Masters of Sex - Review: Meet Me in St. Louis

Episode 3 of Season 1 of Masters of Sex, “Standard Deviation,” continued to explore the concept of sexuality through science. While part of the episode took us back to a time when our leading man, Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen), was a passionate young lad with exciting dreams in medicine, in the present day, Masters and Virginia (Lizzy Caplan) continued their study at the local brothel, eventually inviting men to join their sexual studies. Most of the episode, in my opinion, targeted the concept of deviance. Masters, frustrated that his study has struck the interest of no one but prostitutes and homosexuals, inevitably found his research to be borderline unusable, fearing that his colleagues would reject his study as lesser judging by its participants. On the surface, his argument made sense from a scientific perspective; however, we’d come to learn that when human beings get down to their most vulnerable, a state that is most certainly brought upon by the rawness of sexuality, everybody is a deviant in some way, shape, or form. Again, I’m keeping these recaps of this great new series more review-based for now. Here is the Recap and Review of Season 1 Episode 3 of Masters of Sex, “Standard Deviation”!

Showtime "Masters of Sex"

It’s funny how this show is, on a surface level, about sex and science. Much of the plot surrounds the two melding, and the taboo of bringing the idea of human sexuality into the realm of open study and, subsequently, common conversation. The truth is, however, that the story of this series is driven by the fact that science and sex seems to be regularly talked about, yet heart and love are left out of the equation. We’ve gotten to know Dr. Masters over three episodes, yet for all of the passion he throws behind his groundbreaking project, he comes off as all but entirely cold. Because he’s removed the emotion from human sexuality, it allows him to see how preposterous it truly is that there’ve been no formal studies on on the subject, oftentimes making his colleagues seem ignorant in their antiquated ways of thinking. Still, that same emotional detachment that makes him revolutionary in his work is what draws him to those he is forced to refer to mainly as “deviants,” those people who choose to live their lives, including their sex lives, as openly and honestly as they so choose. That isn’t to say that Masters is entirely robotic. We’re privy to glimpses of humanity, lust, and empathy behind his eyes, but his character’s arc is centered on the discomfort brought forth by feeling. Virginia, on the other hand, is a leading lady who serves to make him uncomfortable from a positive position. She forces him to consider emotion, perhaps because women of the time were naturally more comfortable doing so. Virginia is, of course, a maverick in her own right.

Episode 3 opened with some light-hearted hilarious moments back at the brothel. The quirky prostitutes partaking in the study each have their individual brassy charms that warm up the screen and give us a chuckle. Bill, on the other hand, often finds himself a bit bashful in conducting his procedures, attempting to follow protocol yet inevitably succumbing to the fact that these ladies do things their own way. Let’s put it this way; at one point, Bill was actually asked to spank one of the girls to strike up an orgasm. Don’t worry. He wore a rubber glove! Virginia, on the other hand, might find herself shocked on occasion, yet is the type of a woman who’s fascinated by true individual characters. I'm enjoying the prostitutes as people. They hardly seem damaged or broken as women as a whole; however, I appreciated that Masters of Sex also chose to introduce us to a 20-year-old girl, another prostitute, who'd learned everything about sex from her uncle. It was important to bring a sense of history to the brothel. These women are people with pasts, not dead frogs to be dissected in some experiment.

Inevitably, Betty (Annaleigh Ashford) would make a deal with Masters to bring men into the study. If you recall, Betty is looking to start a family with a very wealthy pretzel tycoon. Betty is a fantastic character because her street smarts so often clash with her personal goals. She’s constantly reminding Bill of how naïve he truly is, yet is willing to give up true love with her lesbian partner in exchange for an easy life with children. Much of her story clues us in to the gender stereotypes and solidified roles of the time. As she’d put it by the end of episode 3; if you wanted to succeed, you’d have to hitch onto a man. She’s also important in that she forces Virginia to get introspective and to truly consider what her role in this project is. Masters often treats her like a secretary, barking orders left and right without so much as a pleasantry, yet in truth, he had a point when he noted that Virginia has no accolades or degrees. She’s a talented woman who knows what she knows, but she’s green. The difference between Virginia and Dr. Masters is that her love for people gives her a progressive view of the world.

Showtime "Masters of Sex"

Virginia was fascinated by a new female doctor this week, Dr. DePaul (Julianne Nicholson). The woman would not give our leading lady the time of day, yet Virginia remained inspired by the idea of a woman earning her place among society without the help of a man. This story will, I'm assuming, develop further. During episode 3, she seemed to be the kind of a woman who'd made her name by dropping those personal qualities that make women special in favor of coldly functioning above and beyond systematically. This was witnessed in her complete lack of a connection with Virginia. There's most certainly more to her story.

Masters and Virginia were a bit shocked to learn that the men Betty had drummed up for the project were young and attractive. Most of the customers we’d come across at the brothel had been, well, the kind of men you’d expect to pay for sex, to be quite frank. These boys looked like models, and as it turned out, they weren’t so different from Betty and her girls. We were introduced to two gay hookers this week, and yet again, it was a joy to watch them educate a widely lauded doctor on the simple pleasures of sex. Again, Masters deemed the information recorded invalid, but so much of what comes out of his mouth is protocol and policy that we have to remind ourselves that when it comes to sex, he knows nothing. How can someone who truly knows nothing about sex pioneer the trail forward in science? The interesting thing about some of the “deviants” on this show is that they’re so eager to be a part of the important scientific research. After Masters inevitably pulled the plug on the project, one of the men who’d filled him in on the art of homosexual intercourse paid him a visit outside of the hospital, eager to continue helping in any way. In the end, Bill attempted quickly brush him off, but a bit of information the man dropped would catch his ear… More to come!

Showtime "Masters of Sex"

Betty’s personal arc this week was also heartbreaking. The operation Bill promised to conduct to reverse the procedure she’d had done to prevent getting pregnant did not go well. Because of severe infections in her fallopian tubes throughout the years of prostitution, Betty can never have children. It was interesting to see the character we know and love for being scrappy and sassy in a state of such deep sadness. In the end, she made the decision to keep her ailment a secret from her fiancé, hoping to ride out her lie as long as she could to make a better life for herself. It was depressing to witness such a strong female character throwing her hope for a bright future behind a man she barely knows, but this is only episode 3, everybody. I’m guessing this show is not looking to lose a breakout character like Betty so quickly.

Showtime "Masters of Sex"

Meanwhile, Libby Masters (Caitlin Fitzgerald) continued her fertility procedures this week. Sitting bored in a hospital room for hours upon hours, she continued to punish herself for her inability to have children. Virginia, who’s become privy to the fact that it is Masters’ low sperm count that is to be held accountable for their lack of a child, would bite her tongue to begin with, choosing instead to merely offer moral support for her new friend, Libby. In the end, she’d crack. After dropping a meal off at Libby’s bedside at home, Virginia could take no more. Libby’s tears, and the revelation that she’d already begun buying baby clothes, were too much. Libby’s bleak diagnosis was false, and Virginia chose to confide in her the truth behind the fact that Bill is “shooting blanks.” It was interesting to see Libby, smoking a cigarette with a chip on her shoulder, as Bill returned home to rub salt in the wound. It was incredibly painful to witness him harping on her “cross to bear” knowing that she’d been clued in just prior. Still, she kept the revelation to herself. One of my favorite scenes this week was probably one of the final scenes that Libby had with Dr. Haas (Nicholas D’Agosto) in which he revealed the fact that his treatments had worked. Libby is pregnant, yet Masters of Sex did an awesome job of building just enough sexual tension between Masters’ wife and Ethan. We'd assumed the two were through with Bill just as the good news came in, but I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Ethan spent much of Episode 3 catering to a woman who’d stumbled in unaware that she was pregnant with quadruplets. Ethan, who’d been the doctor to discover her in distress, was excited to seize the opportunity for publicity. If he could deliver four healthy babies, he’d make a name for himself in the press. Unfortunately, the mortality rate at the time for babies delivered under those extreme conditions was high, and Scully (Beau Bridges) would only agree to let Ethan have his moment if Masters was on hand as his number two. Ethan, choosing to leave Bill in the dark, did his best to cover up his secret plan, yet the press would inevitably get too crazy with the exciting news upon them, eventually infiltrating the hospital and alerting Bill to the woman who was about to give birth. Bill, swooping in to save the day, delivered four healthy babies on his own, while Ethan watched with disdain from the observer’s deck above. It was Bill who received all of the fame from the successful procedure, earning the hospital a significant amount of cash in the process.

As previously stated, some of the episode this week took place in a flashback. At the University of Rochester in 1945, a young eager beaver, Bill Masters, learned from his mentor Scully. Even then, his studies on rabbits led him to desire forming a legacy in the world of sexual studies among humans, and Scully continued to blow off his claims as utter ridiculousness. In the end, Bill might not have earned a fellowship with the University of Washington on his own, but Scully, the newly appointed provost, would not take the job without his protégé on hand. This back-in-time discovery made what William did to save his project’s credibility seem even more unsettling. Prior, I mentioned that one of the male prostitutes gifted Masters with an important piece of information. Apparently, men would often pay to simply watch two male prostitutes in action. One of those men, Provost Scully, was in a position of power at the university. Scully, with tears of pain in his eyes, seemed to eventually crack to William’s demands. I’m not sure if Bill meant what he said when he mentioned that the study, in truth, would be conducted to free upstanding men from the confines of needing to watch from the shadows, but he got his point across. Funny enough, Bill’s frustration over finding his study plagued by deviants actually ended up granting him more power than he’d even dreamed of. Of course, it came at the cost of an emotionless attack on Scully, who’d groomed him from the start.

What did you think of Season 1 Episode 3 of Masters of Sex, “Standard Deviation”? Do you enjoy watching these “deviants” bring heart to the series? Did you heart break for Betty? Will Bill’s secret come back to hurt his relationship with Libby? Will Virginia eventually earn back Bill’s respect?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Masters of Sex, Season 1 Episode 3, “Standard Deviation”!