Masters of Sex, Season 1

Masters of Sex, Season 1

Score: 8

Think: Mad Men on Premium Cable

The debut season of Masters of Sex, Showtime’s impressive new series about the first scientific studies into human sexuality is, appropriately, a lot like a series of sexual encounters. The first few episodes find the show working to find its pace and tone, but by the fourth or fifth episode it hits its stride, and not even a cascading succession of naked bodies can eclipse the emotional baggage being laid bare.

At its core, Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan are excellent as Dr. William Masters and his assistant Virginia Johnson. The two are given a difficult task – both characters approach their relationships as deliberately as they approach their work, but struggle silently and mightily to come to terms with people and circumstances out of their control. As a result, Sheen and Caplan are left to seesaw through emotional states with very few words and very little exposition, and (luckily) the viewer is given enough credit to figure much of the characters' motivations out on their own.

As Virginia Johnson, Caplan is at once warm and pragmatic; sensitive and stubborn. It's a character that could have easily come off as smug were it not for Caplan's natural likeability. As Dr. Masters, Sheen is callous, cold, and manipulative yet still sympathetic, naïve, and charming – often at the same time. It’s a testament to both the acting and the writing that none of this ever feels forced or insincere, and instead rings true in a TV environment where scripted characters often play to concrete extremes, coming off as approximations of character types instead of real, complicated people. Halfway through the season, when Masters tries to stifle a particularly devastating loss and instead breaks down in choking, wailing sobs, two things become clear: one, that Michael Sheen is a very good actor, and two, that the time and consideration put into building his perpetually composed character distills his rare emotional outbursts into precisely affecting moments.

Masters of Sex makes no bones about its intentions - the name really says it all - and it’s willingness to dive right in, literally and figuratively, will be a talking point for many. But while it features plenty of nudity and often graphic sex, it is the show’s exploration into the unforeseen impact sex can have on relationships that is truly worth talking about. As a point of comparison, most premium cable shows use sex as a monkey wrench – an act meant to ignite dramatic momentum. In these stories, sex is the explosive, and when it goes off - whether by cheating spouse, criminal offense, or good old-fashioned forbidden love - anyone is liable to be caught in the blast. Masters of Sex, on the other hand, is so steeped in the act that it becomes for viewers, much like it becomes for its protagonists, a simple matter of course. The sex in this show doesn't explode - it sears like hot irons. Repercussions occur slowly and feel earned, like natural reactions instead of cheap narrative ploys.

The show's overarching theme derives much of its success from this type of creative patience. Masters and Johnson fail to recognize what becomes increasingly clear to viewers: that sex is almost never without consequence, and not even having it in a controlled, scientific experiment can contain the the capricious variables of emotion and desire. The crux of conflict in Masters of Sex's debut season is in the arrogance of its characters thinking that they are above these variables and in control of the people and circumstances around them. 

Even characters not directly involved in Masters and Johnson's experiment reflect the tenuous control we have over our own desires. A young doctor finds the perfect girl - attractive and infatuated, not to mention the boss' daughter - but risks his career to break things off because he can't force himself to feel for her what she feels for him. A distinguished family-man lives his entire life in the closet and can't reconcile the love he has for his wife with the lust he has for men. Both individuals want one thing and desire another, and, as is often the case, their internal conflict and their unwillingness to recognize their own desires ends up hurting the people around them as much as it does themselves.

In this way, Masters of Sex is more tantric than it is wild and passionate. While you may not find yourself sweaty and out of breath by the season finale, you'll be satisfied and ready for another round.