The X-Files episode that was so hot for television

as if Chris Snellgrove | Published

It is impossible to overstate sexual desire The X-Files In the year It's back in the 90s... In addition to the on-screen chemistry between the charming David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, these two have been featured in several steamy photos, including the famous cover of Rolling Stone in bed. Honestly, after that issue's photo shoot served as a sexual arousal for an entire generation, we don't think this show even knows what "hot" means. Apparently, though, one episode was too hot for television: "Gender Bender," a Season 1 episode in which the concept and story were being changed due to concerns that the network wouldn't accept it.

Gender Bender

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For writers of The X-FilesThe first season was all about testing the boundaries, deciding what would work best for the show's story and characters, as well as what would pass the network's censors. In "Gender Bender," authors Larry and Paul Barber begin with a simple and provocative question: How can sex be made as scary as creepy aliens or chain-smoking government spies? Answering this question was essentially an order from the top, with executive producer Glenn Morgan later asking the creative staff for "an episode with more of a lustful edge."

as a The X-Files Producers and writers soon realized this was easier said than done, and Morgan admits, "It was hard to find a story that made sex scary." The "Gender Bender" episode answered that question... sort of. The writers came up with the idea Foreign citizens Who Can Change Gender, but the episode went through several revisions due to concerns about how the Fox network would respond to certain storylines and general preconceived notions about gender and sexuality, particularly in ' 90s

The missing parts

Even after all these years, the The X-Files The writers and producers haven't fully revealed why the "gender bender" had to change. One thing we do know, though, is that they created a tense moment in the episode where one character's crotch begins to rot. This de-emphasized the whole sex-horror angle, and co-executive producer RW Goodwin later gave a simple explanation for why they cut this moment entirely: "If I was watching that episode with my daughter, I would have killed it."

While system-bending elements are thanks to some sculpting baddies, this The X-Files The episode lost its original focus on sex and sexuality. As Glenn Morgan put it, the concept of the last episode was an answer to a different kind of question: "What if there were people like the Amish from another planet?" That answer wasn't very engaging and "Gender Bender" is rather (ahem) dull, but it did have a chance to introduce audiences to Nicholas Lea, who would later return as fan-favorite recurring villain Alex Krycek.

as a The X-Files Fans, we can't look at "Gender Bender" as a good episode, but the story of its development is still fascinating. It's surprising to know that the show started out with the intention of focusing on horror sexuality, but network censorship and the threat of viewer pushback kept the show from descending into full-body horror. David Cronenberg Style. If it weren't for those limitations, we'd probably get a bleeding edge episode where meltdown is a lot less scary in the whole episode.




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