Masters of Sex S1E12
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| Smoking in the boy's room |
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
Masters of Sex finishes up a great first season.
Going into the season finale, there were lots of loose ends to address, as well as the need to pave the road for the upcoming second season. A lot of expectations to meet. Fortunately, "Manhigh" met most of them and gave us some resolution to most of the situations that have developed over the second half of the season.
First and foremost, Margaret and Barton finally had "the talk." And both Beau Bridges and Allison Janney delivered in a scene where lesser actors would have likely fallen short. As I have mentioned before, it is obvious that Barton loves his wife, but he cannot love his wife. And Margaret's rage at Barton marrying her while knowing that he was gay was heartbreaking, as she can never recover the lost years. Years that she could have spent in the company of a companion that was interested in her sexually, and not just as a friend and roommate.
Barton is willing to try to change, but Margaret talks him out of it. The history lesson on display is appalling. Apparently, it was common to think that you could shock "the gay" out of someone with some alligator clips and a car battery. The side effects and risks associated with these treatments were fairly serious, and Margaret does not want her husband to pursue them. But Barton tells Masters later that he plans to go ahead with the treatments anyway. Hopefully this will play out in Season Two and we get more Barton and Margaret.
Before I get to the Masters/Virginia stuff, let's get Libby out of the way. Either a significant amount of time has passed, or she has the gestation period of a mouse. After finding out she was pregnant just a few weeks ago, she goes into labor after Masters' presentation. And we see her with the newborn, although I don't think we know what sex the baby is. And while my first reaction is that Masters is absent, I have to remember the period this show is taking place, and tracking someone down in the 1950's would have proved to be difficult if you did not know where to look for them. So Masters gets a pass on his absence during his child's birth.
Let's get to Masters and Virginia. Masters sans Virginia plans his big presentation in front of his colleagues. But Masters does not realize that his colleagues are not quite ready to see video of the vaginal barrel or a woman pleasuring herself, and his presentation turns against him. So far against him that his and Barton's job are the price. Masters finally grants us hope that he has some un-assholery in him when he takes the fall for the study, saving Barton's job. He also puts Virginia's name on the study. And he goes to her house to admit that he needs her. I could have done without the John Cusack boombox moment, and the rain was not subtle, but at least his feelings are on the table now.
Virginia is faced with a tough decision. Should she accept Ethan's proposal, move out to California, and become a doctor's wife? Or should she hang around the now-unemployed and likely soon-to-be divorced Masters? We all know what her ultimate decision will be, but we don't know if she will try the Ethan-wife role first. Ethan has grown from a slap-happy woman beater to a sincere potential step-father. But once a guy has hit a woman, it is hard to view him as anything but an abuser.
A solid season finale for a great new show. There were some stumbles and missteps, but otherwise the series has found its niche. Masters of Sex has solidified its place on most "Top Prestige Dramas of 2013" lists. Looking forward to next season.
Random Thoughts:
- The time shifts are one of my only complaints. Sometimes the time jumps tend to disorient me.
- You could torture me with jumper cables and electrical voltage, pull teeth, or waterboard me, but I would still order a plate of nachos the next time I went out to dinner.
- The African-American handyman did not show up in the finale. Will he play a role next season?
- Jane and Lester share a kiss. I'm getting a Team Lester t-shirt. Although the Les-Man likely has some competition with Dr. Big Feet.
- Langham did not play much of a role this episode. Maybe Teddy Sears is done with/on this show?
What did you think?
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