The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files.

In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a high school student who is the prime suspect in the bizarre murder of a police officer.

They discover that the boy and a couple of friends have been playing with the ability to accelerate their movements to a frequency the human eye cannot perceive.

However, the original plot of the episode—the effects of having super speed—eventually delved into "deeper" themes, such as drug abuse, boredom, and the teenage experience.

In Pittsfield, Virginia, Tony Reed and two other teenagers meet in the woods late at night, but they are interrupted by a sheriff's deputy.

Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) later examine the deputy's body: the blow that killed the man was so ferocious that his glasses were pushed through the back of his skull.

When one of the teachers at the high school is attacked and murdered by an unseen force using a table and chair in front of many witnesses, Mulder suspects Max possesses some kind of paranormal ability and is using it to kill.

Mulder believes Max's teenage hormones are giving him paranormal abilities that allow him to attack people without touching them.

However, Max collapses and is sent to the hospital, where it is found he is suffering from exhaustion, withdrawal, a concussion, muscular tears and skeletal fractures–signs that his abilities are killing him.

"[2] According to series casting director Rick Millikan, choosing actors and actresses for the episode was more difficult than usual.

[3] Rodney Scott was cast as Tony Reed; at the time, he was notable for his performance in the television movie Come On, Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story (1999), and for his role as William "Will" Krudski on the popular show Dawson's Creek.

[3] While the episode relied heavily on special effects, director Robert Lieberman was able to create many of the necessary scenes simply using different camera speeds.

[5] The crew tried different tracking devices for the bullet, including a pronounced blur effect, which was later removed in favor of a more realistic "smoke" pathway.

[5] Stunt coordinator Danny Wesiles helped arrange the more frantic shots, such as the scene in which a lunch table kills a teacher.

"[10] Kenneth Silber from Space.com was critical of the episode, arguing that the show was re-using plot lines and that the personalities of the teenagers were wholly uninteresting.

"[12] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode two stars out of five.

[13] Despite praising the episode's set pieces, they ultimately concluded that "The X-Files just isn't cool anymore daddio.

[14] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a largely positive review, writing, "'Rush' was sufficiently creepy and had some wonderful character interaction between Mulder and Scully."