First normal-run episode of the series and the X-Files continue to delve into classic UFOlogy with the famous Area 51 theme (here, it's Ellens Base in Idaho) and the Men in Black. Chris Carter writes.

Deep Throat

Deep Throat does not go ahead and reveal information to Mulder. He prefers to tease him by telling him to "leave this case alone", "I advise you to drop the case", "don't jeopardise the future of your own efforts". But Mulder ends up passing DT's test and prving with his stubborness that he's ready to go very far to get the truth. Mulder earns his discussion with DT at the end, and with it an informer.

Deep Throat is named after the mysterious man who gave information to journalists concerning the Watergate scandal. After decades of mystery, the identity of DT was revealed to be that of ex-FBI's no.2 Mark Felt only in May 2005.

Ellens Air Force Base

The distinction between Syndicate and secret military operations hasn't been made yet, but this is clearly a project lead by the USAF. The Men In Black simply work for "National Security" and Paul Mossinger for Airbase Security. Retro-engineering UFO technology can be very profitable for the US military and the aerospace industry (3X20: Jose Chung's "From Outer Space", 4X17: Tempus Fugit, 6X04: Dreamland). According to Mulder, Ellens Base would be one of 6 sites where the Roswell crash wreckage was shipped. All the craft and lights we see are man-made ships piloted by excellent USAF test pilots.

Under the extreme physical pressure and exposure to radiation that accompanies piloting such ships, with such great accelerations and direction shifts, the pilots bear heavy mental disturbances. Lt. Col. Budahas was among those who volunteered to commandeer one of these "experimental aircrafts". Radiation burnings are also a UFOlogy myth tied to UFO encounters. Because of these disturbances, the USAF "kidnapped" the pilots and brainwashed them, selectively erased memories that had something to do with flying these ships and tried to correct the damage done. The result is more or less successful. While people like Mrs. McLennen accepted this condition as coming along with the pride of serving the USAF, others like Mrs. Budahas were less silent and ended up making the story known to the FBI. M&S's investigation accelerated Lt. Col. Budahas's return. In the end, Mrs. Budahas, under pressure from the military, prefers to talk no more to M&S.

The technique of selective memory erasing won't be seen again. It may be of alien origin. It's a storytelling tool which, if used too much, can oversimplify things.

Scully: "Wanna see something weird, Mulder? Ellens Air Base isn't even on my US GS Quadrant map."
Mulder: "I know."

Mulder: "Unidentified Flying Objects, I think that fits the description pretty well. Tell me I'm crazy."
Scully: "Mulder, you're crazy."

Mulder: "They're here, aren't they?"
Deep Throat: "Agent Mulder, they've been here for a long, long time."