Small Potatoes
From X-Files Wiki
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| Series: | The X-Files |
| Original Airdate: | 4-20-97 |
| Production Number: | 4x20 |
| Date(s): | FICTIONAL YEAR OR DATE(S) OF EVENTS IN EPISODE |
| Written by: | Vince Gilligan |
| Directed by: | Cliff Bole |
A town celebrates a surprising number of births in a short span of time, only all the newborns have tails...
Contents |
[edit] Summary
While being rolled down a hospital hallway to deliver, a pregnant woman admits the father is from another planet. She gives birth to a little girl, but the doctor looks puzzled. Out of view of the mother, he holds up the child to reveal a wiggling tail on the baby and says, "Lord, not another one..."
Mulder and Scully are driving to investigate while Scully examines a tabloid front page featuring the Monkey Babies. They interview the mother, Amanda Nelligan, who states the father was Luke Skywalker (she has seen Star Wars nearly 400 times). The agents then visit the fertility clinic where the other four babies were conceived via IVF and Dr. Pugh admits he was surprised at the 90% success rate, speculating that maybe IVF wasn't really responsible. Mulder takes a foray down the hall and finds a maintenance worker, Eddie, whose "plumber's crack" reveals he once had a tail. PCR DNA results show he's the father of all the tail babies. While in police custody, he transforms into a policeman and escapes.
The agents visit Amanda again who says she dated Eddie Van Blundht (the "h" is silent) in high school, so the agents go to his house and talk to his father. The father has a tail and performed in the circus. Mulder soon realizes the old man is really Eddie, who runs off and pretends to be the husband of a woman down the street who is the mother of one of the tail babies. A search of the house reveals the remains of the father, including the tail, in the attic preserved by quicklime. Scully finds anomalous striated skin muscles covered the man's entire dermal structure. Mulder revisits Amanda in the hospital again, but she says he was just there. It was Eddie pretending to be Mulder. In the hospital locker room, Eddie jumps from the ceiling tiles, locks Mulder in the basement with a sandwich, and then returns to D.C impersonating Mulder. There are several priceless sequences where he visits Mulder's office and apartment, then romances Scully in her apartment with a bottle of wine and conversation. As he leans in to kiss Scully, the real Mulder enters to arrest him and Scully is horrified. They later visit Eddie in jail where Eddie calls Mulder a loser, but Scully disagrees.
[edit] Background Information
- Vince Gilligan wrote this episode with Darin Morgan in mind to play the character of Eddie Van Blundht.
- David Duchovny lists this episode on his blogspot as a favourite, probably because he does a superb job of playing Eddie-as-Mulder and he enjoys performing comedy.
[edit] Quotes
"Maybe we should be picking out china patterns." Mulder to Scully.
"You're a damn good-lookin' man." - Eddie to Mulder.
"Not so spry. " - Mulder's comment when the mummified body falls from the attic.
[edit] Links and References
[edit] Guest Stars
- Mitch Pileggi as A.D. Walter Skinner
- Constance Barnes as an O.R. Nurse
- David Cameron as a Deputy
- Christine Cavanaugh as Amanda Nelligan
- Monica Gemmer as 2nd Nurse
- Peter Hall as the Sheriff
- P. Lynn Johnson as a Health Department Doctor
- Paul McGillion as an Angry Husband
- Darin Morgan as Eddie Van Blundht
- Robert Rozen as Dr. Alton Pugh
- Carrie Cain Sparks as a Duty Nurse
- Jennifer Sterling as an Angry Wife
[edit] References
SEMICOLON-SEPARATED LIST OF ITEMS/LOCATIONS REFERENCED IN EPISODE (BUT NOT LINKED TO IF ALREADY LINKED IN SUMMARY OR GUEST STARS SECTIONS)
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