“Gender Bender” – Season 1 Ep. 14

Mulder: You get any sense about them?
Scully: There’s something up there, Mulder.
Mulder: Oh, I’ve been saying that for years.

Written by: Paul & Larry Barber

Directed by: Rob Bowman

Original Air Date: January 21st, 1994

Principal Setting: Germantown, Maryland & Steveston, Massachusetts

Quick Synopsis: 

“Gender Bender” introduces us to what could be alluding to the shape shifters in future seasons, as a woman and/or a man is rustling in the sheets and the end result causes the victims to have massive coronaries due to extreme levels of pheromones. The geography of the killings gives Mulder the idea the killer may be a member of a secluded, religious sect named the Kindred (similar to the Amish).

As Mulder and Scully encounter the Kindred in town, Scully has a special experience with one of them and is drawn in by him just shaking her hand. They investigate the Kindred’s sect location, and the members meet the agents before they get to their property, and demand they give them their guns (not because they’re dangerous, just due to not believing in weapons). The Kindred is appalled that there could be a killer in their group. The killer gets closer to Scully and Mulder desperately wants to find the truth at the compound despite every door being closed.

Personal Commentary:

This one has some good moments, but is a bit slow in parts. There’s a lot of unanswered questions that are brought up like why this gender bender is changing sexes and why he is part of the Kindred? I guess for a killer that kills by doing the nasty, what better group to be a part of than a conservative, religious sect to be the perfect cover. Oh, and the early 90’s club music in the begining is so annoyingly awesome! I think this episode gets a ton of bad reviews from that first scene alone.

SPOILER…I also didn’t really like the fact they were all supposively aliens that flew off in their spaceships making crop circles. It would have been better just to leave more of a mystery if they would have just disappeared without a trace.

Episode Grade: B-

Favorite Scene: 

Gotta love the song that’s playing at the club in the opening scene, as the extreme close up of an eye is watching for its next victim. This video actually makes it sound decent.

Fun Facts:

• The first X-Files appearance of Nicholas Lea before taking on the role of Alex Krycek.
• When the team is examining the first corpse, the eye twitches (time between 5:15 and 5:25).

Faces You Recognize:

• Brent Hinkley has played some small character actor parts, but I know him best as Lou from Seinfeld.