User Reviews

Okay, that was a pretty damn good episode. Much better than the credit it receives.

The camera work is splendid. Best yet. I love that final shot. The atmosphere is fantastic, the costumes are great and the guest cast (minus the helpless victims) is strong.

What I don't like about this episode is that many things that are left unexplained. why does it change sex? what's the purpose? and they're aliens? what kind? why were they never shown again in the later mythology?

I'm giving this episode a high THREE stars. One of my favorites yet, but the plot holes bother me. Still... not gonna let it ruin my entertainment.

The premise for Gender Bender is classic X Files - a seductive killer appears to be able to change their sex at will. However, as the plot unfolds, it really makes very little sense. We're introduced to "The Kindred", a sort of Amish cult who still ride around in a horse-drawn carriage and talk like those odd folk in 'The Village'. It turns out that one of them has fled the clan to pursue the worldly pleasures of the flesh.

The problem comes with the ending, which most reviewers here understand as "The Kindred were aliens." It makes no sense. Why would aliens come to earth and live like Amish isolationists? What is the benefit of them being able to change their sex? And what exactly is Marty trying to do? Mate? Kill?

I took the ending to mean that this sect eventually got their wish and were beamed away by aliens, yet that still doesn't explain the titular gender-bending or what exactly was going on in the basement cavern.

Overall, the episode is a confusing and unsuccessful blend of religious isolationism and extra-terrestrial hokum. Should have been called "Genre Bender"...

Gender Bender the Limerick:

A man or a woman? Who knows?

It turns out that 'it' is both.

Sleeping in clay

Then they all went away

In one of their UFOs.

Gender Bender is another great Season 1 episode. I enjoy this one because the story is the kind where you are never really sure what's gonna happen next. It is entirely original. The teaser is very fun with the close up of the eye and the reflection of the disco lights. I really need to learn my that thumb trick the genderbender heshe does. I really like the atmosphere at the Kindred's little village and Mulder and Scully sneaking around in the middle of the night. Its very exciting. This is one of my favorite Season 1 episodes in fact. I think the thing I like about it so much is how they turn out to be aliens in the end and left crop circles. Many people see this as a non-mythology related alien episode kind of like "The Unnatural" or "Space" but I think this could easily be seen as mythology related. Maybe the genderbender was just like the alien bounty hunter and could appear to look like anyone. Huh? Anyway I give the episode a 9 out of 10.

"So what is our profile of the killer? Indeterminate height, weight, sex; unarmed but extremely attractive?" – Dana Scully.

Episode 14, 'Gender Bender', original air date January 21st, 1994. Written by Paul and Larry Barber, directed by Rob Bowman. Monster of the week episode count, 10. 'Gender Bender' is notable for being the first episode to feature Rob Bowman as director and also the first appearance of Nicholas Lea, otherwise known as Alex Krycek, in an unrelated guest role. Bowman is one of the series best directors, taking the helm for not only 33 episodes ranging from seasons one to seven, but also directing the 1998 X-Files movie. Paul and Larry Barber penned the script for this week, their singular contribution to the show, and it's surprising that we will not see them again since 'Gender Bender' offers an interesting, original concept with just enough mystery and suspense to keep the audience engaged. It's only significant downfall being that it concludes rather abruptly, almost as if they ran out of time in the editing room and the final scene ended up on the cutting room floor.

The episode opens with the murder of a man by an assailant who appears to be able to change their sex at will. The FBI agents are investigating a series of these murders, in which every victim appears to have died following a sexual encounter. Scully, in an unintentionally humorous line, declares that, "it is hard to believe that someone would have sex with a perfect stranger in this day and age." Frankly, It's not that hard to believe at all. There may be a sub-textual message about the dangers of one night stands underlying this episode. Mulder's keen investigatory work leads them to interrogate the members of a religious cult known as the 'Kindred', who bare a striking resemblance to the real life members of the Amish church in both appearance and lifestyle choice. In pursuing this lead the pair find themselves witness to a religious ceremony in which a member, who has recently passed away, undergoes a transformation of gender in an underground cavern, connected by a network of tunnels. We learn that a member of the Kindred, Brother Martin, has left to seek pleasures beyond their simple world and is, perhaps inadvertently, killing his victims post sexual intercourse. Ultimately the Kindred recapture Brother Martin and disappear without a trace, leaving behind only a mysterious crop circle in the fields surrounding their farmland. The implication being of course that they were not of this world.

This episode succeeds at delivering the unexpected. From the opening scene in the nightclub, featuring a gender bending killer able to hypnotise their victims by touch, you would never expect the story to lead to an Amish-like community of ageless alien beings living outside a small town in Massachusetts. If originality is worth anything, the Barber's deserve some credit for providing an imaginative story. Bowman's skilled direction is also evident throughout and a key element to what helps this episode succeed. The setting of the Kindred's farmland and modest housing are a welcome change of scenery from the concrete jungle of previous episodes. The locations certainly give this show a distinctive feel and aide greatly in drawing the audience in to the fascinating world of this religious sect. The soft colour pallet and stark, open landscape of the Kindred's community is juxtaposed perfectly with the intermittent scenes that feature the thumping music and high-tech, neon glow of the night club.

The supporting cast all deliver believable performances and although many members of the Kindred are not afforded a great deal of screen time, they nonetheless communicate a convincing depiction of a secluded cult that is harbouring some dark secrets. A small gripe with the script writing for this episode involves the uninspired method of preventing Scully from once again witnessing the crucial 'X-File moment'. As in an earlier episode, she is knocked over by an assailant, forcing her to stay behind while Mulder chases after her attacker and subsequently witness the sex-changing transformation before his eyes. This is a weak plot device that we've seen before and it's hard to take, as Scully is a highly trained FBI field agent, yet she seems to be particularly susceptible to knocks on the head. As mentioned, the shows biggest flaw is it's ending, or lack thereof. The final scenes culminate in a well crafted climax that ends just one scene too early. Mulder and Scully return to the Kindred's community after they are seen recapturing Brother Martin, only to find them conspicuously absent, having left behind a circular pattern in the field which strongly suggests an alien element. The concept of the Kindred never ageing, as evidenced by the photographs from the 1930's that feature current member of the sect, piques our interest. However, this is left unexplored due to time constraints and although the X-Files frequently concluded episodes as unresolved and unsolved, this particular entry feels as though it was due to poor pacing or editing rather than a conscious choice by the writers. It's flaws notwithstanding, 'Gender Bender' is an entertaining standalone episode that welcomes Rob Bowman to the series in his first of many great turns in the director's chair.

Oh man, what a let down! Granted that the mythology of the series dealt with UFO's and aliens among us, I thought the ending of the story was a cop out when Mulder and Scully stood in the middle of that hay field with the outline of a flying saucer. Surely, everything prior wasn't very credible either with the whole 'gender bender' concept, but at least that was interesting. A character with the ability to use the seductive power of touch to mesmerize his/her victims was kind of creative, with the shape-shifting feature something of a bonus. It was around this time I believe, the early Nineties, when computer graphic technology succeeded in making facial and body changes virtually seamless, so it looked like one character morphing into another without a hitch. There was a fairly creative commercial coming out of the era that did it multiple times with people of different ages, genders and races and was pretty cool, though I don't remember who the sponsor of it was. But for all the cool effects being utilized here, the absence of a resolution to the story left things totally frustrating for this viewer. And the fact that the murderer got away with the help of his Kindred community had to leave a galling effect on Scully and Mulder who up to this point, had a pretty good record of getting their man, er..., woman, er..., whatever.

The first season of the X-Files was notable for its large number of standalone (aka "Monster-of-the-Week") episodes bearing little to no connection to the overarching mythology arc that would lift off in the subsequent year. "Genderbender" is one such episode and, though in some contrived sense it involves extraterrestrials, it is largely - if not entirely - a self-contained storyline (the focal point of which - The Kindred - are never mentioned again).

If the idea was to end the episode with a hastily-delivered twist, there should have been some sort of payoff. A simple mentioning of the phenomena in a subsequent episode at the least or an explanation of its plot holes at best. As it is, we the viewers are rushed into the final scene without the vaguest hints of what is going on, and as it is never fully connected to the series' broader canvas, it is hard to look back on it with anything but indifference.

Another thing that bugged me about this episode was the lack of any sexual charisma. Even the title itself would imply some sort of carnal motif, yet Marty's magnetic quality is never made apparent, and the scenes with Scully and Brother Andrew are just funny in some surreal way. Fans were critical of Mulder's unusual behavior in "3", yet he and guest star Perrey Reeves had vibrant on-screen chemistry, none of which is to be found here.

While I tend to pick on this episode quite a bit, it does have its moments. The barn/cavern scenes were surrealistic and really make use of Rob Bowman's journeyman camera work. This was Bowman's first go-round on the X-Files, and his work on ninety-one subsequent episodes speaks volumes about the impression he left on this one. I also thought the guest acting was decent, with Nicholas Lea making his one and only pre-Krycek appearance (and a rather humorous one at that).

"Genderbender" is far from perfect, suffers from too many unexplained and oddly juxtaposed phenomena (it's slightly strange jumping from a nightclub to an Amish reservation at the change of a scene), yet it is much better than other season one episodes and offers up a mildly interesting plot line. Too bad it was never mentioned again; I think further elaboration could have cast this episode in a much better light.

6/10

X-Files seems to be all over the place when an episode such as "Gender Bender" plops down among the "myth-arc", baddies of the week, etc... With this show sometimes you get the improbable yet possible, the perhaps, and the totally improbable. This is in the last category and requires total suspension of belief. If you can give it that you might just enjoy the ride.

"Gender Bender" is about an alien shape-shifter who goes about the singles bar circuit seducing victims with some kind of cosmic pheromone and, ultimately, killing the victims. While investigating five similar deaths due to acute cardiac arrest Mulder and Scully are drawn to an isolationist primitive religious sect. The murderer is a former member who, due to urges of the carnal type, leaves to pursue his/her desires. The alien has the ability to shape-shift including gender. Mulder and Scully witness the strange sect first hand with Scully almost under the pheromone spell.

This isn't one of the finest X-Files episodes, but it has a certain pull if the viewer, as previously mentioned, can suspend belief to "get on board". The atmosphere is thick and is creative in spite of some derivative part here and there. So throw out your right brain and enjoy the dark ride.

For me this is one of the most disappointing episodes from Season 1. The storyline revolves around a killer who can seemingly change his gender. However, when Mulder and Scully investigate they find that this killer belongs to a religious group who live a life of isolation. Naturally the agents pay a visit to this group and uncover a few dark secrets. For me this episode would have worked better as a straight "Monster of the Week" instalment. I didn't like the inclusion of the religious sect.

The acting is good all round but it is the storyline and lack of any real atmosphere that lets this episode down. The ending is also a real disappointment.

This is not one of the better episodes from Season 1.

A sect of Amish-type people known as the Kindred, living off in the woods on the outskirts of a Massachusetts town could be related to a series of murders involving coronaries to healthy young adults seemingly associated to a specific club in DC. A scratch across the throat (a substance under the fingernails is what leads Mulder to the Kindred!), and the camera account of a woman going into a room with a guy only for a man to exit (and pheromones linked to the sexual nature of the deaths for those who died) lead Mulder and Scully to the Kindred. A slight thumb rub on the side of a hand could be a method by the killer to seduce his victims without them being able to resist. Scully finds this out when she is nearly seduced against her will by a member of the Kindred named Brother Andrew (Brent Kinkley, quite weird and awkward) only for Mulder to intervene in the nick of time. A giant crop circle, the Kindred's ceremony for a dying member of their sect which includes a transformation and how the Kindred take back the killer who had left the family to partake in passions with "outsiders" (seemingly vanishing) are developments which leave quite a lot to dwell on by episode's end. For me, the angle with how the Kindred could be extraterrestrials is quite a conclusion…even though this show is rooted in its aliens, this episode doesn't really follow the typical government interference or actually hint at the Kindred being "from parts unknown". Being as isolated as they are, and the disguise of an Amish kind of sect would be ideal for aliens trying to hide and co-exist without detection. Once again, Mulder is denied his proof of alien existence as the killer is recovered by his family and snatched away in the night. Their home is abandoned, with Mulder and Scully unable to catch the killer. The transition sequences are quite otherworldly. Mulder and Scully sitting at the table with the Kindred is quite a sight; their discomfort as the group pray, and just how they clash with their surroundings (and their reactions to the strange interactions with the Kindred) provide some humorous moments. The killer isn't all that interesting unless we see him/her preying on victims in a discotheque, but the creepy nature of the Kindred leaves a lasting impression. Not top tier, prime X-Files, but the forty-five minutes isn't a total waste.

Gender Bender is about the investigation into a series of bizarre deaths, all having heart attacks after sex.

A good episode, but not as good as I recall. Has a quality start and the atmosphere solid, but a hollow ending. The alley scene's atrocious, appearing then disappearing. Time's spent with the Kindred, Scully almost victim and there's photographs. This should not be forgotten within the series like it is, Scully should be looking for them or at least look into it, even though the assumption's a spacecraft. That should make it even more significant. Krycek's in here as random victim Michel, before he's Krycek, makes an impact.

Scully: So what is our profile of the killer? Indeterminate height, weight, sex; unarmed, but extremely attractive?

Gender Bender is an okay episode with a lot of holes. I've never really liked it. It was an okay idea, but maybe it would have been better if they didn't change their gender. (Just a thought) Anyway, here are some good and bad points about it,

The Good: Mulder kicking the map. xD

Mulder's southern drawl. x]

The Bad: Why do they want to change their sex?

How can Marty (I think his name was) change his sex so quickly?

They were aliens? xD How odd.

Conclusion: Okay episode, yet lot of unexplained stuff. 5/10

Why are they washing the corpse with mashed potatoes? That's about the most interesting question I was left with, after all the sexual anxiety drivel.