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| Left to right: Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan |
Welcome to the weekly recaps of the Showtime series Masters of Sex that follows the history of Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson's (Lizzy Caplan) actual studies of sex. Make sure to tune in every Wednesday for a dissection of the week's episode as well as thoughts of the show in general as well as potential thoughts of where things are headed. Also, please feel free to check out my recaps on Maron every Friday and Orange is the New Black every Saturday.
Plot: After sending her kids off to school, Virginia meets up with Masters at a motel for a getaway. Along with having sex, they enjoy each other's company and begin discussing their politics and other things that have helped to shape their personas. Masters, who is also part of an operation at the hospital to help a sick baby, tells her how boxing is a communication between the two opponents. As the conversations continue, Virginia has Masters expunge details of why he really likes boxing, which is because it reminds him of his submissive relationship with his father, who would beat him and make him feel shame. As the night continues, they try to bond over things and eventually depart in the morning to their separate lives. Masters is disappointed when he discovers that the father of the sick baby is reluctant to let the baby be a "sissy" and gives it a masculine name. Virginia witnesses men watching a boxing match and decides to join.
Rating: 5 out of 5
In truest fashion, Masters of Sex succeeds best when it manages to find a theme and explore it in great detail through varying plots. In this week's episode, the idea of masculinity is explored in a fascinating way that not only allows us to know further about Masters' submissive nature, but also about the general perception of the culture and time frame. It is looked down upon to be feminine for men and that there is a specific attractiveness that everyone must have in order to be loved. There is no middle ground and as evident by Tessa (Kayla Madison) telling her mother the structure of a fairy, it sets up the conflicts that are to follow.
While the line could be seen as a naive child throwing away a line, it actually is the construction of generations applying thoughts to other generations. Compare it to the parallels of Masters' great speech about being a submissive fighter, or a "fairy." In both cases, the male is looked down upon. Fairy is a feminine thing having to deal with beauty. While there are some progressive minds, such as Virginia telling both that their perceptions shouldn't be niche. They should embrace their individuality and not be ashamed to have friends whose preferences are outside the normality.
In a sense, boxing is the ultimate depiction of masculinity in this scenario. It can also serve as a metaphor for the sexual encounters of Masters and Virginia. They have a silent conversation with each other that they somehow understand. They know who is in charge and what is going on at any moment. As things carry on, it isn't so predictable. Meanwhile, the boxing could also serve as a reflection of Masters getting pummeled by his father during fights, choosing to feel weak and helpless because of it. Boxing defines Masters because, like him, it is a complex social interaction that has many interpretations. Most of all, it seems to remind him of his father.
We get a lot of breakthrough in this particular episode about characters breaking the structures of society. This is meant to tear down vulnerabilities and look at the people underneath who are fragile, sometimes even emotionally scarred. Nothing symbolizes it more than Masters witnessing Virginia naked, who is confused by the analysis. He doesn't touch her, but instead asks her to exude pleasure. Not in a sexual way, but as a way of confidence. Much like Virginia strips Masters of his pretensions to his father, Masters strips Virginia of her discomfort. While this is more a questionable act, it does help to level the overall themes and discussion points within the episode.
If nothing else, Masters of Sex has another great episode in its canon. It manages to take the simplicity and formulate something of value. It doesn't take a lot of complicated imagery to explain how masculinity is a facade. All it takes is a hotel room where a boxing match is on and comes to serve as commentary for the two's relationship. Not in the typical submissive way, but to overcome deeper struggles of confidence and reliability. There's so much going on that even the subtext ties in perfectly to the themes and makes this overall the most wholly satisfying episode of the series to date. It may not "progress" the story much, but it opens up some answers to questions that we have had about the characters for some time.
Rating: 5 out of 5
In truest fashion, Masters of Sex succeeds best when it manages to find a theme and explore it in great detail through varying plots. In this week's episode, the idea of masculinity is explored in a fascinating way that not only allows us to know further about Masters' submissive nature, but also about the general perception of the culture and time frame. It is looked down upon to be feminine for men and that there is a specific attractiveness that everyone must have in order to be loved. There is no middle ground and as evident by Tessa (Kayla Madison) telling her mother the structure of a fairy, it sets up the conflicts that are to follow.
While the line could be seen as a naive child throwing away a line, it actually is the construction of generations applying thoughts to other generations. Compare it to the parallels of Masters' great speech about being a submissive fighter, or a "fairy." In both cases, the male is looked down upon. Fairy is a feminine thing having to deal with beauty. While there are some progressive minds, such as Virginia telling both that their perceptions shouldn't be niche. They should embrace their individuality and not be ashamed to have friends whose preferences are outside the normality.
In a sense, boxing is the ultimate depiction of masculinity in this scenario. It can also serve as a metaphor for the sexual encounters of Masters and Virginia. They have a silent conversation with each other that they somehow understand. They know who is in charge and what is going on at any moment. As things carry on, it isn't so predictable. Meanwhile, the boxing could also serve as a reflection of Masters getting pummeled by his father during fights, choosing to feel weak and helpless because of it. Boxing defines Masters because, like him, it is a complex social interaction that has many interpretations. Most of all, it seems to remind him of his father.
We get a lot of breakthrough in this particular episode about characters breaking the structures of society. This is meant to tear down vulnerabilities and look at the people underneath who are fragile, sometimes even emotionally scarred. Nothing symbolizes it more than Masters witnessing Virginia naked, who is confused by the analysis. He doesn't touch her, but instead asks her to exude pleasure. Not in a sexual way, but as a way of confidence. Much like Virginia strips Masters of his pretensions to his father, Masters strips Virginia of her discomfort. While this is more a questionable act, it does help to level the overall themes and discussion points within the episode.
If nothing else, Masters of Sex has another great episode in its canon. It manages to take the simplicity and formulate something of value. It doesn't take a lot of complicated imagery to explain how masculinity is a facade. All it takes is a hotel room where a boxing match is on and comes to serve as commentary for the two's relationship. Not in the typical submissive way, but to overcome deeper struggles of confidence and reliability. There's so much going on that even the subtext ties in perfectly to the themes and makes this overall the most wholly satisfying episode of the series to date. It may not "progress" the story much, but it opens up some answers to questions that we have had about the characters for some time.
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