Wonderfalls : Muffin Buffalo

Season 1, Episode 6

Written by Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts

Directed by Craig Zisk

Original Airdate: 10 November 2004

"I’m working really hard on my education. Just not right now."
Aaron

REGULAR CAST

Caroline Dharvernas as Jaye Tyler
Katie Finneran as Sharon Tyler
Tyron Leitso as Eric Gotts
Lee Pace as Aaron Tyler
Diana Scarwid as Karen Tyler
William Sadler as Dr. Darrin Tyler
Tracie Thoms as Mahandra McGinty

GUEST CAST

Scotch Ellis Loring as Dr. Ron Campbell
Eddie Kaye Thomas as Fat Pat
Neil Grayston as Alec
Beth Grant as Mary Ann Marie Beetle

CO-STARRING

Aron Tager as Gwen
Matt Gordon as Conservative Patron
Kelvin Wheeler as Patron's Friend
Joyce Bartholomew as Mother
Colleen Reynolds as Ignored Customer
William Redwell as Fantasy Pat
Rebecca Stoneham-Moore as Lady with Shoelace

MUSE VOICES

Scotch Ellis Loring
Ted Dykstra
Jeffrey R. Smith

SYNOPSIS

Jaye and Aaron use a camera equipped with a telephoto lens to spy on a neighbour who lives in the trailer park. The man, whom they've dubbed Fatsquatch and Fat Pat, has only been seen in brief, blurry glimpses, only adding to his mythological allure. The pair suspects that Fat Pat became so large that he's unable to fit through his trailer door, and is trapped inside. Their hunt for Fat Pat is interrupted by a knock on the trailer door. It turns out to be a neighbour, Mrs. Beattle, who's looking for her disability checks, which haven't arrived in months. Jaye pulls out a white garbage sack filled with mail she hasn't looked at. The checks are in the sack. Before Jaye says anything, however, the buffalo on Mrs. Beattle's apron animates. It tells Jaye not to give the old woman the mail. Jaye follows its advice. At Wonderfalls, the Barrel Bear tells Jaye to staple a woman's shoelace to the floor. Jaye does as she's told. Moments later the woman trips, setting in motion a series of events that eventually leads to a baby being tossed through the air and into Jaye's arms. A customer snaps a picture, and Jaye is hailed as a hero, but Jaye insists she did nothing heroic. Aaron pays a visit to Dr. Ron. He speaks to him about Jaye and her habit of talking to inanimate objects.

When Jaye returns to the trailer park, she sees smoke coming from Mrs. Beattle's trailer. She makes her way inside and removes burnt muffins from Beattle's oven. Jaye then notices that the door to Fat Pat's trailer is open. She makes her way inside, and finds that it's empty, but quite neat. She then exits the trailer and moves toward her own. When she enters she finds Fat Pat, who's not fat, but is an odd man in his mid-twenties. Fat Pat has been looking at one of her photo albums, which is labelled "Fat Pat." Jaye tries her best to explain away the unflattering title on the album, which is filled with surveillance photos. A short time later Mrs. Beattle arrives back home, and Jaye tells her about the burnt muffin incident. The next day Jaye makes her way to Fat Pat's trailer and tries to make amends for the photo album. She tells Pat he's not fat at all, and encourages him to get out in public and see himself the way others see him. Jaye convinces Pat to accompany her to her parents' house, where she, Aaron, Sharon, and her parents play a parlour drawing game. Afterward Jaye and Pat go to the Barrel for drinks. There Pat tells Eric that Jaye has been obsessing over him for years, and that they only recently started dating. Eric's heart sinks. When Jaye returns home that evening, she's shocked to find a naked Pat laying in her bed under the sheets. Jaye tells Pat he's made a mistake, and she's not interested in having sex with him. Pat gets angry and leaves. Aaron returns to Dr. Ron's office, and this time he brings the cow creamer with him. Aaron says that when he broke the cow's head off, it stopped talking to his sister. Dr. Ron grows more convinced that it's Aaron who has psychological problems.

When Jaye returns to work, her mom and dad are waiting for her. It turns out she's been chosen as Employee of the Month. Jaye has no interest in the award, and insists it's a mistake... until she learns she gets the afternoon off. Jaye's parents tell her they're taking her to lunch. Meanwhile Pat begins to unravel, and he starts tearing through the trailer looking for something to eat. Just then Mrs. Beattle stops by with a platter of delicious muffins. At the Barrel Jaye enjoys a fondue with her parents. Aaron stops by and starts babbling about Jaye and her habit of talking to inanimate objects. Dad blames his ramblings on an existential crisis, something Aaron denies. Jaye decides she's had enough, and leaves the Barrel to take the afternoon off. When she returns to the trailer park, she discovers neighbours gathered outside Mrs. Beattle's trailer. They tell her that Pat dragged Mrs. Beattle inside, and no one has heard anything since. Jaye fears the worst. Jaye enters the trailer and finds Pat and Mrs. Beattle. It turns out that the depressed Pat was so taken by the sight of the muffins that he went off his diet and started binging. Jaye urges Pat to stop eating, as he was within twelve pounds of reaching his dieting goal. Pat keeps eating, telling Jaye that it doesn't matter how thin he is because people will still see him as Fat Pat. Jaye can't argue with his logic. She sits down next to him and starts eating muffins. Suddenly Pat slumps over the table with a thud.

Jaye and Mrs. Beattle rush him to the hospital, where he's told he overdosed on the fat-free substitute in Mrs. Beattle's muffins. As a result, his body purged some 13 pounds in waste. Pat realizes he reached his dieting goal after all. When Pat and Mrs. Beattle heap praise on Jaye, she can't stand it. In order to prove she's still a bitch, she shows Mrs. Beattle the disability checks she's had for months. Mrs. Beattle thanks her, because she's never before been able to save up money. She uses the money to launch Muffin Buffalo, muffins that help people lose weight. It's a huge hit. Later Eric drops by the trailer and learns that Jaye's not dating Pat after all.

TRIVIA

Beth Grant also appeared in another Tim Minear involved project, Angel's Rm. w/a Vu as Maude Pearson. Also in this episode Mahandra makes a comment about vampire's having no reflection in regards to cameras, which everyone who's seen Angel or Buffy the Vampire Slayer knows to be false.
This episode is supposed to air as the sixth episode, but on Canadian television, it aired eighth.