Oubliette (The X-Files)

An oubliette (French for "forgotten place") is a deep, dungeon-like pit accessible only from a hatch in the ceiling. In the context of the X-Files episode of the same name, "Oubliette," it refers metaphorically to the repressed trauma and psychic link between a kidnap victim and her kidnapper.

The episode, which aired during the show's third season, centers on Lucy Householder, a young woman who is psychically connected to Carl Wade, a man who kidnapped her sister, Amy, years prior. Lucy experiences the trauma Amy is enduring in real-time, essentially trapped in a mental "oubliette" of Amy's suffering.

This "oubliette" represents not a physical location but a psychological state. Lucy is imprisoned by Wade's actions, forced to relive the horror of the abduction and Amy's captivity. The psychological link serves as a powerful metaphor for the lasting impact of trauma and the way victims can be unconsciously bound to their abusers. The detectives, Mulder and Scully, must understand this psychic connection to find Amy and free both sisters from Wade's psychological oubliette.