Masters of Sex - Recap: You Will Have to Consult the Poets

Episode 6 of Season 1 of Masters of Sex, “Brave New World,” saw the aftermath of last week’s devastating hour’s worth of television play out. Masters (Michael Sheen) and his wife, Libby (Caitlin FitzGerald), headed down to Florida for a vacation to escape the trauma, but all would not go according to plan. Meanwhile, Virginia (Lizzy Caplan) would continue the study in her own way without Bill. Austin (Teddy Sears) found an unlikely solution to his "performance" problems that proved to be an unexpected yet awesome twist. Here is the Recap and Review of Season 1 Episode 6 of Masters of Sex, “Brave New World”! Much of Episode 6 centered on the inner workings of the female orgasm and Sigmund Freud’s research that proved antiquated and ignorant in some ways, yet enlightening in others. Freud, as he admitted, knew little about the inner workings of the female mind, yet his studies would inevitably prove useful for one of our male leads later. Virginia would enlist Jane’s (Helene Yorke) help in proving Freud’s theory, the concept that a self-stimulated clitoral orgasm was “immature” compared to a sexual orgasm brought on through intercourse, false. Jane was on fire this week, delivering some of the more hilarious lines of the entire season:

I can climax when someone is touching my breast!

My clitoris beat my vagina?!

Symbolically the sexual study this week mirrored much of the general arcs of Episode 6. How necessary are men to women’s satisfaction and happiness? Masters and Libby traveled down to Florida this week as a means of coping with their loss, yet the vacation proved to expose all of the clear red flags in their relationship. Away from "life," all this couple had was a good hard look at each other. Libby, who’s suffered through enough of Bill’s unreasonably cold behavior, would inevitably banish her husband back to reality while she’d attempt to cope with sun and sand alone. Libby has turned out to be a fantastic character, and Caitlin FitzGerald is a joy to watch. I was sure the show was going to make her out to be overly rigid or conservative, but she’s simply been both refreshingly positive and beautifully flawed. Everywhere she’d turn during Episode 6, someone or something was reminding her of her lost child. From the somewhat inconsiderate neighbor back home to the senior couple sharing the suite next door at the hotel, Libby would need to fight through the incredibly personal sense of shame in an attempt to enjoy her trip and move on with her life.

Showtime "Masters of Sex"

Eventually, once Bill had returned home to his studies, she’d meet up with the couple from the next room over. The seventy-somethings were high school sweethearts, yet they were super sexually active (The walls were thin!). They’d eventually invite Libby to join their table at lunch, and the mai tais would fly. Perhaps my favorite moment this week was watching Libby re-imagine a life for herself, sharing stories of her children and her dead husband with the couple. Of course, once the alcohol started taking effect, the story became jumbled and nonsensical, and we’d subsequently empathize with her even more so. Libby would return to her room, only to find herself subjected to the man’s come-ons once his wife had hit the hay. As it turned out, this romantic and seemingly unflappable relationship that had spanned nearly six decades was perpetuated by infidelity. As the husband put it, a wife is a home, and people need vacations. Libby, threatening to phone her very much alive husband, aggressively shooed the inebriated man from her room. Does she need Bill?

Dr. DePaul (Julianne Nicholson) returned this week, first seemingly intrigued by Virginia’s ambition, then subsequently stricken with what came off as, to me, to be jealousy. DePaul would watch from afar as Virginia posed questions to Freud’s daughter at a seminar. Later, she’d speak with Virginia in Masters’ office while he was briefly away. Virginia, who’s always been an avid supporter of the female doctor, assured her that her connections within the hospital meant that the professional newcomer could see her plans, an effort to make pap smears mandatory tests for women, set into motion. It seemed like the two had hit it off, yet Virginia’s reputation as a medical expert around the hospital would eventually take its toll on DePaul. It was interesting to watch this unfold, as DePaul is a medical pioneer, yet she'd allow her insecurities as a woman in the field to tarnish her reputation more than anything else.

DePaul would approach Masters once he’d returned. Virginia, it seems, has received credit as any accomplished doctor would, yet she’s merely a secretary. DePaul, who’d earned her credentials, was appalled. Masters, in a very endearing moment, stepped in to defend Virginia, who has been nothing but professional and appropriate, yet DePaul would attribute his appreciation for Virginia to his attraction to her body rather than to his respect for her work.

Showtime "Masters of Sex"

After a discussion with Jane, Austin would attend a therapy session in which it was revealed that he most likely has some severe mommy issues. His therapist would insist that Austin recognized the connection to his adult love life, yet Austin refused to admit that his mother has anything to do with the performance of his penis. By the way, Austin has truly shaped up to be a breath of fresh air. We were introduced to him, primarily, as a serial cheater, yet he brings a sense of light humor to a show that is often about heavier relationship drama. Teddy Sears has been a pleasure.

Margaret Scully (Allison Janney) returned this week, and we gained further insight into her issues with her husband. Barton (Beau Bridges) is, as we’ve come to learn, most likely gay. He approached his male prostitute of choice from the covert confines of his car during Episode 6 in an effort to discover whether or not he’d been betrayed. Remember, Bill became privy to Scully’s infidelity through this prostitute, yet the boy would lie to protect his business, all in the name of “love.” Margaret hasn’t had sex in years, and through a conversation with a girlfriend, she became aware of Masters’ study at the hospital. The storyline was quite heartbreaking, when at first we’d expected it to be uplifting. This was a woman determined to explore her sexuality and to find that subsequent sense of mature fulfillment, yet she’d only end up humiliated. The study only accepts subjects who’ve had previous orgasms, and she has not. Funny, considering so much of the episode was dedicated to validating the independence of women. It was as though her failed sex life deemed her inhuman and unworthy of partaking.

Devastated, Margaret continued to live a life of solitude within her marriage, and we’d bear witness to yet another husband taking advantage of his wife’s expected doting nature. Scully is a man who sleeps in a separate bedroom, and there’s no sense of understanding that, like Libby, his wife is deeply unsatisfied and distraught. If there is, he doesn't seem to care. She’d attend a movie alone, only to bump into Austin just outside. He’d walk her to her car, revealing that he’s, indeed, more of a deep thinker than we’d realized. Her appreciation for his mind inevitably broke the ice, and the two ended their arcs this week with Margaret’s first orgasm. I say, good for her!

Showtime "Masters of Sex"

Virginia and Bill continued their study on the female orgasm, further recognizing that a male presence is far less necessary than anyone had imagined. It turns out, an orgasm brought on by intercourse is actually more like a second-hand clitoral orgasm. Meaning, it’s possible that a woman does it better all by herself because she goes right to the source. Masters, overhearing Virginia quite honestly explaining to a subject that she is no doctor, just a woman with a knack for the field, decided to officially promote his secretary. Virginia is, indeed, his “research assistant,” and Dr. DePaul will no longer have any reason to deflect her own frustrations onto her. Although, I’m sure she will continue to do so. Sometimes, perhaps most of the time, academics are no match for progressive thinking. Virginia, maybe excited by this new opportunity, closed out Episode 6 in a scene that, for this reviewer, initially seemed like a fantasy sequence in Masters’ mind. It wasn’t, in truth, though. Virginia actually offered up her breast, using Masters’ hand, as a means to test erogenous zones. Remember Jane’s quote! It bears repeating…

I can climax when someone is touching my breast!

There you have it. Virginia has officially inducted Masters and herself into the study. This certainly spells very entertaining trouble.

What did you think of Masters of Sex Season 1 Episode 6, “Brave New World”? Does this spell trouble for Masters’ marriage, or is Virginia actually keeping it professional? Will Libby leave her husband for the freedom of the single life, or are they truly a family? Are you excited to see Margaret and Austin explore this relationship, or will his past issues inevitably blow up in her face?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Masters of Sex Season 1 Episode 6, “Brave New World”!