Masters of Sex - Recap: Hookers Know Best

Episode 8 of Season 1 of Masters of Sex, “Love and Marriage,” highlighted the flaws of each of our married couples. Sex, which is the focus of the scientific research performed by Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia (Lizzy Caplan), has become a symbol of a taboo brand of freedom on this show. When anyone is having sex, they’re happy. In turn, everyone partaking in the act is finding some sort of personal fulfillment away from their committed marriages or relationships. Fact: Prostitutes are officially the greek chorus on Masters of Sex. Here is the Recap and Review of Episode 8 of Season 1 of Masters of Sex, “Love and Marriage”!

First, folks, let me just say that I'm sorry for the brevity of this week's recap! It's been a busy night on the site!

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Virginia began taking classes during Episode 8, slowly working her way towards a degree while continuing her efforts in the study with Masters. Unfortunately, a basic Anatomy class requirement saw Virginia politely asking Dr. DePaul (Julianne Nicholson), Virginia's biggest critic, for a pass. Remember, DePaul is aware of Virginia’s time commitment regarding the sex study; however, this woman has consistently detested Virginia’s success considering the fact that she has not yet earned credentials as a legitimate doctor. Virginia is respected for her intelligence and fearlessness, yet someone like Dr. DePaul, who’s actually earned the mantle of a doctor, can’t seem to even gather her male cohorts attention and respect at all. Virginia, if she wanted to earn the credits of the doctor’s Anatomy class, would actually need to attend DePaul's lectures and labs, much to her dismay.

Funny enough, Virginia’s hard work in the field came to her advantage. Excelling in the lab setting and the academic classroom, even despite Dr. DePaul’s efforts to thwart her participation in the program, Virginia demanded the respect she earned with sheer confident aptitude, even dissecting a human body during in front of her peers and DePaul with effortless ease. Science is Virginia’s passion, and as she’d put it later while she studied for her first exam with a little help from her children, this degree is merely a means to be truly seen in this field. Good for Virginia. Her children are finally showing a sense of pride in their mother as she continues down her groundbreaking path.

Dr. DePaul isn’t all that bad after all. Her personal passion has a core, a certain drive that had previously gone unnoticed. DePaul, who began to recognize the potential in Virginia by the end of Episode 8, has continuously fought for women’s right to equal respect in the medical field. If you remember, her energy in St. Louis has been focused on creating a mandatory Pap smear program in order to help women take preventative steps towards a healthy future. DePaul, who’d present her proposed plan to a room full of bored and uninterested professional men, had a secret that only we’d become privy to. This cause is more personal to her than we’d previously known. Dr. DePaul has stage 4 cervical cancer. This leads me to believe that her growing affection for the hard working Virginia might lead to a bit of a tug-of-war between DePaul and Masters going forward.

Bill, meanwhile, showed Virginia a surprising amount of enthusiasm after uncovering the fact that she’d been secretly attending classes. Virginia, who’d inevitably ace her first exam with Dr. DePaul, had her mentor’s blessing, yet Bill paid Virginia's professor a visit following his somewhat shallow words of encouragement. In the end, DePaul agreed to keep Bill privately clued in to Virginia’s class schedule, promising to put his study first in exchange for his support with the Pap smear project. DePaul, however, was previously unaware of Virginia’s potential. By the close of Episode 8, she just might have changed her allegiance.

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As Bill continued to show his growing appreciation for Virginia, Libby (Caitlin Fitzgerald) found a new companion who just might grow into a potential new love interest. The handyman hired to clean the gutters turned out to be much more than paid help. Libby, who’d been practicing her formal dance moves with the help of a television program, found herself a real live partner in the form of her newfound friend, the handyman. I liked the symbolism of a man who’d been hired to “clean the pipes” essentially posing a potential sexual threat to Bill. In the end, Libby would faint during one of the pair’s impromptu dance sessions, leading Libby’s new friend to drive her to the hospital. Her blood pressure, which was in fact low, clued the doctor in to Libby’s brand new pregnancy. That’s right. The Masters are expecting yet again, but what does this mean for their marriage? It seemed to me like Libby had really taken to this new mysterious widower with whom she'd had some true passionate chemistry

Another marriage in dire circumstances this week was Scully’s (Beau Bridges) relationship with Margaret (Allison Janney). Austin (Teddy Sears) and Margaret promptly ended things at the beginning of Episode 8. After a failed planned trip, one that was ruined by Austin’s fear of commitment to anyone with any emotional intention, Margaret subsequently hit up the best bar in town. There, funny enough, she encountered the handsome Dale (Finn Wittrock) for the first time. Dale, if you recall, is the prostitute of choice for Margaret’s husband, Barton, yet the two were unaware of any connection until Barton made his presence known. Margaret’s speech to Dale, a young man she knew was somehow connected to her husband’s infidelity, about the single life and lowering his expectations for love and happiness was, indeed, another heartbreaking moment from Mrs. Scully. Yet, she still remained in the dark regarding Barton’s sexuality.

Later, Barton would convince her that Dale was a pimp rather than a prostitute, and he’d even go as far as to attempt to take his wife on a legitimate date in a last-ditch effort to save his marriage. Margaret, still neglecting to piece together the puzzle, remained baffled as to why her husband clearly loved her so much yet found her so repulsively unattractive. In the end, she’d ask for a divorce, much to Barton’s utter devastation.

Showtime "Masters of Sex"

Desperate, Barton turned to Bill, the sex expert, for help regarding his sexual “problem.” Bill, who’d heard of an aversion therapy specialist in New York, uncomfortably informed Barton of a drug used during the procedure, a process in which gay men induce sickness in conjunction with homosexual activity in order to train their minds to reject that which is “unnatural.” Later, Barton would swipe the same drug from his own hospital in an attempt to experiment with Dale. Dale, absolutely disgusted by the concept, had a great moment of vulnerability here. Dale, who’s admittedly struggled with his own sexuality, refused to let any other human being treat him as such. Any self-loathing is one thing. Hate from another isn’t to be tolerated. Good for Dale. He left the hotel room in a huff, refusing to degrade himself in order to help Barton with his ridiculous plan and offensive plan. What was so incredibly sad to watch was Barton subjecting Dale to this knowing all the while what it's like to grow up as a young gay man. Dale, who has lost his family and turned to prostitution, is in a better place than Barton, yet it should be Barton who comforts and guides Dale. What did I tell you? The prostitute acts as the greek chorus yet again.

Meanwhile, Ethan (Nicholas D’Agosto) turned to Austin as a wingman this week, realizing that marriage was inevitable for any successful man. Vivian (Rose McIver) had always shown clear interest in her new boyfriend, yet Ethan has failed to realize just what marriage entails. Austin would accompany Ethan on his excursion to purchase a ring, yet he’d inevitably fall victim to yet another pretty young girl. His wife, whom we’d met just prior, is perfectly aware of her husband’s indiscretions, yet she turns a blind eye in favor of keeping some sense of peace at home. By the end of the episode, Ethan had mistakenly proposed to Vivian in the middle of the workplace, and Austin was returning to the jeweler for comfort via sex with the saleswoman. These two are both victims of social standards at the time, yet many of their poor decisions leave us unsympathetic to their turmoil in the wake of their mistakes.

The study also made some progress this week, as Masters managed to wrangle in an A.V. expert to transform their scientific dildo into a working movie camera. By the end of Episode 8, Masters and Virginia became the first people to ever truly witness what goes on internally during sexual intercourse.

What did you think of Masters of Sex Episode 8 of Season 1, “Love and Marriage”? What does Libby’s pregnancy mean? Do you sympathize with Dr. DePaul now that you’re privy to more of her story? Did Dale break your heart?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Masters of Sex Episode 8 of Season 1, “Love and Marriage”!