4. Small Potatoes (Season 4, Episode 20)
"Why is that so hard to believe? Just because I was born with a tail, no woman would want me? Maybe I got personality! Ever think of that?" - Eddie Van Blundht (with a silent h)
In "Small Potatoes," Mulder and Scully are drawn to a town in West Virginia, where a young woman named Amanda Nelligan claims that her newborn daughter's father is from another planet. Mulder is naturally excited, assuming that Amanda was abducted and impregnated by aliens. Scully is naturally skeptical, Mulder having gotten the story from a tabloid and formulating a theory with a whole lot of holes in it. Also, because she is Scully. Their investigation takes a turn when they learn that Amanda's--as well as those of five other (married) women--baby was born with a tail, raising questions about the father and each woman's claim that she'd been with no man other than her husband. When they discover the likely culprit, the agents must find proof of his unique abilities before he can strike again. "Small Potatoes" is a classic MOTW episode, featuring phenomena unexplained by not otherworldly (although Mulder wouldn't be Mulder if he didn't try to connect it back to aliens somehow). This is not the most frightening venture of Mulder and Scully, but it is a fun 42-minutes without any lengthy voiceovers or conspiracies. The villain, played by former
X-Files writer Darin Morgan, does not exactly rank among the most dastardly evil geniuses ever to menace our agents. Still, when his "talents" land the agents in compromising positions, the humor becomes just a little bit more sinister. Overall, "Small Potatoes" is one of the funniest episodes of
The X-Files, and not only is it a great introductory episode, it is one of the most rewatchable of the entire series. So sit back, crack open a can of Perk cola, and give "Small Potatoes" a shot.