The American Dream in The X-Files: Pilot, Deep Throat, Squeeze, and Conduit

The introduction to this series of posts about the American dream in The X-Files can be found here: https://culttvblog.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-american-dream-in-x-files.html?m=1

Pilot (Core X-Files Mythology)

The pilot to the series mostly sets the background of the series and establishes the relationship between Mulder and Scully. There are references to the American dream when Scully says that she joined the FBI after medical school because she thought she could distinguish herself, bringing in the aspect of seeking personal prosperity and success. 

1x02 Deep Throat (Core X-Files Mythology)

With no ado at all Deep Throat takes us straight to a major feature of life in the USA, namely the military. This is something which is not given in any of the definitions of the American dream that I have seen, however I have seen several comments that the prominence of the military is in defence of the American dream, so they are intertwined together. In contrast to the respected position military has in the country, Deep Throat turns this on its head. In addition to the problems with military life (PTSD, etc) that anyone could guess, the episode makes the military a shadowy agency protecting suspected alien technology and using some very dodgy techniques to make sure that nobody can remember what they see there. As so often the show draws on real history to add verisimilitude to the plot, in this case the famous unethical experimentation in brainwashing and mind control, Project MK-Ultra.

Additionally in this episode the hidden area for alien experiments references the real life Area 51 and Ellens Air Force Base can only be designed to remind the viewer of the real life Nellis Air Force Base. The government has of course always denied that Area 51 is anything to do with aliens and nobody in their right mind would expect to know much about what goes on in an air force base, but the show introduces the theme of secrecy and conspiracy.

Another aspect of the American dream appears in the background of the illustration, although it isn't really the subject of the episode. This is the idea of the home, particularly home ownership, frequently detached home ownership in a suburb. I love it when Americans ask us why we have the washing machine in the kitchen lol. This model of housing is more integral to the USA than may be thought:

'While the current suburban model may seem natural enough to most Americans, it appears quite odd when viewed in a global context. There is not another nation on earth that houses its citizens as we do, and few could afford to.' (Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zybek, and Jeff Speck: Suburban Nation, Tenth Anniversary Edition. North Point Press, New York, 2010. 'The Oddity of American Housing'.)

In other words, you have to have both the space and the finances to build US-style houses, and most countries which have the space wouldn't have finances for the necessary infrastructure. This places spacious urban sprawl as something to dream about and aspire to, and definitely part of the American dream.

I am struck by the conversation with Mrs McClelland where she is grateful for the treatment her husband has been given and the way they have been looked after, despite his mental illness apparently being caused by his work in the military. Here the show turns the American dream on its head, because rather than seeking justice and compensation for Mr McClelland, his needs have been put in second place to his military work. In this case the state's wishes have been put before his individual ones by his wife, rather than the individual needs as would be implied in the American dream. The show is suggesting that the dream is not real, and that actually your individual needs and wishes will only be prioritised as long as they don't clash with those of the state.

On the subject of government misconduct, the introduction of the Deep Throat character references the Watergate crisis:

'By threading unresolved but real events from American history through its stories, The X-Files has managed to add a second, more subtle, layer of reality to its fictional world. Unlike UFO sightings or the mutants decorating tabloid covers, regular reports of real-world government coverups and misconduct are difficult for even the least credulous viewer to completely shrug off. When The X-Files dubbed its anonymous source "Deep Throat" it deliberately connected the show's fictional FBI to the Watergate scandal, a move that couldn't fail to evoke tales of interagency rivalry, murky allegiances, and "terminal prejudice." Without a single line of dialogue, this new Deep Throat lent mystery, danger, and even an odd sort of suthenticity to the events unfolding on the screen.' (Ngaire Genge: The Unofficial X-Files Companion. Macmillan, London, 1996, pp.10 - 11.)

It is exactly this kind of threading of real events, and particularly the underside of the American dream, which initially interested me in this subject.

In conclusion, despite Deep Throat usually being considered a core X-Files mythology episode, we see nothing alien apart from the ships and body, and there is far more in the episode about US government misconduct and secrecy. It sets the episode in small town America, and thus both alien activity and dystopian government mind control (based on real history) are placed firmly in the centre of the American dream, blowing it apart. We see the reality hitting both Mulder and Scully, so that they can't say 'the government wouldn't do that'. We have been conditioned (possibly by the drugs our rexpective governments give us when we're asleep) to pay attention to the alien content of The X-Files, but in this episode, the subject isn't alien at all. The subject is the USA, specifically the government, and the American dream.

1x03 Squeeze (Monster of the Week)

Further content relating to ambition and career, contrasted with Mulder's decided inability to climb the Bureau ladder.

1x04 Conduit (Core X-Files Mythology)

Not overtly about the American dream, but Lake Okobogee references East Okoboji Lake, the Dakota-language derived name of which introduces the theme of colonial settlement which is the heart of the American dream, but also points to the impact on the indigenous inhabitants. Additionally, in contrast to the rights I listed as one of the characteristics of the American dream in my introduction, here we find the FBI carting off an eight year old boy for supposedly getting defence secrets off a satellite.

No, wait, did somebody mention secret documents and nuclear secrets? Since the X-Files portrays the American dream gone wrong, just in case anyone hasn't seen it yet, this post has an official soundtrack. Sorry. Not sorry. Do join in at home.

As I go through these posts I am going to keep a tally of how many episodes of Core Mythology and Monster of the Week types have significant content relating to the American dream, and so far we have 

Core Mythology: 3 (1 with signifcant content relating to the American dream)

Monster of the Week: 1 (0 with significant content relating to the American dream)

As always, I'm totally unequipped to do this so if I've missed anything corrections are very welcome in the comments.