Gender Bender (The X-Files) - Broadcast and Reception

Broadcast and Reception

"Gender Bender" originally aired on Fox on January 21, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on December 22, 1994. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 7.2, with a 12 share. It was viewed by 6.8 million households and 11.1 million viewers, meaning that roughly 7.2 percent of all television-equipped households, and 12 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.

The episode faced criticism from the crew over its ending using a deus ex machina to indicate that the Kindred may have been aliens. Producer James Wong felt that the episode's ending seemed overly abrupt and unexpected, describing it as appearing "like we tried to play a trick on the audience to make them say 'Ooh, what the heck was that?'". He added that the lack of a real connection to the episode's plot meant that the revelation lost any sense of catharsis for the viewer. Morgan said that the episode "went too far. At what point do we become unbelievable?" In addition, when asked about the similarity between the Kindred and the Amish, series creator Chris Carter noted that "they don't watch TV, so I wasn't worried about it".

"Gender Bender" received generally positive to mixed reviews from critics. In a retrospective of the first season in Entertainment Weekly, "Gender Bender" was rated "B−", being described as a "clever idea" that was "undermined by a bushel of burning questions". Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club, praised the episode, rating it an "A". He felt that the plot was "a perfect mixture of scientific theory, unsubstantiated rumor, and memorable visuals". Handlen felt that the episode effectively represented the ideal plot for The X-Files, featuring someone briefly interacting with supernatural phenomena without ever learning the truth of their experience. Matt Haigh, writing for Den of Geek, reviewed "Gender Bender" positively, feeling that it was "a nicely refreshing and original idea", with "strikingly atmospheric" sets and "impressively spooky" villains.

Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated "Gender Bender" one-and-half stars out of five, finding that it "finishes up ... entirely clichéd". Shearman felt that Bowman's direction, and the contrast between "decadent" night-life and the "restraint and denial" of the Kindred, were highlights of the episode. However, he also felt that it approached its themes too conservatively and tamely, leaving a "boring" end result. In his book The Nitpicker's Guide for X-Philes, author Phil Farrand has highlighted several inconsistencies in the episode, focusing on the implausible nature of the ending. Farrand cites the mention of the Kindred's pheromones containing human DNA and their use of the English language when in private as elements which seem incongruous for an alien race.