Masters of Sex - "Race To Space" Review

by Lee Padrick, October 8, 2013

WARNING:  This review contains spoilers.

The second episode of Masters of Sex continues on the path of character development and world building.  We are immersed in 1956, with all the trappings of societal mores during this period in time.  A period where its OK to hit a woman, as long as you're apologetic the next time you see her.  A world where doctors and nurses smoke in the lunchroom of a hospital.  A time when couples sleep in separate twin beds.  A strange world.


We pick up with Virginia (Lizzy Caplan), who has thought about Masters' proposal over the weekend.  She has thought carefully through both answers, and decides on No.  Masters (Michael Sheen) fires her, but not for her refusal to engage in a control, but because someone has leaked his couples research project to the hospital administration, and Scully the Administrator (Beau Bridges) has pulled funding for the research.  Masters keeps his position and job, but his research is halted temporarily.  Until he finds an alternative venue at Betty's cathouse.

Libby Masters (Caitlin Fitzgerald), Masters' wife, is occupied by both trying to get pregnant and win some respect and intimacy from her frigid husband.  She has been working with Dr. Haas (Nicholas D'Agosto), but Masters suspects that Haas is the source of the leak to the administration, so he decides to treat Libby himself.  But his bedside manner (at work and at home) are severely lacking.  Poor Libby even offers to give Masters a private show, since he likes to watch (for the sake of research).  But Masters stops her, explaining that he loves her too much and she doesn't need to resort to this kind of behavior.  Doc has some serious issues.

Virginia spends the show trying to save her job, and she works overtime arranging the Masters' study at Betty's.  Masters comes off as weird and creepy to the hostesses at Betty's, but they go along with the research because of Virginia's salesmanship.  And Doc's offer for free health care.  He even gets some offers for nonconventional payment of services, but he refuses.  

We also get a glimpse of life as a single mother in 1956.  We get a good look at Virginia's arrangement for her two children while she's working.  And we get to see Betty ask Masters to reverse her tubal ligation, because she's found a man (who's rich!) and wants to have children with her.  And she only gets reminded that she's a prostitute and a lesbian twice.  But Betty has decided to cast her current partner aside, for a shot at rich heterosexual stay-at-homery.  

This episode serves to move the plot forward, continue building the world of 1956, and to stoke the romantic tension between the two leads.  Or, what passes as romance for the emotionally repressed protagonist.  

I like how this show is progressing, but I haven't a clue where it may be going.


Random Thoughts:

- Dr. Sears (Teddy Sears) wants to continue some research of his own, but his lab partner was obviously only interested in the science.   

- Libby found out more about her husband's work.  And she seemed intrigued by it.  Her interest could intersect with where the show is going this season.

- Michael Sheen is knocking this role out of the park, but Lizzy Caplan continues to steal all of her scenes.  Is it too early to speculate about next year's Emmy nominations?


What did you think?

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