TV Recap: Masters of Sex - "Undue Influence"

Left to right: Beau Bridges and Caitlin Fitzgerald

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.

Things are looking up for Masters and Virginia. The book is finally on shelves. Much to Masters dismay, the book is only located in a secluded portion of the bookstore. The owner claims that this is because only a niche group will buy the book and he doesn't want to make a big fuss out of it. Meanwhile, Margaret Scully (Allison Janney) begins to worry about Barton Scully (Beau Bridges) when she sees that he has food around is having phallic dysfunctions. She worries that it is her. Meanwhile, Masters is trying to get Virginia to agree to dates for the tour while Virginia deals with Tessa (Isabelle Fuhrman). Libby Masters (Caitlin Fitzgerald) tries to bond with her daughter and make everything all right. The book ends up on appropriate shelves and everyone is starting to turn around. Margaret forgives her husband after she admits that she is also having an affair.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Lizzy Caplan

If there is one thing that is odd about Masters of Sex, it is how inconsistent it has become following its first season. While the show continues to have a lot of charming chemistry and moments scattered throughout, it does leave a sense of question as to what this show wants to achieve. The first season was compact and focused on a singular series of events. The second season evolved into an even stranger creature as it jumped forward in time halfway through the season. And not to an impressive portion of the Masters and Johnson time frame. It was simply just a time when things weren't going to be that great. Now that we have a few more under our belt, the show has settled into one of the strangest times for the show.

It technically shouldn't be among their strangest times. It is actually a triumphant one with all things considered. This is the episode where the book gets published and everything comes together, right? Well, now it's time to hit back from society and see what they think. One of the propulsive forces in the episode is that Masters is trying to get his book onto shelves. He is also trying to get Virginia to go along with him, even though she is dealing with a series of issues including a son who is overseas and has malaria. Things aren't looking great. Even in this moment of triumph, things are going wrong.

Which isn't to say that it doesn't make for good drama. It's just that there's a lot more at play that keeps this episode from being more centered and interesting. Masters story is pretty much convincing people that his book isn't smut. He has to do what Virginia does better than him. He needs to be a persuasive mouthpiece for the cause. The results are staggering, considering that Virginia has spent a large portion of the time not helping. There's a rift between the two and it doesn't help the story much. Even the fallout with her husband (Mather Zickel) seems to distract from a more centralized focus. The episodes work best when there's a conjoined theme. There wasn't much here.

However, it was great to see Barton and Margaret back in the saddle. Both have been integral to the show all along and it is fun to hear their marital affairs. Barton may be one of the most confusing characters, but with purpose. He has good intentions, even if nobody will believe him. It is traumatizing to think that he may wind up dead if someone tried to cure him. Instead, his story ends with revelation that Margaret is also having an affair. As great as these two have been, it seems disappointing that their story amounts to that. Who knows what this means for Barton going forward. Will he be happy with his new partner? Time will have to see.

It isn't a bad episode of Masters of Sex, but it is among the episodes that don't feel like they achieve much of what makes the show great. We have a few obstacles, and then they are solved. Nothing too major. However, I do think that the season as a whole has a lot of promising potential once we literally get the show on the road. Maybe the book will open debates and cause more conflicts as Virginia deals with work and home in new ways. Maybe we'll be looking at a different sort of frustration between her and Masters. Then there's Libby, who has been a background character for most of the season. What will become of her? One can only wonder.