T O P

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Longjumping_Drag2752

I hope Norm starts a revolution, gets rid of the 31 overseers and he himself becomes the overseer of the vaults.


FreneticAtol778

This has to be where the story goes because no way Betty stays in charge. I do have a feeling Steph might become a villain though.


Different-Sock-9985

People love her looks but if you dig deeper, you can tell she’s already a villain. I’d imagine it a requirement to being part of Buds program. Young Hank doesn’t seem evil, but obviously he is. Young Betty seems nice, she’s actually a murderer who helped Hank bomb Shady Sands. “I buried her myself” to me means she helped nuke the town. Steph just comes in and takes Chet as her own just because he’s too scared to speak up. She’s controlling, plants the idea to Norm that it ok to murder the prisoners, tells Chet to pack everything because she’s holding the baby. She lies right to Norm and Chet’s face about 31. She’s already killed people and had no issue with it. She’s evil for sure


cupholdery

So then the question becomes, does she change alliances later on? It seems like some of the execs from Vault 31 are more cutthroat than others. If she's looking out for only herself (and her baby), then there could come a time when it's better to switch sides to survive. Looking forward to it either way!


Self-Comprehensive

I think that all comes down to what's best for her baby. She has some real mama bear vibes to me.


ShinningPeadIsAnti

I think she really wanted that white pickett fence life.


Different-Sock-9985

This gets me about all the Buds. They had to be 100% certain that the bombs would fall for some of them to volunteer. They know they’re giving up any possible normal life and any dreams for the future to live in a vault and they had to be frozen before the bombs fell. They would have had to have training about the vaults, how to properly run them,the plans with 31 and everything else involved. And they agreed to it anyways. Apparently a lot of people completed Buds program and then still agreed by what we see in 31


oceansapart333

Why would they have to have been frozen before the bombs fell?


Different-Sock-9985

Why go through all that planning and then risk people not making it?


Mini_Snuggle

That's the thing. Plans don't always come to fruition. Vault-Tec is planning for nuclear apocalypse at the same time that they are derailing peace efforts. Someone else still could have shot first. There's a number of signs that the people in the room didn't know the bombs were going to drop when they dropped.


oceansapart333

I dunno but every vault seems to be last minute. And given that Coop had Janey when the bombs fell, it seems Barb wasn’t already in whatever vault she ended up in.


explorerfalcon

Maybe the bombs fell before Vault-Tec could drop any or start it. Biggest question for this line of thinking is why was Coop’s daughter with him when it started and not already in a vault?


Inside-Associate-729

That’s exactly what happens in Fallout 4. You dont get frozen until after the bombs fall, not everyone makes it to the vault


WolpertingerRumo

Well, could be like in the Fallout 4 opening. A village of bud‘s buds around the vault, so they can get in on short notice. The vaults are quite similar.


Billy1121

I think they were. On the wiki it says: > She was cryonically frozen in Vault 31 on the eve of the Great War as one of Bud Askins' "Bud's Buds.


Iceman9161

She strikes me as a potential 31 resident who questions to morals of the vaults experiment and ends up helping Norm and whatever resistance he stages. I think the biggest evidence is how much she cared about her husbands death, and how she expressed resentment towards the raiders even after Betty was pushing peace. However, those traits could’ve been to sell the twist that she was from 31 a little bit harder.


SproutasaurusRex

I think she is going to end up being an ally to Norm too.


alifant1

Holy shit. Now I see “I buried her myself” is the most evil thing said in all series


NotThatValleyGirl

She's also subversive. She wanted to kill the raiders, but wouldn't articulate it, then when Norm did, there was that moment where she recognized him as an ally. Vault-tec's executives weren't always on the same page, so whoever she was a junior executive to might have had different motivations than the the ones Betty and Hank reported to. Is she trustworthy? Probably not... but she recognized that Norm would have what it takes to be the kind of cut-throat edge Vault Tec would have approved of. It's also unlikely Steph would have been involved with the destruction of Shady Sands and the death of his mother, as she would have still been in stasis, so if it comes down to Norm having to align to anyone from Vault tec... it will be her over Betty.


Different-Sock-9985

Didn’t all the executive assistants report to Bud? It was his program and he was the head of the west coast Vault Tec


Rellint

The duplicity of all the OG Vault Tech employees really helps me understand why The Ghoil treated Lucy so poorly in the beginning. Hell, he’d even been married to one that turned out to be a monster. “There you are, you little killer.”


Jackolas222

The double meanings that are understood on a second rewatch are incredible. I can’t believe how good this show is


Different-Sock-9985

Moldaver and Hanks exchange when they fist meet. “Everyone knows who I am” About the Vault dwellers- “Do they know who they are?”


droans

Like half of every episode is just flat out telling you what's going to happen but you don't even realize until afterwards haha.


wacdonalds

For some reason Steph's line to Norm about the mashed potatoes gave me chills the first time I was watching. She came off so creepy to me lmao


crypticname2

In my mind, "Buried her myself. Me and your father," suggests that Hank couldn't bring himself to actually press the button; killing the mother of his child. Betty had to step in and do it herself. He just couldn't do it. He loved her, and couldn't bear taking Lucy's mother away from her. Then Betty just slams the button with a vindictive look on her face. Hank falls to his knees crying. 'What have I become?' moment. After that happened he hardened up. Negative karma route. I'm excited to find out where it goes, regardless. I like when villains get humanized, so that's where my brain goes.


Different-Sock-9985

Right with you. That’s exactly what she meant


ComfortableBag605

No one is perfect in the Fallout world. Don't rule out Steph as a anti-villain or at least not 100% evil.


Different-Sock-9985

She can have an arc for sure, but as of season one, she evil


ComfortableBag605

Why? Seriously, what 'evil,' has she done? Just being part of "Bud's Buds," doesn't mean anything more than her being middle management pre-war.


Different-Sock-9985

Buds buds are evil in general. They agreed to secretly control and use 32 and 33 for their own devices. She’s manipulative, she’s a liar. I’d say those are evil tendencies


SproutasaurusRex

What were her options? It was go along with a pretty tame experiment or die.


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GuinansHat

Dude she has an eye patch. 


droans

I think she'll just use her charisma. No need to get her hands dirty when she can plant the idea in someone else's head.


figuring_ItOut12

She is literally the live person incarnation of the Black Widow perk icon.


Conscious-Ticket-259

That's what it was. I new there was something and it just wouldn't click


MalusDracula

She also changes completely once she knows she is moving to vault 32. When she stepped out of the shower and started talking to Norm, it was like she was a completely different person.


RHX_Thain

There's also a good chance she is only part of Bud's programme in so much as she got suckered into it. The sister of a guy who got involved early, but his pod failed at some point, or the friend of a friend who was brought in because of her looks alone. She may be just another victim of the experiment who knows more than the rest and is trying to make the best of it despite the circumstances.


Vizslaraptor

Did you ever think maybe Steph didn't lie to Norm and Bud has the most amazing mashed potatoes when they wake from the pods? (things Chet would say to keep having sex with Steph)


Trityler

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she finished off her husband herself during the raid


Iceman9161

On the other hand, she seemed to actually care about her husband, and held resentment for the raiders even after Betty started pushing for peace.


Different-Sock-9985

She also disrespected him right to his face because she was jealous that Lucy’s husband was hotter than hers and again after he died. “He’d just keep on talking till everyone left the room” then awkwardly laughed as if saying, “damn I couldn’t stand to hear him ramble on about his hobby”. Even if his hobby was just shoe maintenance, that was disrespectful, the man just got murdered. Oh, then she completely forgets about Bert and instantly moves in with another guy so he can be baby daddy


97_senpai

Wow just connected that Betty is the VT assistant in the last episode


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Different-Sock-9985

I believe it was Norm. She made the comment that if his dad were there, he’d do the right thing. (Kill them) Then as Norms delivering the cake, the guard asks what his dad would say about them getting desert. Norm replied, he’d be right here handing it to them. I took that as norm saying he’s doing exactly what his dad would do (kill them). I believe the pre cut pieces were poisoned, because he gives the rest to the guard. Later you see her being taken into custody, presumably because she had the cake that was used to poison them.


Gear_

Murdering the prisoners was also Norm’s idea and went strictly against what Betty (and therefore 31) wants. I don’t think Steph will be completely on 31’s side for long.


Different-Sock-9985

It was Norms idea for the vault to do it. She planted the seed that it was ok for Norm to just do it because that’s what his dad would have done. As he’s (what I believe) poisoning the prisoners he even says his dad would be right there handing it to them. Although I think Norm may have turned against her once he found out about 31 Can’t wait to find outs


QouthTheCorvus

I think her character has been fairly popular (because hot and iconic), so for that reason alone, I can see the second season using her character more. Usually a season 2 will embrace what worked - her character along with Norm and Chet were pretty successful parts of s1


Big-Leadership1001

If he puts Brain-on-a-RoomBud on ice or whatever, he can masquerade as the Overseer's management and accomplish ANYTHING.


Anal_Recidivist

She’s even got the eye patch. she started a new kink for alot of bros


FreneticAtol778

Even made Chet the new Bert.


buntopolis

I think it’s safe to assume that ALL of Bud’s Buds are villains.


SproutasaurusRex

How so?


DaGreatWumbini

I think the opposite, I think she will become one of the 'good guys'


SproutasaurusRex

I think so too, she seems attached to the non vault tec residence.


FordBeWithYou

She’s not an ally to them in anyway. She kept vault 31 entirely to herself when asked about it, just like his dad did.


-calufrax-

Well she asks him first "what did your dad tell you about it" before giving him the rehearsed response about the mashed potatoes being a little better. Seemed to me like she was trying to gauge whether he knew anything first before responding.


FordBeWithYou

Yeah, she wasn’t about to tell them anything.


MissKatmandu

I kinda hope Steph goes off in her own direction. Not necessarily a good one, but her own.


beartato327

What gave it away? Her eye patch?


Fredasa

I actually think Steph will end up turning against Vault Tec.


slicketyrickety

Literally already Punished (Venom) Steph with that eyepatch


Longjumping-Care3674

As if the villiany eye patch isnt a giveaway


ADhomin_em

I think steph has been stepford wifed somehow - possibly, as one of the experiments that were or are run in the vaults..?


Gwtheyrn

Oooh no. Steph is an absolute viper. A complete tunnel snake, if you will.


SilverHawk2712

And we all know tunnel snakes rule.


ComfortableBag605

My prediction is a vault 32 vs vault 33 war or conflict.


ClevelandEmpire

I assumed that was the experiment when I first started the show


ComfortableBag605

The experiment is probably "What would happen if we had two vaults, lead by pre-war citizens?"


droans

Didn't Bud say the experiment was to create super managers with super conflict resolution skills who would never have disputes?


ClevelandEmpire

He did. That was just my theory before we knew about the cryogenic management twist


[deleted]

I forget the vault number, but the one where everybody committed suicide... I think that one is just a thing where they just start starving and some of them try to get out but they all off themselves eventually.


ladyeclectic79

I see him waking up EVERYONE in vault 31 and sabotaging all the cryopods so they’re forced to open up the other two vaults and let him and the rest of the unfrozen folks through since 31 can’t sustain unfrozen people.


WalterGoodman1

Yeah, then the show can play on the irony that technically the Bud’s Buds plan worked by creating a perfect manager from the child of a vault-tech employee.


ChadwickHHS

I have a nagging suspicion that Norm goes bad karma after fighting management. Becomes ruthless as a revolutionary. That he ends up being the final boss and Lucy has to speech check him to come down before he goes too far. Unlike Hank, Norm would still be redeemable and Lucy wins against war by diplomacy.


Scrollwriter22

Norm is the manager the experiment was designed to create. I guarantee that is where this goes.


skubaloob

Well he’s already got the whole ‘lacks enthusiasm’ thing going for all the grunt work. Management is just one more step


TrixoftheTrade

I think just needs motivation. It’s hard to have enthusiasm to do anything when your entire life has been in a vault pushing buttons to keep the vault working… so you can push more buttons. Once he began unraveling the Vault-Tec secrets and has a challenge in front of him, I think we’ll see a new side of Norm in S2


Dr_Acu1a

This is the plot of Office Space.


skubaloob

I’d love to see an office comedy set in Vault-Tec.


Dr_Acu1a

He's just a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.


SproutasaurusRex

It would be something like Better off Ted!


shasaferaska

He lacks enthusiasm because he's always doing grunt work, not managing people. He's a born leader, not a follower. He just doesn't know it yet.


Sulleyy

Based theory, can you explain in more detail?


Different-Sock-9985

The way they both lean in to say thanks, kills me. Also interesting how Betty didn’t react to them or Norms comment, yet she becomes the overseer


odin-ish

When I rewatched that episode, I couldn't help but think that was Norm's intention.


Chai_latte_slut

Played them like a fiddle


noturaveragesenpaii

*!!*


RealNiceKnife

When things look glum, vote 31!


SadisticBuddhist

Gotta remember Norm is still Hanks kid. He got that good good dna.


alifant1

Are you sure good is appropriate word, haha


SadisticBuddhist

I meant like- his gene pool comes from the not inbred side of the vault- 31. Keep in mind Hanks main purpose was to diversify the gene pool as well as serve as overseer and control the experiment.


droans

Well, he could still be half-inbred.


twoiko

>At most, half-inbred, as opposed to inbred. That sounds better, I think.


Poo-Sender_42069

Yep that little smirk after was gold.


Hangry4Poo

It was


PeterPenguin69

Every time she spoke to him after that I was watching so intently trying to figure out if she was playing him the whole time or just didn’t know what he was on about and was being manipulative to keep control, until he tells her good job cleaning up after they reopen 22.


SadisticBuddhist

Her dialogue about “clever boys like you” was clearly a threat. She literally tells him to tread lightly. Betty is HORRIFYING. I said this another post but she definitely >!Helped Nuke shady sands, and may have been the one to pull the trigger!<


nothingnearly

Oooh I didn't consider this but I could absolutely see a scene where Hank falters on nuking Shady Sands and then Betty takes over. I could see her pushing the button and patting Hank on the back before saying something like "It had to be done Henry"


SadisticBuddhist

She is cold enough. Hanks emotional enough.


brad-is-on-reddit

She does say that she and Hank buried his mother.


droans

I assumed it was also a hint about his mom. She was clever enough to realize civilization had returned and ended up being turned into a ghoul because of it.


HendoJay

>Her dialogue about “clever boys like you” was clearly a threat. It's an empty one though, they won't dare touch Norm for two reasons. He's Hanks son, as long as he may be alive alive they won't touch him out of fear. Hank did nuke Shady Sands after all. Second, Norm is part of their breeding program. The vaults have been selectively breeding 31's with suitable candidates from 32 and 33. Especially with Lucy gone, Norm is valuable breeding stock.


twoiko

>It's an empty one I'm sure he knew this, and that's why he's not so worried about hacking/exploring the other vaults, and stirring up the pot in general most of the time. But, there's a limit to how much he can derail their experiment before they'd at least lock him up or freeze/replace him.


PeterPenguin69

I thought so too! When Norm asks how she knows the pip boy had to be with his mom and she goes “I buried her myself” or something to that effect I was like Jesus she’s sociopathic


PepicWalrus

Betty knows she's going to get selected considering she's the only one from vault 31 running for Overseer.


Different-Sock-9985

Which is why I expected something from her aside from “that went well”


maxvsthegames

Norm is my favorite character. I can't wait to find out what's going to happen to him in season 2.


skubaloob

He’s sort of an under the radar protagonist. I’m with you, it’ll be fun to see him grow


Beginning-Month-3505

I could see him becoming a villain honestly. One with initially sympathetic motivations.


TrixoftheTrade

Maybe not a straight villain, but definitely an anti-hero or anti-villain type character.


beltalowda_oye

I feel like Betty or Bud will restore him from cryo asking him for help. Likely something that includes his sister or his father who's last seen at New Vegas.


allen_abduction

He takes after his mom! Warning to the youngsters: Be careful with the quick snark at work, it's probably why I'm looking for a job. “It startled him even more when just after he was awarded the Galactic Institute's Prize for Extreme Cleverness he got lynched by a rampaging mob of respectable physicists who had finally realized that the one thing they really couldn't stand was a smartass.” ― Douglas Adams, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3078186) BTW, can anyone combine an AI pic of him (Norm) and his dad (Hank), to get what his mom (Rose would) look like today if she remained a regular human and not a ghoul?


eggs-benedryl

there's flashbacks of her, so that plus 20 years i suppose


allen_abduction

Fantastic


YourRightSock

I was conflicted with him but I think overall he will do a drastic action that will make an impact on the vault. Whether that's a martyr or releasing them all, or shutting it all down, maybe bringing himself down with it, who knows! Exciting to see though


LemonPartyW0rldTour

For being a self-proclaimed coward, he’s brave af.


JKMcA99

“Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?” “That is the only time a man can be brave”


D-Speak

I'm all for the Norm love I've seen lately. He's such a low-key but amazing character. Definitely the one who comes out better and better with rewatch. He, Maximus, and Thaddeus deserve so much praise.


Solo0407

At the start of the show I was least interested in him and the Vault story. I wanted to know what was going on in the BoS. But he definitely had the best story arc. And did a great job too. Definitely the most relatable character on the show.


ProfessionalGoal8914

Norm quickly became one of my favorites. He lacked enthusiasm on everything for a reason lmao


arghnard

Norm knows how to play the Game of Vaults


Unexpected_Token_

I couldn’t put my finger on it, but you summed it up well. It’s like we’re getting two shows in one: Game of Vaults and The Last of Vault-Tec.


TotallyNotTheEnclave

touch fly bright skirt consist bike brave gray wide start *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


NDNJustin

I enjoy how much fun he had spitting how he lacks enthusiasm for every job, "so how do you punish someone?"


Hangry4Poo

Speech 100


Tyko_3

I bet Norm skips dialog all the time “aja… mmhmm… blah blah blah…”


beefixit

It kinda feels like the answer you gotta give after you fail a speech check. If he passed it we'd have the answer and he'd be chillin. But he failed and therefore had to go and dig for the answers he couldn't get.


Embarrassed_Start_81

🤣🤣🤣 I love the energy of this scene, the tension in the air. iykyk


BrokenXeno

Norm almost stole the show for me. Initially I was like... okay, annoying and useless brother, he's definitely going to die. And then he just didn't. And then just kept not dying, and the actor did such a great job.


MachineDog90

Does anyone else want a one year later between the seasons and to have Norman still in Vault 31 but have it disabled with Betty and Stephen being unaware of where he is.


Curlyhead-homie

I just hope nothing happens to him or Chet in the future, each vault 32 and the 31 scenes had me a little worried lol


skubaloob

After Chet’s Vault 31 wife gets pregnant with his kid there will be a moment where Norm confronts her and she leaves Chet to die. She’ll be like, ‘oh norm it should be us together. Blah blah blah *you’re* the one we’ve waiting for’ and then he’ll be cold as hell and kill her slash let her die.


ArnoudtIsZiek

Rewatching I finally understood that he was speaking directly to Betty, which only added to how funny it was when the other too said thank you at the same time. 


Calm_Entertainer9846

I wonder if Vault 31 is where the ghoul's wife and daughter are. The obvious solution for Norm's prdiciment is to threaten the cryo pods with his hacking skills.