Avatar (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"Avatar" is a 1996 episode of The X-Files
television series
. It was the twenty-first episode broadcast in the show's third season. "Avatar" is the series' first episode dedicated to Walter Skinner. When Skinner is accused of murdering a prostitute, Mulder and Scully investigate to determine the truth behind what happened.
assistant director Walter Skinner
is given divorce papers from his wife, Sharon, after seventeen years of marriage. At a bar, he meets an attractive woman named Carina Sayles; the two engage in a one night stand
. However, after the tryst, Skinner has a nightmare of an old woman in bed with him. He awakens to find Sayles dead, her head twisted completely around.
As the murder investigation unfolds, Skinner tells agent Fox Mulder
not to get involved. He refuses to take a polygraph
test and is viewed as a suspect. Agent Dana Scully
examines Sayles' corpse, finding a phosphorescent glow around her lips. Mulder finds out that Sayles was a prostitute and interviews her madam
, who claims that Skinner's credit card number was collected the previous night. Mulder is shocked by this news. Despite all the evidence against Skinner, Mulder thinks he and Scully owe it to him to find out what really happened.
Skinner sees the old woman looking at him on a city street. However, when he pursues the old woman, he instead finds the woman to be Sharon. The agents talk to Sharon, who says that the marriage failed because of Skinner's emotional distance. Scully learns that Skinner has been receiving treatment for a sleep disorder, in which he apparently has dreams about suffocated in bed by an old woman. She fears that Skinner may have unwittingly killed Sayles in his sleep. However, Mulder believes that Skinner may be having visions of a succubus
, a female demon.
Sharon visits Skinner at his home. After she leaves he falls asleep, seeing the old woman again. He awakens as detectives enter the house, telling him Sharon has been run off the road and severely injured. Skinner admits to Mulder that he saw the woman during his experience in Vietnam, but passed it off as being due to drugs. It is revealed that the Cigarette Smoking Man
is observing their conversation through the one-way mirror of the interrogation room.
Mulder investigates the airbag on Skinner's car, which was the one used to hit Sharon. Scully defends Skinner to the Office of Professional Responsibility, but it does no good and he is fired. Mulder believes this was done to weaken the X-Files. Mulder, with the help of Agent Pendrell finds a face imprint in the airbag which isn't Skinner's. He goes to see the prostitute's boss again but finds that she has been murdered. The agents hope to use Judy, an employee who saw the man who actually hired the prostitute and use her to set up another meeting with him. They agree to meet at the Ambassador Hotel in an hour. Skinner goes to see his wife, telling her why he couldn't sign the divorce papers, and witnesses the old woman again as she awakens from the coma.
Mulder waits in the hotel bar while Scully guards Judy in a hotel room. The assassin enters the room to attack them but is quickly killed by Skinner, who was also there. The dead man's identity is unknown. Skinner returns to work, declining to say to Mulder how he knew to be at the hotel. After Mulder leaves he reaches into his drawer and puts his wedding ring back on.
initially suggested having a Walter Skinner
-centric episode as a way to give himself a break, although ultimately he still ended up having a big part in the episode. Duchovny also thought that Skinner was a good character who wasn't used enough. The idea, which he collaborated with writer Howard Gordon
on, also surrounded the concept that doing what people like Fox Mulder
and Skinner do comes with a tremendous price. Skinner's popularity amongst fans had risen with his increased role in the episodes "The Blessing Way
" and "Paper Clip
" and these episodes helped re-establish the ground rules regarding where Skinner stood in regards to the X-Files
. Writer Vince Gilligan
noted that Skinner was originally intended to be a bad guy, but because Mitch Pileggi
was such a good actor the writers decided to not take his character in that direction.
A scene between Skinner and the Cigarette Smoking Man
was removed from the final cut due to time considerations, reducing his role in the episode to a very short dialogue-less appearance. Another scene where Mulder questions Skinner's allegiance was also removed when it was viewed as too combative. The episode title means the human incarnation of a deity in Sanskrit.
This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.3, with an 16 share. It was viewed by 14.62 million people.
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
. It was the twenty-first episode broadcast in the show's third season. "Avatar" is the series' first episode dedicated to Walter Skinner. When Skinner is accused of murdering a prostitute, Mulder and Scully investigate to determine the truth behind what happened.
Plot
FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
assistant director Walter Skinner
Walter Skinner
FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character in the American FOX television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence...
is given divorce papers from his wife, Sharon, after seventeen years of marriage. At a bar, he meets an attractive woman named Carina Sayles; the two engage in a one night stand
One Night Stand
One Night Stand is an HBO stand-up series that first aired on February 15, 1989. The half-hour series aired weekly and featured stand-up comedy specials from some of the top performing comedians. The series originally comprised 55 specials over the course of its four years on HBO...
. However, after the tryst, Skinner has a nightmare of an old woman in bed with him. He awakens to find Sayles dead, her head twisted completely around.
As the murder investigation unfolds, Skinner tells agent Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
not to get involved. He refuses to take a polygraph
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
test and is viewed as a suspect. Agent Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
examines Sayles' corpse, finding a phosphorescent glow around her lips. Mulder finds out that Sayles was a prostitute and interviews her madam
Madam
Madam, or madame, is a polite title used for women which, in English, is the equivalent of Mrs. or Ms., and is often found abbreviated as "ma'am", and less frequently as "ma'm". It is derived from the French madame, which means "my lady", the feminine form of lord; the plural of ma dame in this...
, who claims that Skinner's credit card number was collected the previous night. Mulder is shocked by this news. Despite all the evidence against Skinner, Mulder thinks he and Scully owe it to him to find out what really happened.
Skinner sees the old woman looking at him on a city street. However, when he pursues the old woman, he instead finds the woman to be Sharon. The agents talk to Sharon, who says that the marriage failed because of Skinner's emotional distance. Scully learns that Skinner has been receiving treatment for a sleep disorder, in which he apparently has dreams about suffocated in bed by an old woman. She fears that Skinner may have unwittingly killed Sayles in his sleep. However, Mulder believes that Skinner may be having visions of a succubus
Succubus
In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
, a female demon.
Sharon visits Skinner at his home. After she leaves he falls asleep, seeing the old woman again. He awakens as detectives enter the house, telling him Sharon has been run off the road and severely injured. Skinner admits to Mulder that he saw the woman during his experience in Vietnam, but passed it off as being due to drugs. It is revealed that the Cigarette Smoking Man
Cigarette Smoking Man
The Smoking Man is a fictional character and the antagonist on the American science fiction television series The X-Files. He serves as the arch-nemesis of FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder. Although his name is revealed to purportedly be C.G.B...
is observing their conversation through the one-way mirror of the interrogation room.
Mulder investigates the airbag on Skinner's car, which was the one used to hit Sharon. Scully defends Skinner to the Office of Professional Responsibility, but it does no good and he is fired. Mulder believes this was done to weaken the X-Files. Mulder, with the help of Agent Pendrell finds a face imprint in the airbag which isn't Skinner's. He goes to see the prostitute's boss again but finds that she has been murdered. The agents hope to use Judy, an employee who saw the man who actually hired the prostitute and use her to set up another meeting with him. They agree to meet at the Ambassador Hotel in an hour. Skinner goes to see his wife, telling her why he couldn't sign the divorce papers, and witnesses the old woman again as she awakens from the coma.
Mulder waits in the hotel bar while Scully guards Judy in a hotel room. The assassin enters the room to attack them but is quickly killed by Skinner, who was also there. The dead man's identity is unknown. Skinner returns to work, declining to say to Mulder how he knew to be at the hotel. After Mulder leaves he reaches into his drawer and puts his wedding ring back on.
Production
David DuchovnyDavid Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
initially suggested having a Walter Skinner
Walter Skinner
FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character in the American FOX television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence...
-centric episode as a way to give himself a break, although ultimately he still ended up having a big part in the episode. Duchovny also thought that Skinner was a good character who wasn't used enough. The idea, which he collaborated with writer Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon is an American screenwriter and producer.-Life and career:Gordon was born in Queens, New York, New York. After graduating from Princeton in 1984, Gordon came to Los Angeles with fellow filmmaker Alex Gansa to pursue a career in writing for television. Both broke into the industry...
on, also surrounded the concept that doing what people like Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
and Skinner do comes with a tremendous price. Skinner's popularity amongst fans had risen with his increased role in the episodes "The Blessing Way
The Blessing Way (The X-Files)
"The Blessing Way" is a 1995 episode of The X-Files television series. It was the first episode broadcast in the show's third season. The Blessing Way continues from the previous season's finale and surrounds Mulder's apparent death and the conspiracy's pursuit of a digital cassette containing the...
" and "Paper Clip
Paper Clip
"Paper Clip" is a 1995 episode of The X-Files television series. It was the second episode broadcast in the show's third season. Paper Clip concludes the story regarding the agents' possession of a digital tape containing government secrets on extraterrestrials.- Plot :Continuing from the previous...
" and these episodes helped re-establish the ground rules regarding where Skinner stood in regards to the X-Files
X-file
On the television series The X-Files, an X-File is a fictional case that has been deemed unsolvable by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The files constitute an unassigned project outside the Bureau mainstream that is more or less concerned with unexplained phenomena. -First X-Files:The very...
. Writer Vince Gilligan
Vince Gilligan
Vince Gilligan is an American writer, director and producer. He is the creator of the highly acclaimed television series Breaking Bad. Gilligan has also worked on the hit series The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen. He is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University...
noted that Skinner was originally intended to be a bad guy, but because Mitch Pileggi
Mitch Pileggi
Mitchell Craig "Mitch" Pileggi is an American actor. Pileggi is known for playing FBI assistant director Walter Skinner on the long-running popular series The X-Files. He also had a recurring role on Stargate Atlantis as Col. Steven Caldwell...
was such a good actor the writers decided to not take his character in that direction.
A scene between Skinner and the Cigarette Smoking Man
Cigarette Smoking Man
The Smoking Man is a fictional character and the antagonist on the American science fiction television series The X-Files. He serves as the arch-nemesis of FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder. Although his name is revealed to purportedly be C.G.B...
was removed from the final cut due to time considerations, reducing his role in the episode to a very short dialogue-less appearance. Another scene where Mulder questions Skinner's allegiance was also removed when it was viewed as too combative. The episode title means the human incarnation of a deity in Sanskrit.
Reception
David Duchovny said of Mitch Pileggi, "It was nice for Mitch, and I think he deserved an episode after two years. He did a great job".This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.3, with an 16 share. It was viewed by 14.62 million people.