TV Retrospective: Masters of Sex - Season 2

Left to right: Lizzy Caplan and Michael Sheen

It is the question that everyone asked at the end of season 1 of Masters of Sex: will Bill Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) get together? While history assures us that they will, Masters' excuse to come out in the rain and plead for her hand was a romantic gesture that could have gone either way. In fact, it is a perfect summary of the season that followed. For awhile, things were going in one direction, then halfway through were thrown for a curve ball. To say the least, Masters of Sex in season 2 was more experimental and less successful and keeping a consistency. It wasn't the worst thing that could happen, but between the highs of "Flight" and the back half being so monotonous, it is really hard to give any credit to the series' former genius. For the most part, the series has stalled out.

There was knowledge that Masters wasn't likely to stay at Barton Scully's (Beau Bridges) hospital much longer. While he was always a guest character by credits' standards, there was still some hope that things would change. He was entering shock therapy and was last seen attempting to hang himself. The Scully family was a mess that was worth looking further into. Beyond a cameo in the finale, there wasn't much coverage to the man who became a sympathetic force in the first season. Likewise, Betty DiMello (Annaleigh Ashford) became Masters and Virginia's secretary and in the process sacrificed her personal story in favor of playing witty nurse. Along with a guest appearance by Sarah Silverman as a lesbian character whose role was established but quickly wasted, the series had trouble determining what it wanted.

Still, in "Flight," things looked differently. In the best episode of the series, Masters and Virginia spend an evening taking in a boxing match while discussing gender roles. It is intimate and full of the wonderful metaphorical situations that the series is known for. It may have been more of a one act play, but the characters had so much charisma that it didn't matter. Sadly, "Flight" was similarly attempted in later episodes in small doses. With the couple falling further into each other's comfort zone, they were naked and observing each other more frequently. Talk of alcoholic brothers, negligent mothers and husbands were all discussed as well, but it seemed like the chemistry was going to falter very soon, especially as Virginia began to practice on her own while losing her partner Dr. DePaul (Julianne Nicholson). 

Then "Asterion" happens and the world of the series is updated to three years in the future. Along with changing hospitals a ridiculous amount of times and a subplot involving racial segregation, it was a move that had potential to give the series something to do. Instead, it chose to focus on their own personal failures. Through the final episodes, sexual inadequacy was the major theme and when applied to external metaphors, it did absolutely nothing after one week. Sure, Masters had a lot of shortcomings, but what else was there? To throw the attention on Barbara Sanderson (Betsy Brandt) was great, but she wasn't of much use after awhile either. It was a whole lot of talk about how the series was in a rough spot.

Considering that "Asterion" threw them three years into the future, the hypothetical situation should have been to throw them into a more interesting time. Yes, they need to be shown getting the media's respect, but "One for the Money, Two for the Show" had moments that were interesting of how media censors sex, but it wasn't enough to detract from the fact that the show was obsessed with the inadequacies of Masters. However, it became noble that Virginia sacrificed her kids for a career. It may be shocking, but it is well deserved when analyzed.

The only character who actually did anything was Libby Masters (Caitlin Fitzgerald), who went from racist to fully embracing a black man by the end. She knew of her husband's affair and she longed for acceptance from someone else. Her role may be a little cliche in this sense, but at least she did something besides brood for hour after hour. With the kids conveniently missing most of the time, there was plenty of time for some silly actions. By the end, everything worked out in that Masters was humbled for failing and we got an inordinate amount of time with Dr. Langham (Teddy Sears), even though he didn't mater to the main story. Speaking as we lost Scully, DePaul, and Betty's story throughout the season, why focus on a man who was used by a woman?

Masters of Sex in season 2 is more of a frustration series of things that should have happened. There should have been more of a draw instead of retreading familiar plots such as looking for new work and essentially doing what season 1 did better, minus the whorehouses. Considering that the supporting cast has only gotten more interesting, there is a wish that they were better used. The metaphors for societal situations were interesting, but as it grew more personal, it became more problematic. There's hope that the series can work out its kinks and focus on something more lively and interesting. However, if the series continues to meander, there's a chance that I will just lose interest. You can only take so much talk about inadequacy in one season.

Rating: 3 out of 5