Hungry

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A fast-food worker develops a taste for human brains...and then for murder.

[edit] Summary

When a man's body is discovered with the brain removed from the skull in Costa Mesa, California, Mulder and Scully are assigned to assist the local police in their investigation. The only clue being a button recovered from the body which leads them to the Lucky Boy Burgers restaurant. They check that all of the employees have their badges and discover one of the staff, Derwood Spinks' badge is missing, although he claims he left it at home. When it later transpires that Derwood has a criminal record, he becomes the prime suspect for the local police department and Agent Scully. Agent Mulder however has a different theory, that the victims brain was sucked out of his head by some kind of proboscis. Mulder's suspicions fall on another employee Rob Roberts who was working late the night the victim died. Derwood Spinks visits Rob at his home, annoyed at being fired from the Lucky Boy Burgers restaurant for lying about his criminal record. He confronts Rob with evidence that he is the murderer and attempts to blackmail him. But Derwood does not realise what Rob is and falls victim to his hunger. Rob is contacted by Dr Mindy Rinehart, hired by Lucky Boy Burgers to counsel the employee's following recent events. In session with her, Rob admits that he is battling an eating disorder and she sends him to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, not fully understanding what Mulder seems to know, that Rob is a really a monster with a compulsion to feed on human brains.[1]

[edit] Background Information

The private detective who looks remarkably like Mulder is Steve Kiziak, playing himself, and is also David Duchovny's stand-in. He will appear again in 'Fight Club' as the man who looks like Mulder alongside Arlene Pileggi, who is Gillian Anderson's stand in and also AD Skinner's secretary.
In keeping with writer Vince Gilligan's habit of putting his girlfriend's name (Holly Rice) in each episode he writes, the manager of the fast-food store is named Mr. Rice. Another employee is named Lucy, which is Holly's real first name.
The original aspect of this episode is that it is told from Rob's point of view. Mulder and Scully's investigation is not the main focus and they only appear for brief periods throughout.
The air date of this episode was November twenty-first, Chris Carter's wife's birthday.

[edit] Errors

When Rob is looking in the mirror, before pulling out his teeth. In the mirror, through the doorway, a woman can be seen sitting on a table. There is no reason for her sitting there and she is never mentioned or explained again.

[edit] Links and References

[edit] References

SEMICOLON-SEPARATED LIST OF ITEMS/LOCATIONS REFERENCED IN EPISODE (BUT NOT LINKED TO IF ALREADY LINKED IN SUMMARY OR GUEST STARS SECTIONS)

Previous episode:
The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati

The X-Files
Season 7

Next episode:
Millennium


Series:	The X-Files
Original Airdate:	11.21.1999
Production Number:	7ABX01
Date(s):
Written by:	Vince Gilligan
Directed by:	Kim Manners