The X-Files Digs into Skinner’s Past…and it’s Kind of Dull

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

Guest star Haley Joel Osment (who’s making headlines these days thanks to bizarre airport meltdowns in Las Vegas) added a sprinkle of spice to an otherwise humdrum outing in “Kitten” – a chapter centered on Skinner’s experience with experimental fear gas in Vietnam.

I don’t think anyone is outwardly opposed to a Skinner-centric episode – and “Kitten” wasn’t even a full solo adventure since half the story featured Mulder and Scully looking for him – but how invested are we really in the question “How did Skinner first come to mistrust shadowy government agencies?” Were any of us actively losing sleep over Walter’s “stalled career,” or wondering why a company man of three plus decades hadn’t been promoted? It’s TV. I feel like most of us might not be wholly interested in supporting characters’ career paths.

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