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| Left to right: Lizzy Caplan and Michael Sheen |
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 Tuesday for a dissection of the week's episode featuring thoughts of the show in general as well as predictions of where things are headed.
*Note: You can watch a censored version of this episode on Youtube. Click here for the link.
The year is now 1965 and the research of Masters and Virginia have advanced quite extensively. There's consideration of a book being published. Virginia is trying to go to school to earn more credibility while Masters nervously holds onto the book. Libby Masters (Caitlin Fitzgerald) has grown fine with Virginia's presence and invites her to the family's vacation. With all of the children growing up, they are rebelling and discovering their own selves. Tessa Johnson (Isabelle Fuhrman) falls in love with Masters. Henry Johnson (Noah Robbins) wants to get away from her mother. Virginia is still fighting Masters over how she is publicly perceived. Libby worries that she doesn't understand Masters that well and ends up kissing Virginia. Just as things look to be going well, it is discovered that Virginia is pregnant.
Rating: 4 out of 5
And with that, Masters of Sex is back to doing what they do best. While the show hasn't gone too far out of control, season two was a sort of detour in quality from the successful first season. While it expanded the series' mythology and improved upon the Masters and Virginia romance, it did experiment in time jumping and dealing with erectile dysfunction in a way that felt metaphorical to the show's slow, inconsequential growth in the back half of the season. It was an odd note, considering that the duo have only had an improved status in the public eye since the first season. For the most part, the show remained consistent, and that's perfectly fine.
Though it does seem odd that they decided to make such a leap in this season. We now see them quite a bit into their relationship and credibility as scientists. However, it doesn't feel like they are the central focus of the episode. Masters is just as stubborn as he always is. Virginia is still trying to be respected. However, the characters that raise the most interesting aspects are the "new" faces, present in the older actors that play their children. While the children have felt inconsequential in the past, they now feel more integral to the story. They were nonsexual beings before and are now earning their own identity in some shocking ways.
There's Tessa, who is the most straightforward. I find her dynamic between Masters and Virginia to be one of the most interesting. She is trying to figure out who she is and has to turn to Masters. His usual timidity makes their conversations about sex a little more comical, considering that Virginia was always the outspoken one. Even when he tries to be helpful, he is presenting scientific mumbo jumbo that nobody can understand. Much like the publication of their book to a scientific community, nobody understands why we should care. Tessa just happens to be more keen to it. Even if she is fine getting drunk and making out with Masters, against his will, she is reflective of a new angle on the Masters of Sex wagon. She is the youth, of whom the hormonal developments occur but haven't really been explored. Is there possibly an adolescent study in store this season?
Most of all, I just think that it is interesting to see how the show has evolved its characters outside of the office. They are now complicated adults with children making their own decisions. Some of them are rather abrasive and strange. In their brief time on screen, we get an understanding of who they are as people and try to assess how they came from two very odd sex study revolutionaries. It doesn't always make sense, but it does manage to pay off. Libby is also given enough story to bounce back from last year. The question though is if the kiss with Virginia is foreshadowing or just dragging home a metaphor about how much better they are than Masters.
While I have heard some thoughts about the remainder of the season being more problematic, I am glad to have this show back. It remains just as entertaining as it always has been. The show has gotten more mature and has a lot of promise ahead. With Virginia now free of her ex-husband and a battle with her 18-year-old son, what is likely to happen? Will she ever get that respect she has been striving for? I am not too sure, but I am hoping that the show has worked out its kinks and will be back to producing some great, insightful content again.
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