WRITTEN BY
Jeffrey Bell
DIRECTED BY
Thomas J. Wright
AIRED ON
December 12, 1999
RUNTIME
44 minutes
STARRING
VIEWS
434
LAST UPDATE
2024-08-13 08:30:06
PAGE VERSION
Version 2
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SUMMARY
Mulder and Scully investigate a man named Henry Weems, who appears to possess extraordinary luck. After surviving a series of seemingly fatal accidents and winning a massive lottery jackpot, Weems attracts the attention of the agents. They discover that his luck is not just beneficial but also causes harm to those around him, creating a chain of improbable and dangerous events reminiscent of a Rube Goldberg machine. As Mulder and Scully delve deeper, they uncover Weems' past as a kind-hearted man who inadvertently became entangled with the mob, ultimately leading to a life-threatening situation that requires his luck to protect an ill child. The episode explores themes of fate, chance, and the unintended consequences of good fortune.
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Written by
Pike on 2017-10-01
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★
Watchable
___________________________________________
Maybe he can't see his way to the door.
Written by
RMuldrake on 2008-01-25
★
★
★
★
Keeping with one of the themes of the season, fate, the agents become vaguely aware of their role in the life of a very lucky janitor and a dying boy.
"The Sixth Extinction" and "Amor Fati" set up this season nicely. Faith and Fate predominate season 7 thematically. GBV deals with fate nicely. Each and every action taken by Mulder and Scully in this episode is part of a larger scheme. That scheme may or may not be the central character's "luck" and the reverse effect on those around him. In fact, Henry Weems is the unfortunate victim of bad luck on several occasions in this episode, seemingly beginning when Scully (the immortal) draws the Ace. But as it turns out, Henry's luck is not as important as fate's overarching plans. Maybe this is just fate's way of dealing Richie a cure. Henry Weems becomes fate's tool. It uses his "luck" to affect those around him to cause all events to fall into place so that Richie is able to survive and be healed. Why does fate want this to happen? Of course we'll never know but it is encouraging. Mulder and Scully are left to play a more minor role in this episode and some of what intitially seems forced humor ends up serving a larger purpose. Mulder's bad plumbing skills, for instance, put the agents in contact with Henry. This is definitely not Henry’s luck.
Anyway, at this point in the series, it is important to note that both Mulder and Scully both readily accept the broad sweeping notion of fate. Fate will continue to play a role in this season as both characters march towards the inevitable in their own separate ways. More importantly, faith will also be addressed soon and will serve an equal if not greater role in their lives.
At times it seems as though the actors are winging it in these early episodes of season 7. Maybe the style of the episode is a little different than what they're used to. It's not clear how Fox wanted to market this episode from its preview and maybe the actors and directors were not sure how to handle the material. There is some quality entertainment and there are some nice character moments, one of my favorites being when Scully cracks a "Mulder" joke - "Maybe he can't see his way to the door."
Entertainment 2/2 Writing 2/2 Directing 1/2 Acting 1/2 Character 2/2: 4/5
TRANSCRIPT
SCENE 1
CHICAGO ILLINOIS
1024 PM
Several men are sitting in a private room playing a highstakes poker game One of them is JOE CUTRONA welldressed Mafiatype guy The other men are also well dressed powerful business men Except one HENRY WEEMS JOE CUTRONA has cards KK247 He lays down all but the kings
JOE CUTRONA Three
DEALER gives him back two more kings and a 5
GREYHAIRED PLAYER Give me two
DEALER hands over cards
BALD PLAYER Two
He gets his cards HENRY WEEMS is a small nervous shy softspoken man in his late thirties He looks very out of place in this room Hes holding three 10s a Queen and a Three
HENRY WEEMS Can I have five cards please
DEALER Five What are you serious Four is the limit Lets see your ace
JOE CUTRONA If Mr Weems wants five give him five
DEALER hands the cards over and takes his own
DEALER Dealer takes two
JOE CUTRONA betting Four
GREYHAIRED PLAYER folding Nahuh
The BALD PLAYER also folds
HENRY WEEMS How much is that
DEALER Four grand keeps you in You and your five shiny new cards
GREYHAIRED MAN chuckles
HENRY WEEMS Theres 4000 and four more
The other men at the table are surprised The DEALER slams his hand on the table as he folds
JOE CUTRONA Lets make this interesting Im raising you 15 large
JOE CUTRONA puts a large stack of chips in the pot
HENRY WEEMS I wouldnt do that This is all I need
JOE CUTRONA Youre going to need Depends after you see this hand
HENRY WEEMS puts his chips in the pot
HENRY WEEMS Now we show each other our cards
Other men look concerned DOMINIC a very large dangerouslooking man who has been sitting in the corner glances at JOE CUTRONA then walks over to stand near HENRY WEEMS
JOE CUTRONA laying down his cards Four kings
HENRY WEEMS lays down the 8 9 10 Jack and Queen of clubs
HENRY WEEMS Thats a straight flush right
The men at the table stare at the cards
HENRY WEEMS Beginners luck
HENRY WEEMS takes out a plastic grocery bag and begins filling it with the chips
JOE CUTRONA What the hell do you think youre doing
HENRY WEEMS Going home
JOE CUTRONA No no Not so fast We expect a chance to win some of our money back
HENRY WEEMS Guys theres over 100000 here
JOE CUTRONA Youre damn right theres over 100000 there
HENRY WEEMS 100000 is all I need Sorry I had fun though Where can I cash out
JOE CUTRONA looks at DOMINIC
CUT TO
HENRY WEEMS on an elevator with two of CUTRONAs men ANGIE and SAL SAL looks a lot like a certain FBI agent we all know One of them pushes the button for the 29th floor
HENRY WEEMS Guys I think were going up instead of down
Ominous silence They roughly drag him out onto the roof and he drops his poker chips
HENRY WEEMS Guys Guys this is not what I meant by cashing out Hey Hey
The men throw him off the side of the building HENRY WEEMS falls to the street He falls into a large open grate A moment later we see his hands come up out of the grate as he pulls himself up to the street He walks away into the night unsteadily one hand to his right eye
OPENING CREDITS OPENING CREDITS OPENING CREDITS OPENING CREDITS OPENING CREDITS
SCENE 2
CHICAGO ILLINOIS
917AM
Busy street corner SCULLY wearing a very nice black scoopnecked pant suit gets out of a taxi 555TAXI As she walks across a metal grate on the sidewalk she pulls out her cell phone and dials
MULDER on phone voice Hello
SCULLY on phone Hey Mulder its me What now
Behind SCULLY the sidewalk grate has opened and a platform begins to rise out of it
MULDER on phone voice Are you in Chicago
SCULLY on phone Yes Im in Chicago Im on the northeast corner of 7th and Hunter just like you asked Only youre not here So where are you
MULDER is on the platform directly behind her Either he is trying to look like a Chicago gangster or his colorblindness was acting up that morning He is wearing a brownish suit with a dark blue shirt and a dark patterned tie
MULDER on phone Oh around
SCULLY on phone Yeah
MULDER hanging up the phone Hey nice outfit
SCULLY turns to face him and puts her phone away He is grinning at her Very cute
SCULLY Hey Whats down there
MULDER Before you check out down there check out up there points to the top of the tall building Top two floors are leased to one Jimmy Cutrona whose name you might be familiar with
SCULLY Organized crime The Bureaus been trying to build a racketeering case against him for the past few years Gambling extortion murder
MULDER Which is why last night there were two agents parked across the street in surveillance They witnessed a man being thrown from Cutronas ROOF AT 1040 pm This man fell for 30 floors plus the distance down this shaft because these doors just happened to be open straight through nothing but net
SCULLY Ouch
MULDER Im guessing thats what he said After he got up climbed out of here and scampered off into the night
SCULLY and MULDER get on the platform and MULDER pushes the button to lower them to the basement level
SCULLY Mulder you keep saying this man Who is this man
SCULLY takes out her flashlight and begins looking around
MULDER No idea He got away The agents gave chase but no clear description
SCULLY Was this basement thoroughly searched
MULDER No Technically falling 300 feet and surviving isnt a crime
SCULLY And your theory is
MULDER What if this man had some kind of special capability Some kind of genetic predisposition towards rapid healing or tissue regeneration
SCULLY So basically what if we were looking for Wile E Coyote Youre saying that he is invulnerable right
MULDER starts to say Yeah but stops himself Very funny
SCULLY You know in 1998 there was a British soldier who plummeted 4500 feet when his parachute failed and he walked away with a broken rib
MULDER Whats your point
SCULLY My point is that if theres a wind gust or a sudden updraft and plus if he landed in exactly the right way I mean I dont know Maybe he just got lucky
MULDER affectionate sarcasm What if he got really really lucky Thats your big scientific explanation Scully laughing as SCULLY flashes the light across his face I mean how many thousands of variables would have to convene in just the right mixture for that theory to hold water
SCULLY I dont know
MULDER Well thousands
SCULLY looks closely at a laundry cart in the basement The wheel castors have been folded out as if a great weight landed in the laundry cart The logo on the side of the cart is for Graysons Linen Service
SCULLY Mulder
MULDER Yeah
SCULLY Look at this If this cart were on the platform when he hit that would explain the condition of these wheels And what if this whole thing had just enough give to save his life
MULDER Wed have to find him to ask
SCULLY Yeah we have to find him
As MULDER sifts through the towels in the cart a small round object flips out onto the floor They bend down to look at it MULDER picks it up It is a prosthetic eye
MULDER Looks like maybe weve found part of him already
SCENE 3
MELROSE PARK ILLINOIS
1023 AM
Outside a low rent apartment building MULDER and SCULLY are looking at the doorbell panel MULDER pushes 313s buzzer and they wait
SCULLY I think youre taking a flier here Mulder Theres got to be at least 600 people with prosthetic eyes in the greater Chicago area
MULDER Yeah but only this one Henry Weems made an appointment this morning to get a new one
MULDER buzzes again
SCULLY Maybe he cant see his way to the door
MULDER smiles at her joke An elderly lady with a rolling shopping basket comes out of the building MULDER catches the door before it closes behind her
MULDER Come on Scully Im feeling lucky
MAGGIE LUPONE late thirties frustrated comes out of her apartment and stops MULDER and SCULLY as they get off the elevator
MAGGIE LUPONE Can you help me Its an emergency
She leads them to her apartment The kitchen sink is spurting water all over the kitchen floor
SCULLY Maam were not plumbers
MAGGIE LUPONE I didnt say you were I just want the damn water turned off so that I can go to work handing a plumbers wrench to MULDER Look youve got to be stronger than me right Valves under the sink
MULDER holds the wrench for a moment then reluctantly goes over to the sink
MULDER Your building super Henry Weems he isnt around
MULDER crawls under the sink to work on the pipe
MAGGIE LUPONE Mr Dependable Might as well wait for Jimmy Hoffa to show up
RICHIE LUPONE a boy of about ten joins them in the kitchen
RICHIE LUPONE Youre turning it the wrong way
MAGGIE LUPONE Hey Richie sweetheart back in bed
RICHIE LUPONE But Mom
MAGGIE LUPONE Buts are for sitting and I want yours back in bed
She gently sends RICHIE LUPONE out of the room then turns back to MULDER who is still turning the joint the wrong way
MAGGIE LUPONE Hes right Clockwise
MULDER I know that Clockwise
The joint pops open Water is now spraying from the pipe under the sink also MULDER now drenched stands up slowly SCULLY covers her mouth to try to keep from laughing There is a creaking sound and MULDER suddenly crashes through the floor to the room below Alarmed SCULLY runs to the hole
SCULLY You okay Mulder
She sees MULDER amid the floor debris
MULDER Yeah its all right My ass broke the fall Guess who I found to someone else in the room Henry Weems I presume
HENRY WEEMS has a black eye patch over the right socket
Later HENRY WEEMS carrying a toolbox leads MULDER and SCULLY into his apartment The living room is full of homemade Rube Goldbergesque machines SEE HTTPwwwrubegoldbergcom for more info MULDER is drying his hair with a towel
HENRY WEEMS Next time leave the plumbing to a professional
MULDER Oh uh Oh uh You want to try this on for size Cinderella
MULDER holds out the fake eye wrapped in the wet towel HENRY WEEMS takes it and begins cleaning it off
SCULLY Mr Weems why were you hiding in a vacant apartment
HENRY WEEMS Not hiding avoiding
SCULLY Avoiding whom
HENRY WEEMS You people Now that you found me lets just get it over with No way am I testifying against Jimmy Cutrona
SCULLY Last night Cutrona had you thrown off the roof of 1107 Hunter Avenue is that correct
HENRY WEEMS You didnt hear it from me Im not letting you people move me to Muncie Indiana to milk cows
MULDER More to the point you survived a uh 300foot fall essentially un harmed
There is a squishing sound as HENRY WEEMS puts is eye back in MULDER is disgusted but at the same time fascinated He glances at SCULLY then back to HENRY WEEMS
HENRY WEEMS I dont know Maybe The wind was just right and I landed on a bunch of towels no biggie
SCULLY You got lucky
HENRY WEEMS Yeah I guess except you should look at my bruise shows them his elbow
MULDER unsympathetically Oh
HENRY WEEMS Plus I didnt get to keep my poker winnings
SCULLY So thats what you were doing there last night playing poker
HENRY WEEMS Cutrona thought I was cheating I wasnt But like I said you didnt hear it from me
MULDER Must have been a highstakes game I imagine Did you win a lot of money
HENRY WEEMS I dont know A little
MULDER is looking at one of the machines
MULDER What is that Did you make it
HENRY WEEMS Uhhuh Its sort of a hobby
MULDER Mmhmm Mind if I
MULDER pushes a lever which releases a ball which rolls down a spiral which drops something which rolls a spool of duct tape which flips something eventually releasing a lot of little balls which open a trapdoor that causes a little wooden man on a scaffold to be hanged
MULDER laughing Ah Thats craftsmanship What does it mean
HENRY WEEMS What do you mean what does it mean
MULDER Yeah whatswhats
HENRY WEEMS It doesnt mean anything I just sort of I dont know
MULDER Its cause and effect
HENRY WEEMS uncomfortable So areare we done here
SCULLY Mr Weems can I ask you to reconsider testifying against Cutrona
HENRY WEEMS Nope No way Jose
SCULLY Well it would be in your best interest Hes tried to kill you once and he will undoubtedly do it again
MULDER Yeah we can protect you
HENRY WEEMS Ill take my chances
Later MULDER and SCULLY are standing at the elevator SCULLY pushes the down button
SCULLY So heres the plan as I see it we inform the Chicago field office about Weems leaving it to them to secure his testimony you change your clothes
MULDER raises his eyebrows SCULLY smiles
SCULLY we fly back to DC by sunset and all is right with the world
MULDER Come on Scully youre going to dump this case just as its getting interesting
SCULLY Interesting Mulder was when we were looking for Wile E Coyote she pushes the button again Come on Mulder this guy just got lucky Theres no XFile here
MULDER Maybe his luck is the XFile
SCULLY decides they have waited long enough for the elevator
SCULLY Stairs
SCULLY enters the staircase followed by MULDER As the door closes immediately the elevator bell dings and one of CUTRONAs men ANGIE steps out and heads for HENRY WEEMS apartment
CUT TO
MULDER and SCULLY walking out the front door MULDER is feeling around in his wet pockets then turns quickly to try to catch the door before it closes He misses
MULDER Oh Car keys Must have lost them when I fell
CUT TO
ANGIE gun in hand kicks in the door to HENRY WEEMS apartment Just as he is about to fire at HENRY WEEMS MULDER rings the buzzer ANGIE glances over at the buzzer in the apartment and fires The bullet hits a lamp The lamp falls to the floor knocking over the ironing board HENRY WEEMS jumps over the couch to hide taking the couch over with him ANGIE starts toward HENRY WEEMS but trips and does a spectacular flip through the air MULDER and SCULLY who by this time heard the gunshot and have gotten back in the building and come down the hall guns in hand get to the door of the apartment They stare at ANGIE who is now dead and hanging by one shoelace from the still spinning ceiling fan HENRY WEEMS is gone
SCENE 4
The apartment Crime scene A police photographer is taking pictures of the body still hanging from the fan MULDER watches him
MULDER So you get many of these
The PHOTOGRAPHER shakes his head in disgust and walks away from MULDER ignoring him SCULLY finishes talking to a policeman and crosses to MULDER
SCULLY So uh weve searched the entire building and theres no sign of Henry Weems Im guessing that hes on the run
MULDER Our dead mans name is Angelo Bellini aka Angie the Animal Hes an enforcer for the Cutrona family and I dont think his visit was friendly
SCULLY You think that Weems could have killed him in selfdefense
MULDER Skinny guy with no depth perception against a man nicknamed The Animal I dont think so You and I both know Weems didnt kill anybody Besides we were just gone for two minutes This guy doesnt have a scratch on him Im thinking it was a heart attack
SCULLY What the hell happened here Mulder
MULDER Cause and effect
SCULLY Meaning
MULDER Okay so watch MULDER acts out the attack interspersed with footage of the actual attack So Bellini kicks down the door whaa gaa poised to kill Weems right And just as hes about to pull the trigger a noise startles him the buzzer when I buzzed to be let back in the apartment So when he does pull the trigger his aim is off right And he hits the lamp which falls over and knocks over the ironing board so as the bullet ricochets Weems dives over the sofa Now when Bellini goes for him he trips over the ironing board bounces off the chair flips end over end and his shoelace gets caught in the fan QED
SCULLY gives a small laugh The shoelace suddenly breaks and the body falls to the floor
MULDER CAUSE AND EFFECT seemingly unrelated and unconnected events and occurrences that appear unrelated and random beforehand but which seem to chainreact in Henry Weems favor
SCULLY Dumb luck
MULDER Yeah he seems to have tapped into it somehow Hehe won big at poker hehe survived getting thrown off a skyscraper and now this
RICHIE LUPONE has come out of his room and is looking in the apartment curiously
SCULLY Hang on a second
MULDER Okay
SCULLY she goes to RICHIE Hey Your names Richie right
RICHIE LUPONE Yeah
SCULLY Im Dana
RICHIE LUPONE Hi
SCULLY gently turning RICHIE away from the scene Why dont we uh head back to your room Im sure thats what your mom would want
In RICHIEs room SCULLY sits beside him as he lies in bed Sports memorabilia line the walls
SCULLY So Im guessing youre a sports fan Which ones your favorite
RICHIE LUPONE Well it used to be basketball But now the Bulls suck so I think maybe baseball
SCULLY I like baseball too SCULLY notices another intricate Rube Goldbergesque contraption in the room Did Henry make this for you
SCULLY starts the toy After a complicated series of events on the board a ball is thrown into a hoop She chuckles
SCULLY Thats pretty neat
RICHIE LUPONE Yeah He made it for me when I was in the hospital He said its cause everything happens for a reason only just sometimes its hard for us to see
SCULLY You went to the hospital because of your liver
RICHIE LUPONE It doesnt work so good pause Police looking for Henry
SCULLY Yeah They just want to talk to him Do you have any idea where he might have gone
RICHIE LUPONE Mmmm Since I got sick he hardly ever goes out
SCULLY returns to MULDER
MULDER Boy give you any leads
SCULLY He knows nothing
They begin walking down the hall
SCULLY Mulder as to your theory
MULDER Mmhmm
SCULLY Why would the worlds most supernaturally lucky man work as a building superintendent I mean why doesnt he just run down to the Illinois state lottery enter and you know hed win automatically
HENRY WEEMS is in the floor vent beside them listening to their conversation through a heating duct
Later HENRY WEEMS is sitting beside RICHIE LUPONEs bed RICHIE LUPONE opens his eyes and smiles
HENRY WEEMS How you feeling pal
RICHIE LUPONE Im okay The police are looking for you though How come
HENRY WEEMS Uh you know you do folks a favor wire the joint for free cable dont worry about it You going to be okay by yourself for a while
RICHIE LUPONE Where you going
HENRY WEEMS Something I got to do Ive been putting off You get some rest
CUT TO
Outside SCULLY is standing beside the car with her phone
SCULLY on phone Thats it Got nothing else Okay Thank you
She hangs up and joins MULDER in the car
MULDER Henry Weems has no police record I assume
SCULLY He has no record of any kind Mulder He doesnt earn enough in a year to file tax returns He has no savings account no checking account no insurance Doesnt even have a video rental card for that matter He doesnt even have a drivers license I mean its like hes intentionally stayed off the radar Hes retired from the world
MULDER Ever since December 1989 shows her a newspaper clipping When a commuter jet crashed into Lake Michigan carrying 21 passengers There was one survivor
SCULLY Henry
MULDER Yeah Thats how he lost his eye Snowy night Christmas rush Hed been bumped from three previous flights before they finally found a seat for him on that fateful plane Guess what seat number
SCULLY 13
MULDER On flight seven
SCULLY More good luck youre saying
MULDER Call it good or bad but maybe thats where it all started What if a brandnew Henry Weems was plucked from the wreckage One whose fortunes had been irrevocably permanently changed Before 1989 Henry held down a job for nine years at the train yard but after the accident as you said its like he just disappeared off the face of the earth He severed ties with all his friends and moved out to Melrose Park
SCULLY Mulder there are millions of reasons for that including survivors guilt I mean what doesnt track for me is why Henry Weems would drop off the map just because he suddenly became incredibly lucky
MULDER What doesnt track for me is why hes resurfaced after all these years Why hes suddenly decided to use his luck in this way
SCENE 5
HENRY WEEMS enters a convenience store that sells lottery tickets The store clerk an older man MAURICE ALBERT is finishing a sale
MAURICE THE CLERK All right Take care of yourself Brother
CUSTOMER leaving the store Later
HENRY WEEMS goes to the counter
HENRY WEEMS Hey whats the lottery up to
MAURICE THE CLERK 28 million
HENRY WEEMS I dont need that much
MAURICE THE CLERK You dont need that much How much do you need uh Rockefeller
HENRY WEEMS More like 100 grand
MAURICE THE CLERK rips off one of the tickets and sells it to HENRY WEEMS
MAURICE THE CLERK Here goes One dollar
HENRY WEEMS carries the ticket over to where another customer a young man with a spiky punk rocker haircut is rubbing off a ticket
PUNK These suck
HENRY WEEMS uses his Leatherman tool to rub off his own ticket A TV is on NEWSWOMAN Megan MacLean of WTMK is broadcasting
NEWSWOMAN ON TV Police have confirmed that a Melrose Park building superintendent is wanted for questioning in a case some sources term an unusually vicious gangland slaying
PUNK looks over at HENRY WEEMS ticket
PUNK You did it You won 100 grand
NEWSWOMAN ON TV One source close to the case described it as a clear
HENRY WEEMS to clerk Where do I collect the money
MAURICE THE CLERK excited Theyll mail it to you 8200 a month for 12 months Yeah
HENRY WEEMS Thats too long
Disappointed HENRY WEEMS drops the ticket into the trashcan There is a beat then the PUNK dives into the can and retrieves the ticket
HENRY WEEMS No please I wouldnt do that
PUNK Oh baby Oh sweet baby
MAURICE THE CLERK Anything in the trash can is store property
PUNK Yeah right In your face
HENRY WEEMS No just throw it away Something bad is going to happen
PUNK So long suckers
The PUNK runs out and stands in the middle of the street holding up his ticket
PUNK I did it I won I won the lottery 100 grand fools 100 grand
Sound of tires screeching as a large truck hits the PUNK
SCENE 6
Later in front of the store The PUNK oxygen mask in place is loaded onto an ambulance
PARAMEDIC On three One two three
SCULLY is talking to MAURICE THE CLERK She shows him a picture of Henry Weems
SCULLY So let me get this straight This is the man who initially won the money
MAURICE THE CLERK Mmhmm
SCULLY And once you and he ascertained that the accident victim was still alive this man fled on foot
MAURICE THE CLERK Mmhmm
SCULLY Afterwards the man who was hit by the truck handed you the lottery card and said
MAURICE THE CLERK proudly Maurice I want you to have this
SCULLY skeptical Mmhmm Thank you Mr Albert I think that will be all
MAURICE THE CLERK Thank you
MAURICE THE CLERK walks away MULDER joins SCULLY
SCULLY For such a fortunate man a lot of unfortunate things happen in Henry Weems wake
MULDER Maybe thats part of the package Cant have one without the other
SCULLY So Mulder Henry Weems came here to buy a lottery ticket Why
MULDER Maybe its like you said Why wouldnt the luckiest man in the world enter the lottery they realize Actually thats exactly what you said about an hour after you said it
SCENE 7
MULDER is using his flashlight to look in the heating vent right outside HENRY WEEMS apartment SCULLY comes out of the apartment
SCULLY Well hes not in his place and hes not with Richie You think he hid in there
MULDER He doesnt hide he avoids
SCULLY Pretty damn well Id say That thing must go all over the building Mulder Ill start with the roof if you want to start with the basement
MULDER watches as SCULLY goes over to the stairs then he joins her As the door to the stairwell closes another of JOE CUTRONAs men SAL rounds the corner of the hall and heads for the apartment He finds it empty but notices the uncovered vent puts his gun away and looks at it
In another room downstairs HENRY WEEMS is using his Leatherman tool to carve another wooden figure He hears the doorknob rattling HENRY WEEMS puts the tool in his pocket and hides MULDER enters the room and looks around He notices the vent in the room He pulls the cover off and drags HENRY WEEMS out
HENRY WEEMS Hey hey Watch the rough stuff
MULDER Henry Weems youre a hard man to track down
HENRY WEEMS Im working here
MULDER Oh You and I are going to have a talk MULDER pushes him into a chair Just sit right here and dont move okay
HENRY WEEMS Tough guy
MULDER pulls out his phone to call SCULLY HENRY WEEMS sees SAL in the doorway gun in hand
HENRY WEEMS Oh crap Not again
SAL aims at HENRY WEEMS and is startled to see MULDER who is startled to see him SAL fires at HENRY WEEMS The bullet bounces off of HENRY WEEMS chest grazes MULDERs arm bounces off two walls and lands in the center of SALs chest SAL falls to the ground SCULLY appears in the door She and MULDER stare at HENRY WEEMS who pulls the now dented Leatherman tool out of his breast pocket and shows it to them
SCENE 8
ST PATRICIAS HOSPITAL
CHICAGO ILLINOIS
Hospital emergency room SAL is lying face down on a gurney his back bandaged
NURSE Lets get him up to OR 40 Coming through
MULDER in his tshirt is getting his wound bandaged by an INTERN He smiles at her as she finishes up and leaves
HENRY WEEMS Does it hurt
MULDER putting on his shirt Stings a bit But Ill live
SCULLY joins them and hands MULDER a new pack of cards
MULDER Come over here Henry I want to try something
HENRY WEEMS Whats that about
SCULLY I havent a clue
MULDER cuts the deck and shows a card
MULDER Nine of clubs You go
HENRY WEEMS What for
MULDER I think you know
Reluctantly HENRY WEEMS turns over the 10 of clubs
MULDER faking surprise Uh you win Double or nothing
MULDER shuffles the cards and flips over the King of diamonds
MULDER Whoohoo Tough to beat
HENRY WEEMS flips over the Ace of spades
MULDER You win again
SCULLY Mulder what does that prove
MULDER It proves that if we played this 10000 times in a row he would win 10000 times in a row Hes incapable of losing How does it feel to be the luckiest man in the universe Henry
Pause
HENRY WEEMS Its a nightmare You have no idea
MULDER No no I do cause when you get lucky really really lucky people around you tend to suffer Is that right
HENRY WEEMS I think its a balance thing Something good happens to me and everybody else has to take it in the keister
MULDER So youve stayed close to home mostly kept a low profile but recently youve been venturing out a little further You played poker with those mobsters
HENRY WEEMS I figured they could stand the trimming Bunch of goombah jerks They got issues man
MULDER You dont mind so much if a few criminals get hurt but then you went and you played the lottery
HENRY WEEMS I knew I shouldnt have done that I needed the money
MULDER For what
Pause
SCULLY For Richie right
HENRY WEEMS sitting Its the complications from his hepatitis Hes on every donor list they got But hes got a rare blood type Bnegative And hes CN something
SCULLY CMV negative Cytomegalovirus
HENRY WEEMS Theres no way theyre going to find a donor in time Theres a treatment program in England 100 grand gets him in Its experimental but its the best chance hes got now Am I under arrest
MULDER No
SCULLY However you will need protection from Cutrona and his men
MULDER gives SCULLY a look HENRY WEEMS turns over another card from MULDERs deck It is the King of hearts
HENRY WEEMS Id say they need protection from me
HENRY WEEMS walks away down the hall
SCULLY Im sorry Mulder That was utterly irresponsible Youre feeding the delusions of a man who has had three attempts made upon his life Youre supposed to be talking him into protective custody not out of it
MULDER Id agree with you if I thought his life was in danger
As MULDER and SCULLY continue their conversation we see HENRY WEEMS leave the hospital just as JOE CUTRONA and the big guy DOMINIC arrive JOE CUTRONA is holding a bouquet of flowers
MULDER voice As it is hes doing a better job on Cutronas organization than the FBI Im wondering if we shouldnt make him an honorary agent
JOE CUTRONA sees HENRY WEEMS and nods for DOMINIC to go after him DOMINIC begins following him
SCULLY voice Mulder youre putting an astounding amount of faith in coincidence and luck Essentially youre betting a mans life on it And even if you believe in socalled lucky streaks you have to know they all eventually end
In the hospital SCULLY flips over the Ace of hearts from MULDERs deck
SCULLY Luckiest man in the world Hell Mulder I just beat him
MULDER gets his jacket and runs toward the exit
SCULLY Mulder
MULDER Come on Scully
MULDER runs out of the hospital and sees HENRY WEEMS just as DOMINIC switchblade in hand is approaching him
MULDER Henry
HENRY WEEMS runs into the street and is hit by a truck DOMINIC walks away MULDER runs to HENRY WEEMS and reaches down to feel for a pulse The fake eye has once again popped out and is resting on the pavement MULDER looks up at SCULLY
SCENE 9
LUPONEs apartment RICHIE LUPONE is on the floor playing with the toy that HENRY WEEMS made for him We see him from the back He keeps scratching at his neck and shoulder MAGGIE LUPONE enters
MAGGIE LUPONE Youre supposed to be resting
RICHIE LUPONE I am resting
MAGGIE LUPONE Playing on the floor doesnt count Dont you ever get tired of this thing
RICHIE LUPONE Henry said its educational
MAGGIE LUPONE Yeah well I dont want you believing everything that Henry says
MAGGIE LUPONE has helped her son up and is leading him to the bed
MAGGIE LUPONE Did you know the police are looking for him
RICHIE LUPONE Henry said its no big deal
MAGGIE LUPONE When did you see
RICHIE LUPONE Mom whats wrong
MAGGIE LUPONE stares at his face His eyes are a sickly yellow and his lips are bluishgrey
CUT TO
Hospital room HENRY WEEMS is resting on a bed MULDER comes over to SCULLY as she pulls the privacy curtain and they speak quietly
MULDER Hows he doing
SCULLY Well hes got a bruised rib and a black eye It certainly could have been worse And dont tell me he just got lucky
MULDER Far from it Maybe what you said about streaks is right It looks like his has just about run its course
SCULLY I dont mean to make light of his misfortune but it may have knocked some sense into his head Hes agreed to testify against Cutrona
CUT TO
CUTRONAs dining room JOE CUTRONA sets down a teacup
JOE CUTRONA What
DOMINIC Our guy from the justice department just called Theyre filing a federal warrant this afternoon This mook Weems
JOE CUTRONA This mook Weems was street pizza last I heard from you
DOMINIC He was I dont know what it is Maybe he has some special ability Hes impervious or something Anyway we cant get to him They got cops all over the hospital
JOE CUTRONA Who says we have to get to him
CUT TO
LUPONEs apartment PARAMEDICS are wheeling RICHIE LUPONE out on a gurney
RICHIE LUPONE I want the toy Henry made me Mom Can you please go get it
MAGGIE LUPONE Uh sure honey
She looks uncertainly at the PARAMEDIC
PARAMEDIC We got to go
MAGGIE LUPONE kissing his forehead All right Richie I will bring it and I will follow you there I will meet you at the hospital okay
RICHIE LUPONE Mm
RICHIE LUPONE is wheeled out MAGGIE LUPONE gets the toy then puts a few clothes into a bag We see DOMINIC enter her apartment
SCENE 10
RICHIE LUPONEs hospital room He looks bad HENRY WEEMS is with him as MULDER and SCULLY enter
HENRY WEEMS Did you find her
SCULLY No
HENRY WEEMS You know Cutrona took her He did it to keep me from testifying
MULDER And hes who were focused on but theres no sign of a kidnapping theres no ransom note
HENRY WEEMS Hes too smart for that
MULDER Which makes it very hard for us to obtain a search warrant
SCULLY Well get one though
HENRY WEEMS When Tomorrow Next week Could someone sit with him at least starts to leave
MULDER Hold up Henry Henry what if what I said before wasnt true That your luck hasnt changed Maybe all this is happening for a reason
HENRY WEEMS So youre saying that Maggie getting taken is a good thing
MULDER No Im saying that what looks like it might be bad luck may not be bad luck but we cant tell yet Were not in that position We cant see the forest for the trees
HENRY WEEMS tries to put on his jacket but the sleeve rips Frustrated he leaves
MULDER How is he
SCULLY Not good If we dont find a donor in the next few hours
MULDER Scully what if everybody that becomes involved in Henry Weems life somehow becomes an integral part of his luck including you and I
SCULLY Mulder youre speaking as if were all trapped in one of those contraptions that he built
MULDER starts to walk out of the room
SCULLY What are you doing
MULDER Looking for Maggie Lupone He lifts up a patients chart and gets a phone book from the nurses station Luck is the overreaching force in this investigation I say we roll with it
MULDER opens the book to a random page waves his hand in the air with a dramatic flourish and lets his finger fall They look at the ad It is for a daycare center MUHAYMIN DAYCARE Nurturing the Children of Islam Since 1983
MULDER Yeah lets call that a dry run
SCULLY Yeah
MULDER opens to another page and lets his finger fall This time it lands on Graysons Linen Service
CUT TO
CUTRONAs building DOMINIC roughly escorts HENRY WEEMS off the elevator to face JOE CUTRONA
DOMINIC Look who came calling
HENRY WEEMS I wanted to tell you personally that theres no hard feelings Im not testifying against you Just let Maggie Lupone go
JOE CUTRONA Maggie I dont know anybody named Maggie to DOMINIC Do you know anybody named Maggie
JOE CUTRONA and DOMINIC laugh sarcastically
HENRY WEEMS Fellas dont jerk me around
JOE CUTRONA Jerk you around You tried to cheat me out of a hundred large you kill Angie you put Sal in the hospital Im jerking you around
HENRY WEEMS I apologize for my choice of words Please just let her go Her kids really sick I dont care what happens to me
JOE CUTRONA Youll care By the time Im finished youll definitely care
JOE CUTRONA and DOMINIC holding onto HENRY WEEMS enter the basement of the building Lots of industrial clothes washing machines are around MAGGIE LUPONE is locked behind a chainlink fence
MAGGIE LUPONE Henry Richie how is he
DOMINIC shoves HENRY WEEMS against a cart which knocks an iron into some water There is a large metal hook on a cable above him
JOE CUTRONA picking up what looks like a whip Not that one Use the small one
MAGGIE LUPONE Hey Henry
DOMINIC hooks HENRY WEEMS hands to a smaller hook across the room JOE CUTRONA pushes a button but nothing happens DOMINIC flips a main power switch JOE CUTRONA pushes the button and HENRY WEEMS is pulled up into the air
MAGGIE LUPONE shaking the fence Dont you hurt him you son of a bitch
JOE CUTRONA Shut her up
MAGGIE LUPONE Henry
DOMINIC starts for MAGGIE LUPONE As he does the iron lying in the water shorts out causing a shock to go up the cord into the light and into the chainlink fence just as DOMINIC is unlocking it He is electrocuted and falls to the floor The hook from which HENRY WEEMS is suspended swings away causing the large hook to start sliding down the cable JOE CUTRONA looks up just in time to see the large hook crash into his face
CUT TO
Chicago skyline All the power in the city flickers
CUT TO
RICHIE LUPONEs hospital room SCULLY is sitting beside his bed She looks up as the lights flicker and surge The sign for the center RI CHILDES Pediatric Care flickers When it comes back on the letters L D and S dont light up so that the sign spells RICHIE SCULLY stares at it
CUT TO
Basement HENRY WEEMS has gotten off the hook and helps MAGGIE LUPONE out of the fenced in area They look at JOE CUTRONAs body MULDER and several policemen enter the basement MULDER sees JOE CUTRONA lying dead in a laundry cart the large hook lying on his crushed head His medical ID bracelet is visible proclaiming his bloodtype as BNeg
SCENE 11
RICHIE LUPONEs hospital room He is much better and smiling MAGGIE LUPONE is beside him MULDER SCULLY and HENRY WEEMS are watching them through the window
MULDER What are the odds for Cutrona being a perfect match A thousandtoone A milliontoone
SCULLY Maybe higher Maybe everything does happen for a reason whether we see it or not
MULDER Maybe your luck is changing
HENRY WEEMS Maybe
HENRY WEEMS joins the LUPONES in the room MULDER and SCULLY watch as HENRY WEEMS starts the toy and turns to RICHIE LUPONE As the little ball pops into the basket SCULLY smiles up at MULDER
THE END
No history.
