by Deborah Lipp
Season 4 of Masters of Sex premieres on September 11 at 10pm Eastern on Showtime. I’ve been blogging this show for all of its run.
Masters of Sex is based on the true story of the breakthrough sex research of Doctor William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) (“Masters & Johnson”), while intermingling fact and fiction. Some characters are entirely fictional, parts of the chronology are tweaked, but major historical moments are generally respected.
Where we left off: Here’s the quick summation of the Season 3 finale—read below for a detailed series summary. Bill Masters, realizing his love for Virginia Johnson, confesses his affair to his wife, who already knew. Too late; he’s chased Virginia and her new fiancé to the airport, but they take off for Mexico and presumably elopement. Barton Scully is in love with a hot gay doctor. Helen and Betty are expecting thanks to Austin. Libby dumped the next door neighbor hottie, who moved out immediately.
Okay, what? If you want to know more, read on:
Our show’s supporting characters include Libby Masters (Caitlin FitzGerald), Betty DiMello (Annaleigh Ashford), and Barton and Margaret Scully (Beau Bridges and Allison Janney). Other than Libby, these are all fictional creations, and about Libby, almost nothing is known historically, so the writers use a free hand. In the supporting cast, it’s Bridges and Janney who consistently blow me away, although the entire cast is excellent, and there have been numerous Emmy-worthy performances throughout the series.
Season 1 was mostly outstanding. Opening in 1956 when Masters and Johnson began collaborating on sex research, and ending in 1958, with M&J presenting their research publically for the first time, leading Masters to be fired from Washington University. Masters and Johnson are sleeping together, ostensibly for research, but their complex involvement is both distant and emotional. Ginny considers herself sexually free, and sees other men, but is more and more compelled by Bill and their work together.
Barton Scully, deeply closeted, sees men on the sly but loves his wife without touching her. He would prefer aversion “therapy” to ending his marriage.
;)
Season 2 sees Masters and Johnson start their own private research facility. Betty, former prostitute, becomes their office manager. Season 2 brings us people fighting back against their lack of fulfillment. Libby Masters has an affair, Margaret Scully realizes she has never had an orgasm, and eventually leaves her sexless marriage, and Ginny goes to work for another doctor (the brilliant Julianne Nicholson).
At this point, the show is not historical: Masters and Johnson founded their own institute (a not-for-profit) in 1964, and renamed it “Masters and Johnson Institute” in 1978. The show has the institute, under the “Masters and Johnson” name, founded in 1958.
Season 3 has another jump. The S2 finale leapt forward to 1961, and S3 opened in late 1965, preparing for the release of Human Sexual Response, which would become a bestseller. S3 stumbles in its focus on Ginny’s children—now teenagers. Why do television writers never learn that focus on teens is never a great idea (hello, Homeland)? S3 also took us down some strange roads in the form of clients of the Institute, including a sexual gorilla and royalty. It’s definitely the weakest season so far, but it still had great rewards, including sharp dialogue and great acting. As the drama weakened, the show’s comedy came to the fore in this season, and it was often quite funny.
;)
In S3, Masters and Johnson take on funding from a perfume researcher named Dan Logan (Josh Charles), and Ginny enters into a relationship with him. In real life, Masters and Johnson were funded by perfume researcher Hank Walter, whose affair with, and engagement to, Virginia Johnson is what ultimately prompted Bill Masters to divorce Libby and marry Ginny. Given the name change, we don’t know if Dan’s and Hank’s stories will continue to align, but the S3 finale suggests it will. The love triangle of Bill-Ginny-Dan ends the season on a bit of a cliffhanger, with Bill chasing Dan and Ginny to the airport, but he’s too late to declare his love to Virginia.
Other characters of note:
Lester (Kevin Christy), a nerdy film buff, in an unhappy marriage with Jane (Heléne Yorke). Jane and Lester met in S1. In S2, he’d left her and entered into relationship with Barb (Betsy Brandt), but by S3, Barb is in the past and Lester and Jane have reunited.
Dr. Austin Langham (Teddy Sears), a lothario so out of control he ruined both his marriage and his career, and currently works at a strip club giving medical care to the performers.
Helen (Sarah Silverman), Betty’s life mate. Helen and Betty are desperately trying to have a child, and Austin is helping.
George Johnson (Mather Zickel), Ginny’s ex-husband, a jazz musician. He has remarried and has fought Ginny for custody of their children. In order to cover an accidental pregnancy coinciding with the release of Human Sexual Response, Ginny got George to appear to be happily married to her in front of the media.