"Avatar" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of The X-Files. During a difficult time in assistant director Skinner's life, he meets a woman in a bar and spends the night with her. The next morning, the woman is dead and he is accused of murder. Agents Mulder and Scully join the investigation to clear their supervisor's name. As they unravel the threads of a conspiracy, they also learn more about Skinner's personal affairs.
The idea of a woman in a red raincoat who vanishes constantly could be a possible homage to the 1973 Nicolas Roeg horror/thriller, Don't Look Now.
Amanda Tapping features as Carina Sayles, the prostitute who dies in the episode. Tapping is best known for playing Samantha Carter in Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, in the latter of which she's been in episodes with Mitch Pileggi, who plays Skinner on The X-Files.
Avatar is a Sanskrit word meaning the form taken by a deity to walk among mortals.
Rumors say that Gillian Anderson's daughter, Piper, has an uncredited appearance in the background on this episode.
