Showtime's provocative period drama “Masters of Sex” continues to follow the story of real-life sex researchers Bill Masters (played by the charismatic Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan). The show, now in its second season, affords these characters with less nudity and more character development than previous episodes allowed.
“Masters of Sex” is based on a 2009 biography about Masters and Johnson, who shattered 1960s America's misconceptions about sex and intimacy. Set on Washington University in St. Louis’s idyllic campus, the series is shot in a cinematic style reminiscent of “Mad Men.”
Their comparability, however, ends with shared aesthetics and timeframes. In its first season, “Masters” established a strong premise orchestrated by an even-stronger cast. But among moments of brilliance there are streaks of predictability. Scenes illustrating the strained romance between Masters and Johnson dive into romantic comedy clichés, and even for a show which has “sex” in its title, gratuitous nudity takes away from more substantial plotlines.
Nevertheless, the series had enough promise to be renewed for a second season by the network.
The second season maintains the tension between Masters and Johnson, but runs this subplot parallel to Masters’ own financial struggles, with the pair’s sexual research now funded alongside the team’s obstetrics clinic. Instead of following these two storylines in order, “Masters of Sex” instead takes a gigantic leap forward in time. The show’s writers employ cleverly-paced dialogue and technical cinematic moves to quickly travel the pair’s road to eventual success in promoting their sexual research.
These creative moments allow for a more dynamic flow, as well as a chance to explore different intersecting plot points. This novel approach allows viewers see the progression of the duo’s tense love affair, the 1960s racial climate and the changing focus of their own research goals.
With increased depth and development comes a surprising decrease in sexual content. While nudity is essential to telling the story of sexual researchers in postwar America, the first season’s over-reliance on these intimate passages made the show appear like soft-core pornographic film instead of a period drama worth taking seriously.
With the more-polished second season of “Masters of Sex” still ongoing, viewers will hopefully find it worthwhile to stay tuned. Who knows? The show might provide a more nuanced education on human sexuality than the public usually receives.
