Masters of Sex - Season 2 Finale - Recap: A Leap of Faith

And yet, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is practically a monument to the violation of that trust. The big revelation of the episode is not that CBS will not air Bill and Virginia's documentary on the sex study, nor is it that Bill and Virginia have been scooped by a rival study co-practiced by Ethan (Nicholas D'Agostino), but that Bill engineered the entire downfall of the documentary due to his distaste with how it portrayed the study. Bill feels, at the time, that he's doing what's best for the study by getting Barton (Beau Bridges) to get a rival network to air a documentary on a rival study before CBS could air theirs, but Bill's politicking has unwanted consequences: George (Mather Zickel) is suing Virginia for custody of their children, and so, in order to prevent the study from being discredited in a court of law, Virginia decides to let George have them, reasoning that she can simply get them back once the CBS documentary gives them public credibility. However, the documentary being killed now means that Virginia gave up her kids for nothing. All she has left now is the work, and there's no guarantee that anything will ever come of it now. Bill is devastated over what his actions have done to Virginia, drinking at the bar and telling Barton that he never intended to hurt Virginia. "You never do," Barton responds, and it cuts through Bill like a knife.

Credit: Showtime

Yet even while Bill's actions were the centerpiece of the episode, this was an absolutely top-notch hour for Lizzy Caplan, who delivered some of her best work in a season of excellent performances. When Virginia must explain to her children that they're going to live with their father, you can see just how hard she's trying to keep from breaking down when faced with the realization that the kids aren't bothered in the least by having to leave her. She later accepts a phone call and has to steady herself to keep from crying, allowing herself only a momentary flash of weakness before answering. There's also a scene that's just as great for Caitlin FitzGerald as it is for Caplan, as both Libby and Virginia talk about the somewhat revolutionary (for its time) belief that a woman needs to be able to live for something more than just her children. Libby loves her kids, but she can't fight the empty feeling at the pit of her stomach, a void that isn't being filled by her marriage. It's only really being filled by the attention of Robert (Jocko Sims), which is why it's unsurprising that she falls back into bed with him. However, what is surprising is Libby's eventual reveal to Robert that she knows Bill has been having an affair, having pieced it all together years ago. In this light, her advice to Libby almost reads as a threat to let go of Bill, or to at least quit trying to have everything she wants, no matter how improbable. "Live the life you have, not the life you thought you would have," Libby tells her. "Just accept what is." It's a wonderful scene for FitzGerald, who has really shown Libby's restrained passion over the last two weeks. And it's followed up by a terrific, Emmy-worthy moment for Caplan, as Virginia breaks down upon realizing that the CBS documentary will not air. She despairs of ever having her children back again, and collapses into a pool of tears when Bill tries to comfort her. She recognizes she's made a mistake in choosing the study over her children, and it's a mistake that looks to be irrevocable now.

Credit: Showtime

Yet even as Bill comes to realize he's violated Virginia's trust, and the faith she put in him, he inevitably comes to understand that trust is a necessary component of any partnership. Case in point, when he and Virginia cure his sexual dysfunction by engaging in a three-week course of both sexual and non-sexual touching, he realizes this is a practice they can put to actual use. And so they approach Lester (Kevin Christy) and Barbara (Betsy Brandt) about engaging in the practice themselves, although with the understanding that neither one of them can do this alone. They need to trust one another and take a leap of faith. In essence, this is not only Bill attempting to rebuild his trust with Virginia by applying her processes in the actual sex study, it's also Bill's way of reforming a bond of trust with Lester, as Bill has failed to succeed in treating him before, and failed to appreciate Lester's level of commitment to the study.

Credit: Showtime

Bill parrots Barton's advice from back at the bar the night before: in explaining how he's been able to fix his marriage with Margaret, Barton states that he took "a leap of faith: I decided to trust." Bill echoes this by telling Lester and Barbara: "The key is: it takes both of you to make a leap of faith, of trust, working together." Whether he recognizes it or not, the same applies to his own relationship with Virginia, and even in his irreparably pairing with Libby. By presenting this advice to Lester and Barbara, he implies that there's still hope for their relationship. It's actually kind of poignant, especially since Lester and Barbara are a surprisingly lovely couple. She loves Pillow Talk, he loves L’Avventura; she loves escapism, he loves realism; they only find common ground in their awkwardness, getting undressed in separate rooms and laying in bed together, holding hands, in lieu of sex. It's a couple that's easy to root for, because it's a couple that has been through the wringer as individuals, and who deserve at least some measure of happiness as a couple.

Credit: Michael Desmond/SHOWTIME

Of course, not everything in the episode can be a slam dunk. Once again, the Langham/Flo scenes don't appear to serve any demonstrable purpose. In short, Langham (Teddy Sears) discovers Flo (Artemis Pebdani) is the daughter of one of the nation's wealthiest hardware magnates. She not only has an insanely wealthy father, but her brother now works for the Kennedy Administration, meaning she has in-roads in powerful places. Langham tries to sweet talk his way into an invite as Flo's guest to the inauguration, but he fails to change her mind. It doesn't really feel of a piece with the rest of the episode, which is how I usually feel about this Langham/Flo stuff. I don't mind a subplot not being connected to the main narrative. After all, I loved the stuff with Betty (Annaleigh Ashford) and Gene. But if a subplot like this is going to work, it has to be independently interesting. And a story in which Langham is blackmailed into sex (a development that is mostly, inexplicably, played for comedy) just isn't. I don't feel like anything about this Langham/Flo pairing works, relative to the rest of the story. But if that's the only issue I have with the episode, I'd consider this finale a success.

Credit: Showtime

"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is terrific television, and a wonderful way to cap off the second season of Masters of Sex. I'm not exactly sure where the show will be headed for Season 3, but here's hoping we stay more focused on the sex study, since that element is what sets this show apart from other period dramas on television. This isn't to say that the character stories aren't interesting, but rather that they're more interesting when placed in the context of the study, even if the study is just a background, motivating influence, as it was here. Regardless, Masters of Sex delivered a great season finale tonight, and I'm optimistic about the direction for next season.