Daddy loves you:
Control systems, dysfunctional traits, and cult-like patterns
in Season 1 of Mutant X

In its character constellation, the science-fiction TV show "Mutant X" follows a pattern promoted by "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" - a group of young people united to fight for a certain mission, guarded by a mentor who stands at their side. But while in "Buffy" the concept is carried out consequently - young people acting independently, and their mentor, Giles, being "really" an elder man - in Mutant X the concept is watered down and carried on to the point of absurdity. It is not only that the "children" are way too old to credibly represent the characters they are supposed to embody, not only that the age gap between the "eldest" mutant and their parent-mentor is "only" about 10-15 years - in "Mutant X" the "father" is actively making efforts to control the lives of his "children"; and in "Mutant X" we're not dealing with one "father" but with two.

Both Adam and Mason have been metaphorically referred to as "fathers", fathers who are competing for the same "children", and who indeed have very different concepts about how their kids should be raised. Taking into consideration the age differences, it is, however, noteworthy that in his forcefully displayed "youthfulness" one mentor moves "closer" towards his children, while all "regular" members of the Company are elder semesters and that Mason, who is actually three years younger than Adam, wears the demonstrative symbol of old age on his head.

Strikingly, in times that make the up-rise of the youth against elder generations a general virtue, "Mutant X" is not about a generation conflict at all. The youthful mutants do surrender to their authority figures willfully, and if, for one moment, we forget about that youth-versus-age pattern completely, the only thing that is left is the question of dominance and submission. "Mutant X" is about exercising control.

Like Buffy (and many heroes before her), Emma receives the "call to adventure" from an unknown master, and as in a well-known fantasy novel, the fellowship of the characters is symbolized by the bearing of rings. Yet, the powers we are presented are not dependent of magic or free will. They are passed on in the course of human reproduction, being a part of the procreating person's genes.

Children of Genomex do pass on their "powers" by biological reproduction; this is the fact to make them different from almost any other kind of mystic "heroes" (such as magicians or vampires). It is also the fact to invite all sorts of more or less scientifically-founded speculation, especially as their sexual life and reproduction are concerned.

Taken into consideration its own wishy-washy premises, the fictional world of Mutant X allows all kinds of suggestions with regard to the impact of the topic, ranging from the end of humankind-as-we-know-it to the manifestation of the literal brave new world. However, it is love's labor lost to speculate about the effects of the spreading of Genomex mutants' DNA as long as we're dealing with a staff of writers who apparently do not know about the laws of inheritance or do not care about them. For once, it should be pointed out to Whom It May Concern that their Genomex subjects are mutants, a concept that seemingly seldom occurred to them.

At first glance, the GSA seems to be the authority to control mutants, functioning as a kind of security service or militia. We may conclude that violence and oppression are the right way to "solve this problem", as these are the means the GSA constantly relies on, and in the context of its own little paranoid parallel universe, seems to do pretty well.

However, outward control is never a way to handle the issue, as oppression always incites up-rising and a system of oppression already carries the key to failure in itself.

In order to exercise total control over one's subjects - especially over their sexual life and reproduction – one will require a system that does not incite up-rising, one that makes its subjects very happy, one to make them surrender by their own will. These needs (supposedly) will not differ drastically if you're a mutant, and as long as you're not living with masochist inclinations, none of this can be fulfilled by the GSA.

In the following lines I will try to show that S1 Mutant X is an organization working in cult-like patterns, following the argumentation structure for the analysis of an actually-existing cult. As a hang-on for my thoughts I have chosen "The International Society for Krishna Consciousness as an Addictive Organization" by Nori J. Muster, an essay which is actually unbiased and gives deep insight into the functionality of a cult.

In a cult, according to Muster, the goals are usually exaggerated to the point of grandiosity; "grandiosity that gives gross self-importance to the group, while keeping the goals lofty and unattainable". In Mutant X, allover the show we are told that the mission of "the team" is overly important, but nowhere are we told what that mission actually is. There's practically no goal [with very few, very tragic exceptions] that can be achieved by five people hiding in a cellar, no matter how good the mission, the people, or the cellar might be. Any real organization needs a purpose; it is the reason for its existence, and the measure for the things its members may plan and do.

It may be a little unfair to say that MX serves no mission, although the show's premises perfectly allow such a conclusion to be made. MX characters define themselves essentially over the mission, having it influence the sum of their acts and values, and the general orientation they give to their lives. Taken into consideration its (self-) importance, it would be odd to assume that MX members gave their lives to a non-existing mission; from the "noble", self-sacrificial attitude and the general grave tone in the series, it would be more reasonable to assume that they do dedicate their lives not to an actual purpose, but to a promise thereof.

Organizations working in dysfunctional patterns may make themselves attractive to potential recruits by offering a "promise", an illusion to fool members, directing them towards a "pledge of salvation", towards some future, hoped-for reward.

A dysfunctional organization generally will not be able to fulfill such promises, but this is not of interest as the members are driven by some conviction and will work the harder, the more difficult the goal is to achieve. In the words of Nori Muster, "everything will be all right as long as the mission remains 'in its shrine'.". In S1 - since the very first minute - it is a key message that the rightfulness of Mutant X must not be doubted, no matter how vague or shallow its mission might be.

In many dysfunctional organizations, the mission attains a "sacrosanct" status, and in most organizations [here the GSA is the Big Exception], members in the service of the purpose are encouraged to see each other as One Big Family.

"Power, money, and influence" may be the goods promised by an organization if its field of action is situated distinctly or mainly in the sector of commerce. The promises used by Eckhart to recruit New Mutants are wealth, power, and women; or, dependent on the mutants' wishes, college studies with the perspective of a slightly odd job in a strange but stable scientific academy.

Yet, in some organizations, the Promise may also become "transcendental"; this happens when the reward and the future perspective are translated into religious terms. The Promise MX makes is actually heavily religious, even if we leave aside the New Testament allusions transmitted with the subtlety of a sledgehammer in an episode with the telling title "The Lazarus Syndrome". [Resurrection as a disease is an intriguing concept but shall not be evaluated here.]

As startling as it may sound here for the first time, you are well advised to keep in mind that "religious" is not synonymous with "Christian", nor is it necessarily related with a belief in higher beings or scriptural revelations at all.

"Religious" may also relate to certain far-Eastern concepts like Zen [a specific form of Buddhism devoid of cultic ceremonies, based upon direct experience alone], which, at least from the common Christian perspective, is no "religion" at all.

Beginning with the name of its headquarters (Sanctuary) and training place (Dojo), Mutant X includes manifold references to Asian spiritual religion and self-controlling techniques. Adam, the mentor, practices yoga and teaches martial arts and tai chi (or a rip-off of such techniques), which are taught in convent-like institutions in their respective countries of origin. In the original cultural context, learning these arts implies surrendering to a guru or a master, and in the lives of MX mutants, martial arts play a certain role. Practiced in earnest, such techniques will affect consciousness and self-perception, and create a feeling of well-being, which, at least in Eastern religion, is considered a pathway to enlightenment.

It is very reasonable to assume that Mutant X members have received some kind of spiritual training, to balance and channel the "gifts" without the kids' aggressive or intuitive potential completely being blocked off. The most dangerous people in MX are those who lack control of their body and / or are psychologically unstable, whereas in many cases these problems do enhance each other. Many mutants do become mad because of their powers; in other cases, mutancy may boost personality disorders which have been existent a long time before.

It's a tai chi move that Brennan uses to generate his electric discharges; it is the tai chi move which the young boy in "Crime of the New Century" copies, in order to get his firestarting powers under control. With regard to tai chi, we mostly may think of a series of very ungraceful movements supposed to stir up the viewer's "compassion"; but Brennan, who hopefully did not attract the gentle eye of his mentor, in fact does rely on traditional Chinese principles - moving the "energy ball" he created by gathering "chi" between his hands.

In a master-disciple relationship, your master shall become not only a teaching person but your "real parent", the person to lay open the hidden sides of your soul. Expressly, the relationship between Adam and his children is referred to as being "professional", but watching a few episodes will quickly tell you that this is not the case.

The young mutants have no working hours and no homes to go to; they are Adam's subjects, not his colleagues. All over S1 we see them share dinner, cleaning the table; receiving praise and allowances, orders and cars, kisses and tell-offs; they're being lectured, given medication, brought to beddy, and sent to their rooms. One has to wonder what would make four (presumably) sane (presumably) adult young people give themselves into Adam's good graces so entirely, but before we prematurely decide that MX mutants are stupid we must open to the possibility that MX might be a dysfunctional workplace (if we may call it like this) and that it's their own dysfunctional behavior which MX members bring.

Dysfunctional organizations may be attractive to people with a dysfunctional background, who can be classified in several types. Practically ALL acting mutants AND Eckhart come from a dysfunctional background [what about Adam?] - and for this reason I would like to explain what each of these types is all about.

Addicts are people with an out-of-control, all-dominating desire for substances (alcohol, narcotics etc.) or processes (like relationships or work). According to suggestions made on the Genomex.net "company" website, Brennan Mulwary may be a case of substance addiction, but the key addict in this case seems to be more properly Adam Kane. Adam may not be a role model father, but from what we see of him in S1, he's probably addicted to work, and definitely addicted to his "children". Instead of having a real family (a stepdaughter is family, too), S1 Adam dedicates all his time to his fake "children" and obviously gives great care about their little knacks (see the kiddies' bedrooms in S2). He does not want to let them go and deliberately ignores their bad habits as long as they don't clash with his "absolute authority"; he controls contact with their real parents (usurping "parenthood" over many other mutants), deliberately sabotaging each of their attempts to get away from him.

Co-dependents, in the words of Nori Muster, are "those who try to protect the addicts from suffering the effects of their addiction. They generally have low self-esteem and may be addicted to work and to pleasing authority figures."

... Umm ... Jesse, un-Mohanized, isn't it? ... Although he is probably the most skilled person, Jesse Kilmartin is the most dependent of other people's approval, benefiting the most of Adam's "lessons", and during the missions, he is the one with the most chances to be the stay-at-home.

In an interview, Howard Chaykin describes Jesse Kilmartin as it follows: "Jesse's ... found the family he's always needed and wanted in Mutant X. So for the first time in his life, he's in a family unit... with a paternal figure in Adam ... It's family drama with a twist."

This characterization relates especially to Jesse, but if we follow S1 right from the beginning, then we can safely assume that this kind of problem is more or less true for them all. All mutant team members have a dysfunctional background, sharing the same fate not only with regard to "career" (with all possible implications) but also with regard to their private lives.

Membership in a dysfunctional organization often is to be considered a form of addiction. A special subtype of co-dependents are Adult Children of Alcoholics, who with regularity come from or dysfunctional homes, and who - unlike MX members - resent the authority figures they are trying to please.

In many cases, addictive people tend to replicate their dysfunctional behaviors at the workplace (if Mutant X is to be called like this). To quote Nori Muster, the organization may become - and, if Mutant X existed, it certainly would be - "a crisis clinic, with everyone pouring their own fears and dysfunctions into the tumult." Especially with regard to Adam, the head of the chaos, this might imply that Adam's odd behavior does not come out of the blue but is somewhat rooted in his mysterious past. It is not beyond imagining that Adam might have been bred and trained simply for the purpose of being gifted, having been subjected to a rigid control system which he now simply reproduces.

For organizations that appear to be One Big, Happy Family, addicts and codependents are the best-adjusted members. According to Nori Muster, the main thing learned about family from the promise of an organization which promotes addictive behavior is that "membership is conditional upon not being oneself and [not] following one's own path". Seen from the surface, this does not seem to apply for the Mutant Family, who seems to be rather liberal on the issue. Apart from the occasional martial arts lesson, it seems that the "children" do not have any obligation and all in all are pretty much free to do what they please. But on closer examination, we can't close our eyes to the fact that the world of S1 Mutant X does have a couple of rules which may seem a little traditionalist but are applied with great earnestness nevertheless: always to listen to your Daddy [obviously], not to drink alcohol (this allusion is made at least twice), and, not to engage in libidinous relationships, and sex.

Whatever the reason may be to portray such relationships, it is a little hard to believe that four life-hungry, lost-soul young people (and such pretty, lost-soul young people) would stay locked away in the tower with no-one else to play with, engaging in nothing but pizza-eating and chess. Dealing with such a categorical statement, one might say that it is untrue and exaggerated; however, this does not change a thing about the fact that in S1 all their romances end unsuccessfully and / or pose a threat to their lives. Practically all relationships end up in catastrophes, challenging the characters' loyalty to the team. As in one S1 episode Adam does not sleep in the Sanctuary but stays away overnight [Presumed Guilty], they immediately make the (incorrect) guess their mentor sought himself a hook-up, a possibility they find so objectionable that they reject it on the spot.

It is interesting to learn in this context that "Mutant X" 'lacks' a character: the character corresponding to the ice-queen like psycho teacher from the "Generation X" TV movie, or to the literally colorless Jean Gray character from the "X-men" films. In "Generation X", the young mutants receive their spiritual training from a female guru, who instructs them on exploring their collective subconscious (the "dream zone") and who for them is the primary source of authority. In "Generation X", the young people are sustained by some benevolent rich guy big-daddy, and sheltered in a school-like institution which this time officially and unashamedly is referred to as an orphanage for handicapped children, although it's more like a kind of "family-run" fostering home. However, in "Generation X", the "father" is only there to justify the supremacy of the "mother", just in case Emma Frost's own authority is at risk to wear out. Interestingly, the attitude between the characters is remarkably different. The young mutants are approached as autonomous, individual young people, who are actually encouraged to explore their powers, make their own decisions, and to learn from their mistakes. In the show, a mutant couple are "allowed" to fall in love with each other, after the boy accidentally used his powers, getting a glimpse under his classmate's dress. In the same film, said girl is "allowed" to worry about the impression her bared body would make. Her gift is only to "come out" with physical exposure – grotesque, overly-developed muscle masses which are normally "sleeping" under the mutant girl's clothes.

In "Generation X", the female teacher encourages the characters' mental and spiritual independence, treating them with a good deal of respect. In "Mutant X", no comparable character has been provided. Mason, a vulnerable character despite his all-dominating sharpness, has been given certain traits we are more likely to attribute to women; Adam, according to S1 the designated Alpha male, possesses qualities which would make him rather unfit to actually fulfill this role in real life. Neither Mason nor Adam have a permanent close companion to permanently weigh their acts and decisions; moreover, the only stable relationships in the S1 team are those between members of the same sex.

The show leaves room to the suggestion that at a certain time in the past, Adam may have developed an unlawful interest in one of his charges; however, as he is portrayed in S1, Adam must be considered a celibate person, and celibate gurus tend to develop overly-strong interest for what their disciples may do. As one of his protégés rushes into love with a Feral mate, Adam is quick to comment she suffers from a mind-altering "oxytocine intoxication". As another character decides to give up her restraint and to become a more "outgoing" person, the character's boldness is rewarded with falling prey to a "vampire", a greedy man who abuses her. The "adventures" of Brennan finally become a family issue. According to canon a womanizer, in S1 he enjoys actually only one encounter - one that he nearly pays for with his life. And when Evil Twin Emma finally learns to talk back to her daddy (Double Vision), it is a strip club that we see her in.

In MX, moral codes are applied selectively, dependent on the character's (supposed) age and character strength. Emma's "excesses" are treated differently than Shalimar's, for example, but nevertheless it is noteworthy how she reacts after "pinpointing" Brennan - it is an apparent source of satisfaction for Adam that with "such issues", a "good girl" is not at ease. Especially with regard to Emma, the relationship between Adam and his charge is marked by submission; and even more drastic is the relationship between Jesse and him.

In "In the Presence of Mine Enemies", The Ones Whoever Wrote This delightedly sacrifice one entire episode to bland and open disapproval of one of the character's romantic issues. In few words, Adam is displeased with one of his protégés having a girlfriend, which he displays with some ridiculously unjustified and stupid refusal to save the young mutant's life. There is a whole lot to write on this episode, but the most telling scene is a very short moment which reveals more than long analysis could do.

In this episode, when they break into Genomex to rescue the "princess", the first one to enter the cell should be Jesse, for these are his issues and he's the "hero" with the "right" to meet his girlfriend the first. But watch very carefully when they move to free Toni the hacker, because the first one to enter the room is the "cult master", Adam, who picks up the young woman from the ground to hand her over to Jesse, and only then the young mutant is allowed to hold her in his arms.

It is evident that such astounding behavior may serve no other purpose than controlling the lives of one's subjects; and it is detrimental for Toni the hacker [a one-episode character] who, now that she's a part of the "Family", is most likely to never show up again.

Members of dysfunctional organizations are encouraged to think in stereotype patterns with no room for subtlety or ambiguity. This polarizing, enemy-creating way of thinking simplifies all decisions; it is also the obstacle that prevents the organization from establishing coalitions with the general society.

One of the basic messages of S1 is that mutants must be kept away from general society, because exposing them would lead to a mass panic and inevitably lead to the mutants' death. For this point, I must give credit to the canon, but taken into consideration the extreme individualization in present society I would dare the prediction that in a "real world" this would not be the case. Due to an unusual physical situation, to me certain aspects raised within S1 are not unfamiliar, and based upon this my very personal experience and the experience of a society that comes to tolerate even the oddest forms of personal development, I would rather come to say that in case of an exposure, nobody would give a damn.

But as we're told that mutants must be locked away and be protected for their own safety, there is no better way to hold them imprisoned than the Sanctuary.

By the end of Season 1 the show reaches nearly intelligent levels by founding a competing cult. "The Strand" does not work on paternal authority but on sexual dependence, leaving the members in a permanent climate of rivalry. This would easily answer the question why Adam had focused on a cloister-like "paternal" model (here the word Sanctuary gets a very special meaning) built upon sexually-repressive rules, and regression. But it would also leave us with the problem of how the "team" would cope with a rival team that appears much more as a mirror image than a counterpart.

However, when "sacrificing" its premise, S1 Mutant X is at risk to lose its very own sick and silly spell. In "Russian Roulette", which may be unjustifiedly the worst episode, everyone is competing to satisfy his or her father, even the villain, who has to cope with an over-image of a father long time dead. As Tanya, the Russian lackey-of-the-week, meets a renegade young mutant who, as she believes, rejects the authority of his father, in both Russian and English she refers to him as a "rat" (kryça) -- and as Tanya's comrade, Yuri, makes fun of the memory of her passed-away father, she slaps him in the face.

Charlotte Cook ["Altered Ego"] infiltrates Mutant X to seek revenge for the death of her father, who, as it turns out, is to be considered more or less innocent. "Blood Ties" in fact weighs the caretaker higher than the real father, and shows what can happen, when accidentally, the real father shows up. [Taking into consideration the Genomex.net suggestions -], the series even "starts" with the killing of a father. It is only AFTER the killing of Paul Breedlove that Mutant X step out into action; and, as during her quest for "freedom" Bad Girl Emma [Double Vision] shifts from Adam to Mason, she simply changes one imposed moral codex against another, and therefore is not really set free.

However, for a show that claims to be dealing with biology and biological inheritance, Mutant X comes up with a rather challenging concept of "fatherhood". Evidently, the show considers the genetic modifications performed by Adam sufficient to concede the geneticist the de facto position of a father, thereby reducing the procedure of "life-modification" as performed in Genomex laboratories to a calculated, "sterile" act of reason, performed by grey-haired, experienced men. Moreover, the show distinctly opposes the loving, gentle, not-relative caretaker to the unreliable, irrelevant, deceased or missing (biological) father, making the very notion of what the series is allegedly based upon -"genetics" - downright absurd.

Interestingly within S1 Adam's only attempt to father ends as a "failure", as the girl his lover gave birth to is genetically "not his daughter"; and she is one of the few characters who walk out of his circle of doom unimpededly, remaining unchastised for not showing him respect. In full line, and without proper explanation, Mutant X torpedoes the noble values it so outwardly writes on its banners, undermining not only biological lines of descent but also the ethical basis which (in the majority of cases) boundaries between parents and children are founded upon.

Establishing "blood ties" by the way of genetic engineering might a condemnable but at least comprehensible motivation for the whole pretentious "project", non-withstanding the particularly incestuous shade thus left on the relationship Adam founded with one of the girls in his treatment, who at that time was most likely only 13 years old. Further, we might take into consideration that neither Adam nor Catherine are marital children; they are not related-by-blood to their respective mothers' partners, and it is not very difficult to imagine the seductive power constituted by "genetics" in a situation like this. To get some sense out of (or into) the series we might finally open to a highly intriguing possibility: that Adam implanted his patients DNA sequences based upon those of Breedlove, or, later, upon his own.

Mutant X, in consequence, might be seen as a single man's attempt to satisfy his own (dead) father, using the mutants and the entire "Underground" as "means to salvation", to save all those he and his father had once brought to (a new) life.

"References":

- Rosemary White: Buffy Incorporated – Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Authenticity and the American Teen, The American Studies Journal, No. 47, Summer 2001, p. 23 ff.

- Joseph Campbell: The Hero with a Thousand Faces (2^nd edition), New Jersey 1973

- The nutcase selection of wardens at the school for handicapped children where I grew up