“SR 819’ is an interesting change of pace. The episode is an homage to the 1950 Edmund O’Brien film DOA in which a man is poisoned and has 24 hours to find out who effectively murdered him. The X-Files makes the story its own by having skinner be poisoned in an effort to break him away even further from Mulder and Scully.
Skinner winds up in the emergency room after a friendly boxing match. It is presumed a punch knocked him flat, but when Mulder pays a social visit to him later that evening, his health has deteriorated. Mulder and scully surmise skinner was poisoned in a brief encounter that morning with a physicist in the hallway. Suspicions are confirmed when the physicist, Dr. Kenneth Orgel, signed into the FBI building as a guest of skinner.
As Skinner lands in the hospital, the agents split up into their usual roles, albeit refreshingly not contrary to one another. Mulder is the field agent attempting to locate orgel and discover his connection to the Senate Resolution 819 referred to in the episode title. Scully uses her medical knowledge to look for a cure in the lab. They are doing regular FBI duties here, yet it does not feel like a generic cop show. Kudos for that.
Why it feels like The X-Files is because the Senate resolution is funding nanotechnology as a bio-weapon rather than the humanitarian aid for the World Health Organization as advertised. Skinner was infected with the nanotechnology inadvertently by orgel, who has already died from a manufactured heart attack. Skinner is on the verge of death, too, but is mysteriously pulled back from the brink in what is considered nothing short of a miracle.
The agents want to investigate further, as all evidence is rapidly disappearing, including SR 819 from committee. Skinner curtly refuses. The two are only suppose to report to Kersh now. Reluctantly, they do not argue. That night, skinner is confronted by krycek, who is revealed to be behind the nanotech attack on him. Thus begins the running storyline of Krycek blackmailing skinner that will eventually end with a bang.
“SR 819” is a very good, serious episode after a string of some goofy stories. It is a reminder that The X-Files does not have to be the Moonlighting with Aliens the latter half of the series tried hard to be. Skinner is my favorite supporting character. He rarely gets a chance to shine. Surprisingly, he still comes across as a tough guy here even though he is near death for most of the episode and revealed to be blackmailed by the end. Mulder and Scully are competent professional without sparring over proof over the paranormal or sexual tension. We could use more episodes like this.
Rating: *** (out of 5)
“SR 819’ is an interesting change of pace. The episode is an homage to the 1950 Edmund O’Brien film DOA in which a man is poisoned and has 24 hours to find out who effectively murdered him. The X-Files makes the story its own by having skinner be poisoned in an effort to break him away even further from Mulder and Scully.
