"The X Files" S.R. 819 (1999)

Director:

Daniel Sackheim

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator)
John Shiban (written by)

TV Series:

"The X Files" (1993)

Original Air Date:

17 January 1999 (Season 6, Episode 9)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Skinner comes down with a mysterious condition that puts him on the verge of death. An unknown voice...

Plot Keywords:

Title Spoken By Character | Number In Title | FBI | FBI Agent | Alien

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Mitch Pileggi	...	Walter Skinner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Raymond J. Barry	...	Senator Richard Matheson
Keith Coulouris	...	Intern
Nasser Faris	...	Silk Shirt Man (as Al Faris)
Jonathan Fraser	...	Uniformed Cop
Jenny Gago	...	Dr. Katrina Cabrera
Julie Hubert	...	Exam Room Nurse
Dan Klass	...	Forensics Technician
Mickey Knox	...	Trainer
Nicholas Lea	...	Alex Krycek
Susana Mercedes	...	Driver
Kenneth Tigar	...	Dr. Plant
John Towey	...	Dr. Kenneth Orgel
Tim Van Pelt	...	Young Surgeon
Arlene Warren	...	Skinner's Assistant (as Arlene Pileggi)

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Argentina:13

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Goofs:

Continuity: When Skinner follows the Tunisian diplomat into the parking garage and stops there, he gets shot at by the diplomat. He ducks to the side and shoots back twice, when the diplomat rounds the Skinner's car to look inside. When he gets out of the car, the slide of his pistol is in the rear position. While following the diplomat between the parked cars, the slide is in the forward position, and after the diplomat gets hit by the car and Skinner is having his seizure and falls with his back on one of the parked cars (the car's alarm goes off when he drops on it), the slide is in the rear position once again.

Quotes:

Uniformed Cop: I'm not so sure you should be doing that.
Fox Mulder: [Flipping through documents on Dr. Orgel's desk] This is a crime scene. What would you rather I be doing?
Uniformed Cop: Uh, it's just that I'm concerned for Dr. Orgel's personal property and the preservation of evidence.
Fox Mulder: I would be a lot more concerned with the preservation of Dr. Orgel.

Varicose Veins?

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

S.R. 819 is awesome. It grabs you from the start when Skinner is seen dying in the teaser and the doctor covers his face. What the...? What a shocker! We then get a voice-over from Mitch Pileggi, his only one I think. The story is set as one of the 24 hours earlier-type episodes, where we see what happens to explain the baffling teaser. I like these type of episodes, because they have me on pins and needles the whole time wondering how that event came to be. This is writer John Shiban's best solo work, just beating out the excellent 'The Pine Bluff Variant'. It's great to see the concern that Mulder and Scully show for their boss, in trying to solve the mystery of his illness. I like the line of Mulder asking Skinner if he woke up alone, a nod, I think, to season three's 'Avatar', another Skinner-centric episode, where he wakes up next to a dead prostitute. Mark Snow composes a brilliant score and the vein make-up for Skinner is very real-looking and convincing. And throughout the episode you have your suspicions as to who is making Skinner suffer, which turns out to be a cool reveal. At the end, just when you think Skinner is going to commit to Mulder and Scully, he mysteriously returns to the fence upon which he sits. S.R. 819 is the last of the Skinner-centered episodes, and the best one.