The Truth (The X-Files) - Themes

Themes

I want to believe that... the dead are not lost to us. That they speak to us... as part of something greater than us—greater than any alien force. And if you and I are powerless now, I want to believe that if we listen to what's speaking, it can give us the power to save ourselves.

—Fox Mulder. The line received philosophical attention due to its perceived religious undertones.

The final scene, featuring a conversation between Mulder and Scully, has been examined by author V. Alan White due to its perceived religious undertones. In the book The Philosophy of The X-Files, he notes that the final scene "undermines Mulder's seemingly persistent scorn of traditional" religion and his subtle acceptance of theism. In previous episodes—mainly those dealing with Scully's Catholicism—Mulder shows a lack of approval when it came to the concept of organized religion, often pointing out that "theologians can be just as dogmatic as scientists" when it comes to unexplained phenomena. White proposes that this needling may be intentional on Mulder's part, as a form of "ironic reversal of skepticism about the paranormal". However, the final lines of "The Truth" see Mulder talking about a belief in "something greater than us, greater than any alien force". White also points out the fact that during this scene Mulder grabs Scully's gold cross, an icon that symbolizes her belief through much of the series.

Several of the episode's scenes and motifs have been compared to popular myths and legends. Michelle Bush, in her book Myth-X, equated Mulder's overall quest to that of the search for the Holy Grail. She notes that in "The Truth", Mulder and Scully metaphorically "find their way to the Grail castle" only to discover that the Fisher King—the wounded knight charged with protecting the secret—is actually The Smoking Man. Furthermore, Bush compared the final scene of the episode—featuring Mulder musing about hope regarding an alien invasion—to the myth of Pandora's Box. According to legend, the ancient Greek gods gave Pandora a box filled with evils and told her not to open it. Due to her curiosity, she disobeyed and unleashed various calamities unto the world. Bush argues that the Syndicate's tampering with alien technology—such as their alien-human hybrid experiments—are similar to the contents of the box. She notes that, in both cases, "man's curiosity is his downfall". In the end, however, both Pandora's box and the world of The X-Files contain hope, which, in the legend, was the only thing in the box that Pandora did not let go of.