“Gender Bender,”
which first aired on Fox TV on January 21 of 1994, remains one of the weirder
and perhaps more controversial first season episodes of The X-Files.
That
controversy arises -- as it often does in life -- over one particular subject: sex.
In
particular, this installment directed by Rob Bowman muses upon the qualities
that comprise human sexual attraction and arousal.
In the final
analysis, does it all simply come down to chemical attraction?
Can
our responses, in effect, be programmed by chemical changes?
This
is not merely a matter for intellectual debate, either, as Scully learns in “Gender Bender.”
And the episode is certainly of strong interest from a characterization perspective.
As a character, Scully is very buttoned-downed and by-the-book. Yet “Gender Bender” finds Dana far outside of
her comfort zone, forced to act in a manner contrary, in many ways, to her
character’s parochial inclinations.
Also,
sexual attraction in The X-Files -- as embodied by the
central relationship between Scully and Mulder -- is often contextualized in
terms of an intellectual or cerebral connection. Mulder and Scully are
“turned on” by each other, we understand, because they are smart, resourceful,
capable, and curious “rivals.” One quality
I admire about The X-Files is that it recognizes the abundant truth: smart is
sexy.
Smart
is really sexy.
Yet
“Gender Bender” deliberately throws a monkey-wrench in that equation by
suggesting that sexual attraction isn’t universally based on factors of the
conscious mind at all, but on the body’s involuntary responses to stimuli
outside its control. The episode posits
an alien race that releases a pheromone irresistible to humans, turning the
affected people into the equivalent of one-time sex engines.
The
killer in this episode deploys that pheromone, uses up his/her lovers, and burns them
out. Victims die after catastrophic
cardiac arrest.
With
this chemical power to manipulate mankind comes another, equally uncomfortable
realization. Over-developed brains
aside, we’re all just…mammals, susceptible
to the same primitive biological drives as other, less-evolved mammals.
Where
we can attempt to differentiate ourselves, however, is in our intellectual response to this
drive. “Gender Bender” suggests that the
asceticism and abstinence typical of religious fundamentalism is, in fact, that very thing: an attempt not to
interface with the Divine, but to rein in the chaotic imperatives of sexual
desire.
That’s
a lot of thematic ground to cover, and yet “Gender Bender” is a surprising,
unpredictable, and tense hour. The story
from Larry and Paul Barber demonstrates another aspect of Chris Carter’s work
that I resolutely admire: the artist’s willingness to experiment with something
new, even if that something new goes against preconceived notions of
appropriateness or expectation. T
his is
the same impulse that gives rise to episodes such as “Home,” “Chinga,” “The
Post-Modern Prometheus” and “Triangle,” among others. Not all those episodes are complete
successes, but each is ambitious, and outside the rubric of strictly-defined format parameters.
In
Germantown, Maryland, Mulder and Scully investigate the latest in a string of
murders being committed by a killer with the unusual capacity to change sex at
will and transmit an irresistible human pheromone.
Mulder
traces the killings back to the Kindred, a strict fundamentalist religious sect
living in rural Massachusetts. Mulder and Scully infiltrate the compound, and
learn that the simple people there seem to be both immortal and chemically incompatible with human
beings.
Scully
is unexpectedly affected and aroused by Brother Andrew (Brent Hinckley) as
Mulder gathers evidence in a strange subterranean cave that indicates the Kindred
are not of this Earth…
“Gender Bender”
commences with imagery that succinctly expresses the episode’s theme. In an urban bar, as an alien stalks human
prey for purposes of casual sex, a painting is visible on the wall in the
background.
It
is a Giger-esque work of art combining human and alien features, and there is
both an allure and repulsion to it. The
painting’s visage simultaneously implies danger and sexual desire, and that is
the very nature, as well, of the episode’s gender-bending killer.
The
painting appears a second time, later in the hour, and the connection can’t be
missed. Both the painting and the
episode’s specific narrative turns suggest that humans are drawn to sex, even
if that sex might be dangerous or out-of-the-norm. And a “walking aphrodisiac”
like the episode’s killer seems to hone in on this aspect of his/her prey.
Uniquely,
“Gender Bender” also intuits a reason for the sexual asceticism of
fundamentalist Christian groups. The
Kindred cannot freely express their passions with those around them -- human
beings -- because to do so would be to commit murder.
Scully
notes the Kindred’s “abstinence and pure
Christian ways” but there is a very real, very practical reason for these ways. Sex and pleasure equate to murder for these alien visitors. When one considers Kindred prayers like “we pray for the day of the coming, the day
of our release,” it is not too difficult to discern what they mean. As visitors on Earth, they have contained and
controlled their appetites for far too long.
They desire a time and place where their “abstinence” and ascetic
life-style will not be necessary.
“Release” in this context, is, indeed, “sexual release.” Don’t get me started on the “day of the
coming.” That prayer isn’t just about a
flying saucer and crop circles, methinks.
Without
knowing all the facts, Mulder and Scully mistake the Kindred prayers for the
Christian desire to be saved and redeemed by a Messiah. In fact, the Kindred
long for the physical release of sexual intercourse in a safe environment. They dare not let themselves loose on Earth,
lest chaos result.
In
the dialogue, it is said that the killer in “Gender Bender,” Brother Marty, was
“captured” by the outside world of “slick” sexuality, and finally could not be
restrained, could not wait for the day of deliverance from Earth. He broke free of his people’s asceticism and
gave in to hedonism, with the result being death for his partners. In reckoning with this character, The
X-Files seems to present a case about American culture in the 1990s,
and the seductive power of advertising/media “imagery.” “Gender Bender” notes that Marty was not able
to resist this world. The question is: are we?
Notably,
even Scully is not immune to the pheromones released by the Kindred, and she
nearly finds herself a sexual partner for one of the sect. It’s especially frightening that Scully
becomes “captured” by this chemical force, because she is the series’ voice of
reason, science, and moderation. We
already know that Mulder is given to extremes of passion and depression,
emotionalism and restraint, but Scully is our emotional bedrock and point of
stability. So to see her so thoroughly overcome
by the Kindred is shocking, and the moment creates a sense of tension and
predictability.
In
terms of The X-Files history, Nicholas Lea makes an early appearance
here as one of the killer’s surviving victims. Lea would later return to the
series in the long-standing role of Krycek.
Secondarily
-- and this factor may account for some fan displeasure with the episode --
“Gender Bender” is one of the few X-Files episodes that posits alien
life outside the confines of the Mytharc.
The Kindred are quite separate and different from the shape-shifting
bounty hunters and black oil aliens seen later, and are never referred to
again. They are, in essence a one-off.
But
in the final analysis, that’s okay, because “Genderbender” accomplishes its artistic
task. It asks the viewer to consider the
forces underlining sexual, chemical attraction. Then it wonders if those forces are the very things
that make us human in the first place.
Next
week: “Darkness Falls.”
I found this episode interesting for its take on communal religious societies, like the Amish or Mennonites. Even for people who live near such groups, there is still that curiousity about what goes on in those closed communities. How different are "they" from "us?" In the case of "Gender Bender" they are quite literally *alien* to us! There's even a nod to the Amish ritual of Rumspringa, the sending of young adults into the outside world to decide if they want to live there instead. Most return to their Amish communities, but occasionally some choose to remain in modern society. Brother Marty's Rumspringa turns homocidal!
ReplyDeleteOr maybe the Amish, et. al. were just a convenient writing device. We need to put these characters in an isolated community but one that interacts with the rest of society. Hey! Religious commune! Sometimes it's as uncomplicated as that. :-)
Terri Wilson
On NPR last afternoon as I was driving home from work, there was a short news bit about some researchers developing a pill to reduce romantic urges. I'm not quite sure about the whole thing, but there may have been something about being able to tailor it against a specific individual. I wish I rememberd more about it.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed an interesting episode. Once again, splendid and deep analysis here John on your continued renewal of Season One on its 20th Anniversary.
ReplyDeleteI even enjoy seemingly obvious observations that escape us sometimes like the fact this was a group of aliens outside of the mytharc. Great point.
The X-Files were so ahead of its time. It's the precursor to Breaking Amish with aliens. Keep up the outstanding look back.
This is one of those episodes I forgot about completely. So it was a bit of fun to watch it with "fresh eyes". I liked the concepts in this episode, but the finale seemed a bit rush and the final minutes almost like a tacked on ending. It was actually the most frustrating element to me. This would happen a few times in this series, where it feels like the episode could have used about five or ten more minutes to really wrap things up.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, not a bad episode, but falls in the middle of the pack of season one for me.