The X Files / Gender Bender /Additional

"There's something up there, Mulder."

"I've been saying that for years."

Of course, even when the episode seems to be about a type of human who can alter his/her/their gender, credit the X-Files creative team for getting their alien tie in. Though, inside the barn, a door leads to a cavernous lair where the Kindred take one of their own to being a process of...hmmm..."gender reassignment"? So the one among the Kindred carries on the appearance of an older man who seems to be choking, collapsing to the floor near the supper table. He's eventually carried to the cavernous lair in the barn where he's covered in a substance that seems to transition him to her. The murderer on the outside killing both men and women can shift from male to female after having sex with victims that suffer coronaries. I could see where this episode, "Gender Bender", might rub some the wrong way. The "how would the Kindred escape" twist at the end seemed tacked on, as if those of the creative side of the show didn't have an ending. I think if you are fascinated with the idea that there's much more to a community like the Amish or Mennonites, with Mulder and Scully quite a clash in that world, "Gender Bender" might be of interest. Personally, I think this will be the last time I watch it. I think this being an introduction to actor, Lea (he just recently finished up a romantic arc with Catherine on "CSI: Las Vegas" as I'm going through that series), playing a near-murder victim prior to his future role as Krycek, is what this episode might be better remembered for.