The Lone Gunmen

Three Men and a Smoking Diaper

Season 1, Episode 5, Aired 3/23/01

Episode Summary

The Lone Gunmen find a link between a popular Senator running a campaign for re-election, who appeared to be involved with one of his campaign workers who died in a very suspicious accident. But the Gunmen get more than they bargained for when they get stuck with the Senator's lovechild.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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Tom Braidwood

Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund

Richard "Ringo" Langly
Bruce Harwood

John Fitzgerald Byers

Fan Episode Reviews (2)

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About as subtle as a giant pink elephant. Or a whoopee cushion.

4.9

"Poor"

By LtColGrumpface, Jun 11, 2008 Report Abuse

When your attention wanders before the teaser is even over, you know this is going to be an episode to remember.

I think the most depressing thing about this episode is not its hit-the-viewer-over-the-head brand of subtlety (a saxophone-playing, charismatic womanizer running for office, who just happens to be named Jefferson? Yes, please, let's make this obvious to even the meanest level of intelligence.), nor the cliche of ridiculously ill-equipped grown men having a mewling baby thrust at them and having to fumble their way through taking care of it, which was stale at about the same time this episode's namesake came out; no, the most depressing thing about this episode is that it tries to be so earnest about the democratic process in between bouts of fart jokes, leaving both its heart and - forgive me - colon weighed down with excess hot air.

While the rest of the episode was, at best, boring, and at worst exasperating - did Senator Jefferson really have to name his kid William? William Jefferson? Get it, get it? - the ending was just absurd. So, what, after a few minutes in the Senator's presence, the Gunmen are whole-heartedly rooting for him? Ooo-kay. I think Carter was going for "heart-warming" here, but failed by a couple of degrees.

On the other hand, Frohike making use of a whoopee cushion is always comedy gold, as is Jimmy attempting to figure out how to use a bottle of glue.moreless

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When Good Writers Go Bad

7.0

"Good"

By Anon67683, Sep 11, 2007 Report Abuse

There are exactly two things to like about this episode. One, the baby is very cute. Two, Jimmy actually manages to be funny at times, instead of just plain stupid. Otherwise, this episode is a bit of a snore.

The Clintonian candidate is depicted so hamhandedly that it drags much of the episode down. Yes, I get it, he's supposed to be a hip, witty caricature of everyone's favorite BJ-seeking President, except the depiction is neither hip, nor witty, nor even particularly insightful. It's just dumb and rather embarassing, especially when you consider that Chris Carter himself wrote this episode. Talk about slumming....moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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Notes
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- More pop music for our boys in this episode. During the scene at the Guy's offices, we heard Aretha Franklin's You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman) written by Carole King, Gerry Goffin, and Jerry Wexler. During the campaign scenes, we heard the singers doing Oh Happy Day by Hawkins, Rimbault, and Doddridge, I Say a Little Prayer by Bacharach and David, and Soulville by Glover, Turner, Levy and Washington. Edit
- Mitchell Kosterman (Mustachioed Officer) also played a police officer in The X-Files episode "Genderbender", Detective Horton in "Sleepless", and the guard Fornier in "The List." Edit
- Sean Allan (Reporter), was the customer who says "we're all gonna be bleeding through our nipples!" in The X-Files episode "War of the Coprophages", and also Dr. Scanlon in "Memento Mori". Edit
Quotes
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- Senator Jefferson: I stand here today as a partner with you. As a friend. A relative. A man you can trust not just to protect the American dream you know and love...but to fight for you like a junkyard dog! Edit
Allusions
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- plot: philanderers in office Senator Jefferson was obviously based on former president William Jefferson Clinton, going as far as naming his illegitimate son 'William'. The bad southern accent, the womanizing, and even the sax playing are all references to Clinton's rather infamous behavior, and the Gunmen's expose is a tilt at the Republican effort to unseat the president on various morals issues. title: Three Men and a Smoking Diaper This title is a parodic mix of the titles of the movies Three Men and a Baby, and Smoking Gun. Edit