Vienen - Venimos

The black oil reduces the body to what we fear it might be in our darkest nightmares, a machine made of meat. (them0vieblog.com)

Does the black oil, in ‘Vienen’ reduce the human body to a machine or, simply, symbolize our dependence on machines? As with any symbol, it is open to a variety of interpretations, so both readings might well be relevant. It largely depends on the reader of the text.
I, for one, refuse to read any text as symbolizing the human being as machine. It’s a workable concept and probably holds considerable meaning for many who have a, in my opinion, diminished view of humanity. It truly makes no difference that the human body functions in ways that can be seen as a form of mechanization, just as the workings of the brain have often been compared to computers.
That we are willing to reduce ourselves to the level of something that we created is abhorrent. God, in coming among us in human form, in the body of Jesus, is not thereby reduced to the human level. Whether you believe in God or not, it is a perspective worth holding in mind the next time you feel like reducing humanity to something less than what we really are.
The episode is set on an oil rig. Think about that. A whole world - industrious, mechanized and productive – yet dependent upon its creator to maintain its usefulness. Clearly, it is evident, these days, that the overwhelming dependence upon oil is detrimental to the health of the natural world. But the modern world would not be the wondrous place it is but for our utilization of oil. So much wealth is involved with oil that it is, naturally enough, difficult to transition to a cleaner future. But, however that transition finally occurs – and it will – demonizing our use of oil will not prove beneficial ultimately.
It is the nature of we humans to turn against that which once we needed when we change our minds and decide on a new direction. Maybe this is a necessary part of the transition. I prefer to think not. Yes, we now know that our continued reliance upon oil is harmful to the environment. We didn’t know this at the time we developed the industry. Simply turning oil into the enemy does not serve our purpose, however. All it does is force those who depend on oil for their fortunes into more entrenched positions, from which they will carry out a war of attrition. As the First World War proved beyond doubt, such a war serves no one’s purpose.
If ever you needed proof that human beings are not mere machines, consider how we refuse to “go gentle into that good night”, much preferring to “[r]age, rage against the dying of the light”, and, exponentially, more so when there is money involved (cf. “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas). The oil industry will no more go gently than any one of us would. And rightly so.
David Duchovny wanted more than being tied to one TV show could give him. Yet he was not foolish enough to cut his ties completely, retaining the belief, understandably, that the X Files was all about Mulder. Yet, in ‘Vienen’, we have a passing of the torch with Mulder, in effect, handing the X Files over to Doggett.
It may well be a man thing – but that doesn’t stop us asking why he didn’t feel he could hand the X Files over to Scully, who would seem to be the natural choice.
The point, however, is that, because of who we are, we are capable of recognizing when our time is over. Obviously, most of us are not great enough to accept this truth, which is precisely why the twenty-second amendment was written into the American constitution. The sad reality is simply that we are not very good at joined-up thinking; what we put in place in one situation doesn’t carry over into all that we do or think. But we have our moments. And it is these moments that distinguish us from the machines that we invent for specific purposes.
When we come to terms with who we are, our limitations and our greatness, our logic and our contradictions, our objectivity and our subjectivity, then, and only then, will we truly achieve beyond our wildest dreams.