tv – The History of BDSM

CSI S11E14 “Sqweegel”: The Celluloid Dungeon

Jan 052026

CSI usually follows a certain format: e.g. we rarely see action that isn’t from the perspective of an investigator or a detective. Episode S11E04 “Sqweegel” (aired October 14, 2010) radically departed from this rule, so much so that some scenes look more like a slasher or giallo film.

Someone is slashing famous people around Las Vegas with a straight razor. Through the usual forensics business, the CSIs find that the assailant was wearing a latex suit. One of them even comments, “Time to get kinky!”

CSI:Vegas S02E01 “She’s Gone”: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Jan 012026

The revival series CSI: Vegas starts its second season with a dead sex worker, unsurprisingly. One of the first lines of dialog is a CSI looking at the bondage gear and saying, “The more things change, huh?” The cast of characters is mostly new, but the dynamic is largely the same.

The victim is pro dominatrix Lynn Zobrist, stabbed in her home with piece of a broken mirror. The perpetrator also took the time to drag all of the furniture out of her dungeon, cover the walls, floor and ceiling with glued-on mirrors, and leave Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” playing on repeat. Her housekeeper described her as “sad” and alone except for her clients.

Body of Proof S02E01 “Love Thy Neighbor”: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Dec 212025

Body of Proof is another post-CSI investigative procedural, this time focused on the life and work of medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delaney). The season 2 debut “Love Thy Neighbor” (aired September 20, 2011) bears a strong resemblance to the CSI episode “Swap Meet“.

An apparently accidental death in a suburban cul-de-sac turns out to be not-so accidental; the deceased has ligature marks on his wrists. “I used to live on a cul-de-sac like this. Nothing is ever what it seems,” says Megan (a metatextual joke as Dana Delaney also starred on Desperate Housewives). The clues suggest infidelity and one of the detectives searches a house and finds a locked cabinet. It opens with the mysterious key found on the victim, to reveal padded handcuffs, floggers and leather hoods. “Guess we know who tied him up now,” says the other detective. The couple who own the house look embarrassed.

Law & Order Special Victims Unit S24E16 “The Presence of Absence”: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Dec 162025

Air date: March 23, 2023, Director: Norberto Barba, Writer: Brendan Feeney

Two women, Zoe Greene and Jenna Scott, are in a nightclub. Jenna is pushing hard for Zoe to date again after the death of her husband. Jenna introduces Zoe to a dating app and gets her to connect to “Klaus Darcy”. Zoe’s online relationship with Klaus escalates to sexting, a little D&S, and gift exchanges, like lingerie. (Zoe mentions that she and her late husband used to get “a little freaky”.)

Zoe sets up a meeting with Klaus at a hotel room, including bondage with her late husband’s neckties. She’s wearing black lingerie and a collar with an O ring. The text messages tell her to pose by the window, and she answers “Yes, sir.”

CSI S05E05 “Swap Meet”: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Nov 282025

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation S05E05 “Swap Meet”, aired October 28, 2004. IMDB

In “Swap Meet”, the CSI franchise checks another sexual subculture off its list: swingers. While not directly related to BDSM, this episode does illustrate how investigative procedurals like CSI handle alternative sexualities.

The episode opens with aerial scenes of Las Vegas intercut with soft-core style shots of a couple making out. Cut to a hetero couple going to a swingers party in a posh gated community, with the soundtrack of “Vertigo” by U2. This being TV, everybody is younger and prettier than they would be in real life. This being CSI, it’s only a matter of time until a dead body turns up. This time, it’s a woman in a fountain, stabbed in the back and drowned.

Dying for Sex S01E06: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Nov 162025

Dying for Sex S01E06 “Happy Holidays”

After Molly, Niki and Sonya celebrate the one-year anniversary of Molly’s cancer return, she has another dom-sub session with Neighbor Guy. Along the way, Molly gets turned on with him, but her anxiety returns, represented by a vision of a man with a blurry face. She partially opens up to Neighbor Guy about her childhood sexual abuse, and that she’s never had an orgasm with another person. She tells him she wants to try to orgasm with him, and he’s eager to help.

Dying for Sex S01E05: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Nov 062025

In S01E05, “My Pet”, Molly continues seeing (and dominating) Neighbor Guy, and starts seeing Pet, a man into puppyplay, complete with costume and collar. However, she hasn’t told either of them about her cancer. She orders Neighbor Guy to finish himself off and goes into the bathroom to finish herself off with a vibrator.

Dying for Sex S01E04: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Oct 212025

Dying for Sex is a 2025 dramedy series about a woman, Molly, who is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and leaves her husband in search of sexual fulfillment.

In “Topping is a Sacred Skill”, the fourth episode of the first (and apparently only) season, Molly continues her exploration of her sexuality. In between episodes, she attended a BDSM play party and is intrigued by a dominant there known as G.

Dying for Sex S01E03: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Oct 152025

Dying for Sex is a 2025 dramedy series about a woman, Molly, who is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and leaves her husband in search of sexual fulfillment.

In S01E03 “Feelings Can Become Amplified”, Molly starts taking a medication that gives her mood swings, while also struggling with vaginal dryness. She has a peculiar relationship with a man in her apartment building (aka “Neighbor Guy”): she’s disgusted by him, but she has a “mistake orgasm” by masturbating while she can hear him masturbating through their shared thin wall.

Red Shoe Diaries S01E13 “How I Met My Husband”: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Sep 222025

Red Shoe Diaries S01E13 “How I Met My Husband”, Aired June 26, 1993 IMDB

“How I Met” starts off like a cross between a music video and a fashion show. Mistress Miranda’s dungeon is having an exhibition, with women and men in fetish gear strutting on a catwalk while a female announcer talks about the outfits and how much they cost. The frame is “dressing for power”. “Remember, leather, rubber and steel equals power and control.” It’s very aspirational and consumerist, locating kink in a fantastic world of wealth and glamour.

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