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| Julianne Nicholson |
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: With Masters and Virginia back in cahoots, they begin to get their studies ready at the new hospital. Meanwhile, Libby Masters (Caitlin Fitzgerald) hires a new nanny (Keke Palmer) to take care of the baby, whom she becomes suspicious of because of her young age. Virginia is also helping Dr. DePaul (Julianne Nicholson) with her study by helping her to film a video, of which DePaul is not confident about. Austin (Teddy Sears) tries to move forward after the intercom incident ruins his relationship. Masters begins to accommodate to the new hospital rather quickly and finds a girl who has a suspicious vaginal bleeding issue named Rose (Ana Walczak). She is reluctant to open up to Masters because of fear of embarrassing her parents, though Masters knows that something involving abortions is involved. Masters is quickly finding his foot and defending his practices to anyone who argues against him. Virginia plans to help DePaul even further with her study. Masters and Virginia are last seen heading to a hotel, presumably for sex.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
In a lot of ways, this episode feels almost like the "Pilot" all over for Masters of Sex. The most obvious is the introduction of the glass dildo that has been so prominent in the past. Listening to Virginia talk about its features at length only remind you that this ground was already captured. At best, we are introduced to new characters in ways that have promise, but aren't particularly memorable in the moment. The new hospital seems rather progressive, though it would seem a little redundant, yet expected, to follow in the same suit as season 1. There's only hope that we are beyond that.
I am glad to see that Masters is gaining his confidence back at a rather quick volume. He may not be a proven expert at sex, but he does manage to know his lingo. He controls the hospital when tragedy strikes. He openly discusses deviant terminology that has long been taboo. He is the Masters whom we haven't seen in awhile. He clearly wants to get studies back up and running. It could also be that he is sleeping with his partner, which is the ultimate ego booster. However, I don't know how long the relationship could possibly last once Libby finds out and busts the whole thing wide open.
However, I do hope that things begin to happen for Virginia and DePaul. Their journey has been exceptionally fresh and interesting. DePaul clearly has the passions and desires to do something with her plans. However, it seems like Virginia is pulling double duty this week and being the confidence booster for both her and Masters. In this case, she is prepping DePaul to be in front of the camera and show a side of her that will sell her study. Seeing as her recent doctor visit doesn't necessarily leave her with the most positive of outlooks, things will hopefully be kicking up soon.
It is important to not underestimate Virginia's placement in the series. While she seems to be the more promiscuous character of the central components, she almost needs to be. She is the one with the business smarts and the communication skills to get the truly smart people into the right circles. Yes, she has had some questionable relationships, but that doesn't mean that she isn't a secret weapon. Without her, the studies would be nothing. Maybe even Masters wouldn't be the confident man who says whore at least twice in the episode.
Even then, this feels like an episode fully established just to set up the rest of the season. We know what Masters' stance and stubbornness can produce now. We know who works at the hospital. We haven't really gotten much into the study beyond the dildo examination. It isn't a bad episode, but it does leave anticipation for what's to come. We need to see more of the Masters/Virginia relationship unfold and see how it directly relates to the rest of the action. This is an episode about finding confidence in unfamiliar territory, and now it needs to prove that it wasn't just a fluke.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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| Left to right: Lucas Dixon and Lizzy Caplan |
I am glad to see that Masters is gaining his confidence back at a rather quick volume. He may not be a proven expert at sex, but he does manage to know his lingo. He controls the hospital when tragedy strikes. He openly discusses deviant terminology that has long been taboo. He is the Masters whom we haven't seen in awhile. He clearly wants to get studies back up and running. It could also be that he is sleeping with his partner, which is the ultimate ego booster. However, I don't know how long the relationship could possibly last once Libby finds out and busts the whole thing wide open.
However, I do hope that things begin to happen for Virginia and DePaul. Their journey has been exceptionally fresh and interesting. DePaul clearly has the passions and desires to do something with her plans. However, it seems like Virginia is pulling double duty this week and being the confidence booster for both her and Masters. In this case, she is prepping DePaul to be in front of the camera and show a side of her that will sell her study. Seeing as her recent doctor visit doesn't necessarily leave her with the most positive of outlooks, things will hopefully be kicking up soon.
It is important to not underestimate Virginia's placement in the series. While she seems to be the more promiscuous character of the central components, she almost needs to be. She is the one with the business smarts and the communication skills to get the truly smart people into the right circles. Yes, she has had some questionable relationships, but that doesn't mean that she isn't a secret weapon. Without her, the studies would be nothing. Maybe even Masters wouldn't be the confident man who says whore at least twice in the episode.
Even then, this feels like an episode fully established just to set up the rest of the season. We know what Masters' stance and stubbornness can produce now. We know who works at the hospital. We haven't really gotten much into the study beyond the dildo examination. It isn't a bad episode, but it does leave anticipation for what's to come. We need to see more of the Masters/Virginia relationship unfold and see how it directly relates to the rest of the action. This is an episode about finding confidence in unfamiliar territory, and now it needs to prove that it wasn't just a fluke.
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