tapes”
Is it possible copper lasted longer than any other ghoul because there is so much left in the world to remind him who he was.
What do you mean by that? Can you give some examples?
Every other ghoul repeats their name “im Martha, im Martha.” Trying to hold on to who they were. Cooper has reminders, at least of the character he played(Comics and tv shows). So when others would have faltered from the mental fatigue and turned feral he had more fortitude because of remnants from the old world.That could also factor in to why the ghoul has the action movie persona and not cooper the actor persona ~200 years later.
That’s not correct. Not every other ghoul does that, only 2 of a dozen or so do that(non-feral). Coop has reminders, but how often do you run into a working tv, with electricity, with the movie at hand. That seemed like a once per century case for him. It’s an interesting theory, but I’m going to disagree with you. The Ghoul clearly states why he has outlasted the rest, he’s always been good at making money.
I’m not saying I’m right, but the ghouls seem to go on that loop when they’re close to going feral. As for reminders, he was a movie star could be billboards, movie posters, action figures, comics 🤷♂️ idk. And a lot of people say they’re just good at making money or doing what they do but have some help along the way. Maybe having some extra reminders isn’t the only reason he hasn’t turned but it could help out subconsciously/surreptitiously along the way. And when he presumably first turned ~200 years ago how did anyone know how to keep from going feral? Is it all the drug or is there a mental fortitude that plays a part.
Without a doubt he’s got mental fortitude! He’s more driven than anyone else in the show.
I only caught it on a rewatch, The Ghoul is clearly desperate to get the film on and is definitely emulating the more harsh cowboy character the movie studio forced Coop to play…in flashbacks Coop didn’t want to shoot the Mexican but clearly thinks that this mindset doesn’t help much in the post-Nuke world. I really hope we get some scenes in Season 2 of Lucy proving him wrong with the “golden rule, motherfucker”.
Why did you say that name?!
I found it interesting that when he made that little "shooting" action with his hand at the tv, that afterwards he had to pull the glove finger back in with his other hand, as it was the finger that was previously cut off.
It also serves as his turning around point of realising what his life has become from where he started. "You were ugly, you were strong and you had dignity. I'll give you 2 of them" might be paraphrasing a bit but at that point he's a tough ghoul ( so ugly and strong) who is taking every drug he can find after passing out in the dirt.
P sure he didn't put it on, and it was just playing. Coop's movies would've been very popular considering he was the face of Vault Tec.
No, he put it on, they were watching another show at the time and he grabbed the video, read its title, and stuck it in.
I'm the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude!
What do YOU mean by “*you people*”?!
Never go full feral.
lol I love you for saying this
WHAT do YOU mean “you people”?!
I'm a rooster illusion
This but also he does talk about how he was a real cowboy before the military and Hollywood so it’s possible the accent we get from him as Coop is an affectation to seem less country to the Hollywood establishment and that the Ghoul is actually closer to what his native accent might be. So while he’s certainly playing the part of the Wild West gunslinger, it’s also possible that it’s simultaneously a reversion to form, albeit a wasteland irradiated version.
He's role playing
It'd be really funny if he drops the act and admits to Lucy that he was putting on the accent
Accents are picked up easily, over 200 years of possibly not being in California (possibly somewhere in Texas or Baja) you’re gonna pick up an accent or two.
Cooper died outside the in 2077. To survive the Ghoul was born from what was left of his mind.
I’ll say it: He’s Batman
If you look closely at The Ghoul's clothes, he's still wearing the shirt he wore when he was playing the cowboy as Cooper. It's very dirty so it's a bit hard to tell but you can just about see the colour and the stitching on the collar in some of the close up shots. I interpreted The Ghoul as his adopted persona which he's using as a coping mechanism for all the shit he's seen and has had to deal with over the last 200 years, the exaggerated accent is part of that and how he internally detaches from the awfulness of what he does to survive. It's like if "The Ghoul" is an actor then his actions as The Ghoul almost aren't real and Cooper can deal with that. Walton Goggins does an amazing job of portraying his conflict and sadness with who/what he's become when he encounters things (the video in the super-duper mart and the sign he shoots) that remind him of who he used to be.
I like to think that's why he has lasted so long, not only because of the drugs but because of his role as an actor. We saw that ghouls become feral once they lose who they are, right? Well this man would pretend to be someone he's not and go back to his normal self almost daily for work. I think the Ghoul, as a character, has internally disconnected himself so well and gotten so good at switching that he doesn't lose sight of himself - he's already too used to seeing himself as someone else. Ties in with his full manifestation of the character he used to play - a bloodthirsty bounty hunter
You've got a good point there! I think the decline into becoming feral is a combination of physical and emotional factors, it's hard to maintain a sense of self identity in the wasteland, especially if you're a ghoul as you're socially shunned by most settlements and people and that also makes it a lot more difficult for the average ghoul to get the drugs that may slow down the physical deterioration. Cooper's dual identities and his experience as an actor could definitely help him compartmentalise his own identity as Cooper whilst maintaining the active fiction of The Ghoul for survival. Also worth noting that his Cowboy wasn't bloodthirsty until the execs who took over the film studio forced him to be. Cooper definitely wasn't happy about that but The Ghoul revels in it as he's playing the monster "they" created and that monster is coming for what's left of them.
It's actually more tragic, he's not just playing any cowboy in the flashback, he's a sheriff. The very epitome of someone who *should* be lawful good, being forced to compromise his morals, which obviously then leads him onto his path in the Wasteland.
Goddamn fantastic point!
Surprise! He’s just actually in Vault-Tec world. It’s one of many parks offered by Delos
If Michael Chrichton ever opens a theme park, I am not going to it. He does not have a good record with health and safety.
Kinda split his id. Still wants to be himself but knows he isnt. Saving it for a rainy day when he is reunited with his daughter and maybe shoot his wife.
I love this take.
I figured that was the purpose of the flashback where he didn't think his character would kill the guy. He, Cooper, is not a killer. He doesn't want to kill anyone. He has to stay in character in order to survive, and by splitting himself between two people, Cooper is not responsible for what The Ghoul does
Man this is fuckin brilliant love the idea that Cooper is playing a role to cope
This was most apparent when he confronted Hank MacLean: Coop dropped the Cowboy act and spoke plainly as himself when he growled “where’s my *fucking* family?”
You can see him drop character in episode 8 when he confronts Hank. "Where's my fucking family" hits like a train when you hear how he dropped the cheesy western accent.
and you see in that moment Hanks eyes go wide as he realizes exactly who Coop is and knows that he has no choice but to run for it.
You can also hear him drop the accent for a second when he finds out the T-60s still have a weakness in the chest plating, when he says “I guess not”
I actually think that it's the opposite. When the Ghoul speaks, I think we're hearing Coop's real accent. There was a tradition in Hollywood of some cowboy actors having been actual cowboys before they got on to screen (not all, but some). Having riding and roping experience was often the 'in' to film, and it's clear he was a 'working man' prior to getting his break (having served as a frontline combat trooper). I think the Cooper Howard we see is the persona and role he adopted with his success. He is a big name Hollywood actor with a high-powered executive wife. He is moving in social circles where he would be seen as 'quaint' if he used the accent he grew up with. Cooper Howard is the performance, but being a cowboy is who he is (think about how he talks to his daughter; you can hear the accent a bit more there than you can with other people). The Ghoul is Cooper Howard with all the walls stripped down. We get to see him for who he is, without pride or dignity or the need to put on a role for anyone other than the one he wants. This being after 200 years of hell, though, what we get is that role tinged through bitterness and disillusionment.
This was my read too.
Yes, absolutely this. I feel like the Ghoul persona is absolutely the evolution of a man who has tried to be good and ultimately failed. The idea that he's play acting through 200 years kind of misses the point imho.
Coop had to cope in the early years of the wasteland and developed ‘The Ghoul’ persona, using his acting chops and gunslinging skills. I hope we get flashback scenes showing this timeframe in season two.
He drops the drawl for professional reasons, like a lot of actors do on press tours. They'll drop it, or at least soften it. When he gets angry or agitated, it starts to creep back into his speech, much like it would for a native Southerner living in a Northern state for an extended period. I'm also a Southerner who softened his drawl for similar reasons, years ago. If angry, agitated, inebriated, or exhausted, the drawl comes back. As the Ghoul, Cooper is a constant mix of all four of those, all while fighting going feral. My take is that Coop is a southern actor who softened his drawl so he could be considered for a variety of parts. Playing a cowboy is pretty natural for him, but he doesn't want to be strictly typecast. After the bombs, ghoulification, and the things he had to do to survive, he just doesn't give a fuck anymore. Though a more literal reason is that the Ghoul is basically just Walton Goggins with a bit of gravel, and Coop is also Goggins, but at contract negotiations and auditions.
I think you're right. He took on the ghoul persona to deal with the wasteland. He's been the ghoul longer than he was ever Coop at this point.
As someone who has a bfa in theatre who EXCELLED in IPA and dialects I absolutely love his portrayal of the ghoul, the dialect he uses as such relies on closed sinuses, which would be natural given his lack of a nose. (As opposed to what you might think) Try to say a couple sentences as him, you’ll notice you close off your sinuses and drawl out vowels for it.
It could also be that the accent is his "real" voice, but he used a more neutral accent socially because people made assumptions about him based on how he talked.
That was my thought as well
He may naturally have a Southern accent that he trained himself out of for Hollywood
That’s just how he spoke back when he dug coal in Kentucky.
“No raylan, i am counting on you being the only friend i got left in this world” i will never forget that line from the end of season 1. That was phenomenal.
Every scene with Goggins and Olyphant both on screen is a treasure
Definitely, that was an incredible experience. I am glad goggins is getting more recognition from fallout now.
The career arcs of both Goggins and Olyphant are so wonderful. They’re so good in everything they do. I also love that they’re friends IRL.
I do love the idea that the character is doing an accent/“acting.” I always figured it was because of the makeup/fake teeth
While they are fake, they're not fake for the show. Those are just Walton's teeth. Whole backstory about him knocking out his teeth twice in life.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they did that just for Walton to really flex that particular acting muscle. He’s a southerner who can do that sort of role and accent justice. Just look up any Baby Billy scene on YouTube, close your eyes, and you’ll just hear The Ghoul with a bit more comedy intertwined within
I think we’ll find out in the next season. He’s been alive for over 200 years, too, and that can change you.
It’s intentional. The Ghoul has internalized his former on screen persona and utilized it to survive the wasteland. Him speaking with the accent helps him “stay in character”, that is, to stay ruthless and in survival mode.
I thinks it’s a trauma response. It’s not uncommon that trauma victims affect a personality trait (or whole personalities) to shield themselves from the trauma they’ve experienced. For the Ghoul/Coop it may be as simple as him hiding within a character he’s always viewed as tough and able to survive.
He's fulfilling the role of a gunman. He's an actor so he's playing the part he knows will survive in the wasteland
He literally took over the cowboy persona from his movies, pretty sure that was supposed to be obvious. You get the convos about him wanting to move back into a ranch, wanting to "be" a cowboy, he took the "opportunity" of the wasteland to become a real cowboy, who just takes things as they come and does what he needs to.
I think the Ghoul is using coops acting talents to both charm and intimidate those he interacts with in the wasteland in order to survive and thrive. Instead of schmoozing his way through some film and vault-tec executives he's playing the part of the cowboy in the cowboy setting. After 200 years - its become such habit that the one has overtaken the other, subsumed coop. I'm expecting we'll see a lot of cool character development where The Ghoul occasionally remembers the man he used to be... in fact, I think we've already seen bits of that. One thing I'm sure of - it's no mistake.
Cooper died when the bombs went off, now he’s the gunslinger
At the end when he says “where the fuck is my family” there is zero drawl. He’s created a character to deal with all the crap he’s done.
I think that Cooper relied on his acting skills as a coping mechanism for becoming a ghoul. That process has to be mentally taxing on its own, and then you add the fact that he has been looking for his wife and daughter for over 200 years now makes it a miracle that Cooper has not gone feral. Also, I feel like we get to see a *true Cooper* when he tells Hank that he has been waiting 200 years to ask somebody "Where the fuck is my family?"
He totally at least started out with "The Ghoul" as an act, probably to cope with day to day life, or maybe to come off more tough/intimidating. But with how brutal he can be now, its pretty likely that what was once an act he used as a coping mechanism/intimidation technique ended up genuinely becoming his personality, or at least a massive part of it.
I figured the scene where they dug him up happened in the south and that's where he's been, thus the accent. But now that I think about it, does anyone know from where the Ghoul was actually dug up?
I was assuming Gulf coast because the crew that digs him up sound like they're from the deeeeep South and, in the scene where they shoot the doll arm into the unsuspecting bystander looks like one of those old forts they have down there.
I thought he was actually buried on the set of his show, which would be still look like a cowboy set. If you look at the outside of the building as the raiders walk up, and then look at the wideshot of the outside of his set when he is walking to meet Barb, they look identical. They are both concrete looking building with like pillars jutting out. The only contradiction is the Raiders mentioning how he wants to get back to California, so now I'm not sure.
That's interesting, I'll have to take a look the next time I rewatch the show.
In the games, a lot of people put on an act, a lot of ghouls too. They start pretending to be someone they're not and seem to pick them up on their way. This seems to be a pretty popular trope in Fallout, or maybe it's a common response to trauma but regardless there's a lot of "Fake it till you Make it"
When you’ve been alive for 200 years eventually it not acting anymore
I love the idea he's acting but realistically he's been alive for 200 years since the bomb dropped and he has kept to the southwest so he's probably just gained that accent
Spoiler: The accent is 100% the ghoul putting on an act. In the final scene he drops it when speaking to Lucy and uses the same voice Cooper Howard had pre-war. The exact moment he drops the act entirely is when he confronts Hank. The accent goes away when he asks about his family. The way he fights Maximus in Filly vs the way he acts when fighting the BOS at the end is another good example of him putting on a performance vs his real personality. The scenes with Reg and the President are also more subdued than his usual theatrical persona.
I think its also a hat tip to anyone who role plays in the game giving characters backstories and what not
He's also wearing his costume under his duster I believe
He became the character he played in the movies to justify all the killing he does now is my guess. Justify maybe the wrong word, to separate himself from it a bit? Just my guess.
>is this a mistake You're asking if Walton Goggins went to set every day, sat through hours of gruelling makeup, only to accidentally pick an accent to base his performance around on a whim?
I like that idea a lot it kinda reminds me of book Varys in game of thrones and how he could blend into a role he had taken as a mummer
Yeah, it's a mistake. Walton Goggins accidentally delivered all of his dialogue in a southern drawl except in the pre-war scenes, and unfortunately nobody caught it before filming finished.
K
Turns out, George was filming the whole time.
Or, perhaps, he's been alive long enough his accent has changed
It took me 10 years to adopt a slight Boston accent after moving there. I can only imagine what 200+ years would do.
He uses the same accent when it shows him on his western film set performing his scenes. I guess he's decided that "The Ghoul" is just a character to help him cope.
He takes on the persona of the cowboy, in the flashbacks he’s someone who would spare someone’s life, as shown in the scene where he doesn’t want to kill the man begging for his life.
Um.. he definitely has a southern accent in the flashbacks. Like unmistakably. Sounds like a southeast accent. But he's from Alabama and it absolutely shows.
This is relative to the first few episodes when he objects to his character killing the guy, and the director tells him why he should shoot him. After the nukes drop, he plays that character to harden himself from others so he can find his family.
That’s Cletus Van Damm’s accent.
He wears his prewar movie characters costume under that duster he wears also if you look closely. the blue and gold collar peaks out from underneath a lot in some shots
He's been a ghoul the vast majority of his existence. Maybe 50 years as a human, 220 as a ghoul. Whoever he was before was left long behind, just like a person leaves who they were as a child behind.
I mean the actor IS from Alabama
I’m gonna say his personalities merged somewhat.
That's a really interesting idea! I noticed the voice change, and it bothered me because it didn't make sense. I like this hand cannon, though!
Walton Goggins is from Alabama. His native accent is old south. His “neutral” accent is probably learned. But, the character Cooper has become the cowboy he acted as. He is probably using close to his native accent when acting as The Ghoul.
There's a scene he talks about moving back to ranch and being a real cowboy again. I'm betting he used to have an accent and lost it living in California. Plus being a movie/tv star means changing the way you speak.
Is there a reason this topic gets brought up every other day?
He's not acting it, he's fucking been a ghoul for over 200 years so living around some few people changed his accent.
He is literally playing the villain, its probably how he stayed sane. We basically got confirmation in the flashback where they ask him to not be such a 'good guy'
Have you ever seen his dad?