Entertainment, Season 4, The X-Files, TV

“Small Potatoes” – Season 4 Ep. 20

Posted on by tjyoung123

Small Potatoes - Episode 93. This poster was inspired by the circus poster featuring Eddie’s father from the episode. I liked the idea of Eddie wearing people’s personas like they’re masquerade masks so I ran with it. Here he’s holding a mask for Mulder, who he impersonates throughout the second half of the episode, and another for one of his favorite alter egos, Luke Skywalker.
 So many good quotes to choose from in this episode:

Mulder: I have a theory. Do you want to hear it?

Scully: Van Blundht somehow physically transformed into his captor and walked out the door, leaving no one the wiser?

Mulder: Scully, should we be picking out china patterns or what?

Written by: Vince Gilligan
Directed by: Cliff Bole
Original Air Date: April 20th, 1997
Principal Setting: Martinsburg, West Virginia
Episode Summary:

Scully and Mulder travel to a small town to find out the cause of five babies that have been recently born with tails. Four of the five women were artificially inseminated at the same fertility clinic, but the fifth claims to have had sexual relations with Luke Skywalker himself.

Scully thinks it’s all nonsense, but their attention falls on Eddie Van Blundht, the clinic’s janitor that has been doing more than just cleaning the toilets. His father had been a famous circus performer, which Eddie may have inherited through the gene pool because his gift is the ability to take the appearance of anyone around him. What happens next gets really interesting when he decides to pretend to be Mulder.

Personal Commentary:

This is one David Duchovny’s favorite episodes, rightly so due to the fact he plays a comedic role so effortlessly and him acting like Eddie being him is the top comedic highlight of the whole series. Darin Morgan is perfect as Eddie and the last scene when the fake Mulder goes over to Scully’s apartment with ulterior intimate motives is hilarious. One of the best moments of the entire series. But they still don’t kiss! For the best in the long run. Don’t skip this episode!

Episode Grade: A
Favorite Scene:
Fun Facts:
  • Writer Vince Gilligan said that originally he wanted wings to be the “deformity” that the babies were born with, because he was afraid that tails wouldn’t be very cute. Tails proved much easier to create digitally, though, so the wings were changed to tails in the script.
  • The role of Eddie Van Blundht was written specifically with Darin Morgan in mind.
  • When Mulder and Scully visit Eddie Van Blundht’s house, the Blundht name is on the wall, the H falls off the wall, possibly as a nod to the fact Eddie states everyone drops the H when writing his name down.
  • The voice of Amanda Nelligan, the mother of the “Luke Skywalker” baby, may be familiar because she is played by Christine Cavanaugh, who usually appears as a voice artist for animated shows and features. She is probably best known for being the voice of Chuckie Finster of Rugrats fame, the title character of Dexter’s Laboratory, and the title character of the movie Babe.
  • This episode was named by TV Guide as one of the greatest episodes in TV history.
Faces You May Recognize:

  • Although Darin Morgan won’t be recognizable as an actor, he has written some of the best X-File episodes including “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” and “Humbug”.

Christine Cavanaugh Picture

  • Christine Cavanaugh has a very famous voice. Her distinctive voice has been used for Babe, Chuckie in Rugrats, Dexter in Dexter’s Laboratory and Gosalyn from Darkwing Duck.

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