Set two years after the explosive events of the Season 8 finale, the premiere finds the Task Force disbanded and Raymond "Red" Reddington living in seclusion.

: The episode serves as a "soft reboot" for the series. Following the death of Elizabeth Keen, the team members have moved into different lives—Cooper is a stay-at-home dad, Ressler is struggling with grief and addiction, and Aram is trying to launch a tech startup.

"The Skinner" was generally praised by fans for successfully navigating the difficult transition of moving the show forward without its long-time female lead, Megan Boone. It established a darker, more somber tone while maintaining the core mystery of Reddington's identity and his evolving relationship with the Task Force.