Masters of Sex - Recap: A-N-E-S-T-H-E-S-I-A

Episode 7 of Season 1 of Masters of Sex found Virginia (Lizzy Caplan) and Dr. Masters (Michael Sheen) continuing the scientific sexcapades that started during last week’s close. Complications arose, however, as emotions were inevitably dragged into the mix, driving both of these new study participants to reevaluate the situation. Meanwhile, Proctor Scully (Beau Bridges) found himself in a dire situation that nearly ruined his career and ended his life, and all the while, his wife, Margaret (Allison Janey), continued her torrid affair with Austin (Teddy Sears). Ethan (Nicholas D’Agosto) continued to play the hero this episode, even if it came at the cost of his own feelings. Here is the Recap and Review of Masters of Sex Season 1 Episode 7, “All Together Now”!

Episode 7 began with the continued consensual scientific sex between Masters and Virginia. Of course, we’re privy to the emotions that had been brewing on Masters’ end for some time now, inevitably coming to the conclusion that he’s at least somewhat shamelessly taking advantage of the situation in order to get closer to Virginia. Virginia, on the other hand, has been able to, in the past, do a decent job of separating sex from emotion, a quality that Masters would need to learn quickly if things were to continue professionally.

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Ethan aided Virginia in purchasing a car this week, cosigning on a loan (because they weren’t so readily handed out to women at the time) and reminding us of the potential chemistry these two have. Remember, Virginia and Ethan had made amends last week following Ethan’s offer to help stand in as a decent male role model for her son. Much of Episode 7 was themed around this sort of chain between all of these characters. One character loves another, who loves another, who loves another, etc. In the end, it doesn’t seem like any of these couples or pairings have reached a place of mutual affection. Ethan, for example, had continued to hold out hope for Virginia, yet his current girlfriend, Vivian (Rose McIver), remained blissfully unaware. By the close of the show this week, though, Ethan was admitting to his sticky situation and showed honest promise in his quest to move on from the heartbreak Virginia had perpetually caused him. Vivian, unaware of the true identity of this former flame, simply seemed touched by Ethan’s effort to begin incorporating her respectfully into his life without any buried secrets.

With Scully headed to New York for work, Austin and Mrs. Scully could continue their hot love affair from the comfort of her bedroom. Remember, the Scullys sleep in separate rooms and haven’t had sex in years. Mr. Scully, a closeted gay man, briefly stopped on his way to New York to rendezvous with his homosexual prostitute lover. Luckily for Scully, the boy has a heart, and he’d be the one to selflessly rescue his client from a group of thugs committing the hate crime that eventually led to Scully’s stabbing. Scully, desperate to keep his sex life a secret, attempted to stitch himself up in the privacy of a dimly lit hospital room, inadvertently catching Bill’s eye. Bill, fed up with Scully’s careless ways, reminded his superior that this situation is about to tremendously blow up in his face, threatening to demolish any reputation the man has built over the years, along with the utter destruction of his family.

Showtime "Masters of Sex"

Funny enough, Scully returned home to catch his wife in the act. While her lover, Austin, remained concealed, the aftermath that followed the next morning was one of the more gut-wrenching scenes this week. Margaret feels completely unwanted and unattractive, and Scully’s refusal to even flinch at her quite obvious affair only rubbed salt in the wounds. Scully, who most certainly loves his wife, eventually found comfort in, oddly enough, the prostitute who’d saved his life. This is a terrible situation for everyone involved, and it’s only a matter of time before Margaret manages to deduce the truth that is sure to turn her husband’s world upside down.

Interestingly enough, Austin found himself subsequently turned off once he’d realized that Margaret had begun to see him as a life changer. He continued his therapy sessions this week, eventually uncovering the fact that he sees women as entertaining objects rather than as people. Once he inevitably begins to create an emotional bond, he shuts down and runs.

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Much of Episode 7 centered on Bill’s personal favoritism shown towards Virginia. While he’s hard on her at times, the standard set by his former assistant, most likely due to his secret pining for her, made it nearly impossible to find a suitable replacement. Jane (Helene Yorke), of course, is no dummy and, as Virginia’s friend, was a perfect choice to fill the void, much to Bill's dismay. The search for a new secretary, though, mostly mirrored Bill’s private feelings for his partner.

Libby (Caitlin Fitzgerald) put Ethan in a tough position this week, pleading with him to privately continue the fertilization procedures they’d initially performed to get her pregnant the first time. Ethan, who’d refused to begin with, gave in under one condition; Libby would have to convince her husband to begin having a regular sex life again. This made perfect sense, yet it seems there’s nothing that turns off Masters more so than the idea of making love to his wife. He blew her off to begin with, but Libby managed to inadvertently play the perfect card. Seeking out Virginia for assistance, Libby set into motion a serious of events that inevitably led to her husband sleeping with another woman.

To explain, Virginia refused to continue participating in the study with Masters if it meant that he’d sacrifice his home life with her friend, and his wife, Libby. Masters, somewhat desperate to continue his professional affair with Virginia, turned on the charm later on in order to woo his wife. It was as though sex with his own beautiful spouse was the price he’d pay for the cold laboratory sex with the woman he’s truly fallen for. Libby is such a sympathetic character. Her heartbreaking fight for a child is, in a sense, the fight to save her marriage, as she feels the only way she can compete with William’s work is by producing a baby.

Showtime "Masters of Sex"

To conclude the recap, Episode 7 ended with one last sex scene between Masters and Virginia. This time, the intercourse was infused with passion, and we eventually witnessed a changing inside of Ginny. It was as though Bill's fight to continue "researching" with Virginia earned him some sort of sexual power and prowess. Masters, who agreed to continue this study with Virginia by promising to nurture his marriage, left to take his wife out for a nice late dinner. Virginia, left all by her lonesome in the hospital, just might have felt a spark of something for Bill that could spell trouble here on out.

What did you think of Masters of Sex Season 1 Episode 7? Wasn’t it interesting to see how emotions were transferred and traded all throughout the episode?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Masters of Sex Season 1 Episode 7!