r/MastersOfSex • u/NicholasCajun • Nov 25 '13
Discussion Masters of Sex - 1x09 "Involuntary" - Episode Discussion
Season 1 Episode 9: Involuntary
Aired: November 24, 2013
Directed by Jennifer Getzinger
Written by Noelle Valdivia
When Masters and Johnson decide to film external reactions in the study, they must convince Lester and Jane that their footage won't cross the line into pornography. Haas and Vivian's plans for a Presbyterian church wedding are sidetracked when Haas reveals he's Jewish. Libby keeps her pregnancy a secret from Masters and instead encourages him to mend his relationship with his mother. But during late night visits to the hospital, Estabrooks observes Masters and Johnson's intimate relationship.
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u/Lokaji Nov 25 '13
I love Lester. We need more of him.
Poor Vivian. She thinks everything is going to be perfect with Dr. Haas. She has some growing up to do. Dr. Haas didn't know what he was getting into with her.
Bill doing Bill things to Virginia.
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Nov 25 '13
The filmer was so funny in this episode.
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u/DarkHighways Nov 25 '13
Lester is absolutely delightful. I loved the part where he mentions 'auteur theory'! As someone who's taken their fair share of film history classes, I found that a charmingly au courant reference for a film geek of that period.
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Nov 26 '13
Me in every episode: "Aw. Bill's growing up. Being mature and sweet." Ten minutes later. "Damn it Bill!"
I get it. Bill's trying to distance himself from her and be the man that Libby wants him to be. I get it. I don't have to like it.
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u/3rdCultureKid Nov 26 '13
You're not supposed to like it. It was a dick move but smart. Even if it hurt Virginia's feelings.
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u/russian-red Nov 25 '13
I love how the end of Virginia's performance review was really Bill's feelings about himself: 'Mrs Johnson [should] try not to take her work so personally and adopt a more detached approach'. Also, loved Essie in this episode, apart from when she called Bill out on his shit because despite his questionable ethics and Virginia's 'I'm so different from every other woman ever!!' stuff I just want those two crazy kids to get together
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Nov 26 '13
Not sure if you grokked this, but Virginia's writing her own performance review (as Bill had suggested) at that point. You can tell because she's shown writing on paper with a pencil, and her voice-over is going apace with the writing. So that didn't come from Bill, it came from her.
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u/russian-red Nov 26 '13
OHHHH. I thought he had changed it from what he originally wrote knowing that she would read it and realise he wanted her to distance herself from the work. I figured it was her just reading it out loud. Thanks!
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u/antisocialiting Nov 25 '13
Did I miss something about how Libby got pregnant. Did she just do the cervical cap thing again with Masters not knowing or did she get someone else sperm, or cheat on him?
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Nov 26 '13
I feel like in one of the next few episodes, during an altercation between Haas & Masters, Masters will confront him about seeing Virginia which will start an argument, and Haas will admit to continuing the cervical cap on Libby. This will spark not only outrage in Bill but also a huge sense of despair over pushing Virginia away and trying to do the right thing.
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u/Xx255q Nov 25 '13
Got a bad feeling Johnson and hoss will hook up by the end of the season now and masters is going to make his mind his own personal hell until he donest care what his wife and mother thinks, or until hoss cries again
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u/DarkHighways Nov 25 '13
Yeah, pretty much. I feel sorry for Haas. I admire him for having the guts to break up with Vivian, but he's a good kid who is in way over his head where Virginia's concerned. Hey Ethan--being wanted by someone you don't want is not a good lifestyle to commit to, but wanting someone who is hopelessly gone on someone else is no good either.
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u/SmudgedGreen Dec 02 '13
Wait, so do you think Bill's mother is trying to make Bill say he's having an affair when she asks him all these questions about his work and why he can't bring it home? I found the way she spoke to him really intriguing and was wondering whither it was because their relationship was so screwed up or because she knew/was wondering if there was something else going on? (maybe because her husband was so bad?)
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u/tauntsauce Nov 25 '13
Masters is so randomly a dick to Johnson. Like what precipitated the envelope of money move?
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u/CurlingFlowerSpace Nov 25 '13
Both Libby and Essie had separate conversations with him where the bottom line was get your shit together, Bill. He was feeling intense pressure and guilt to step back in line, to pull away from Virginia because his relationship with her has spun so wildly out of control.
It wasn't random at all; it was carefully calculated to push her away and end their participation in the study together. He was—in his mind—doing the kinder thing by sparing her the truth of his mother's recognition and judgment over their obvious attraction.
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u/DarkHighways Nov 25 '13
I think that's spot on. He also pushed her away in the manner he did, because he used the money as a distancing device. He couldn't bear to directly tell her that he has feelings for her beyond sex and 'the study', and has to pull away or lose his marriage. It's important to understand how important the ideal of 'family' was back then. When people talk about the death of the family unit in America, they're pretty much talking about exactly this, the longed-for dream that Libby was describing to Essie, the illusion Bill is guiltily trying to uphold. Of course, his own family life growing up was anything but ideal, only he can't bring himself to talk about that. You know he doesn't just hate Essie because she let his dad whip him with a belt or similar. The scene where Essie brought up his father's sexual appetites and we saw Bill's revulsed reaction gave me a cold chill. I think it was supposed to.
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u/nancepance Nov 25 '13
The smile at the end was beautiful.