What I’m Watching: Masters of Sex

Masters of Sex: Season 1, Episode 5 “Catherine” (B+)

This was an understandably powerful episode which brought about some devastating revelations for our characters. Libby losing the baby was an inevitable event that Bill passed over all too casually when he first realized it, and the sight of him breaking down at the end of the episode, telling Virginia to close her eyes, indicated just what kind of impact it had on the usually stoic and emotionless doctor. Libby analyzing how he packed her things and the baby’s things while he was sleepwalking underlined the depth of his worries about being a father, and telling her that they shouldn’t try again because he couldn’t ever see her go through that again was harsh but not surprising for the man who never quite welcomed the idea of fatherhood. Virginia, on the other hand, had to deal with a troublesome son who didn’t appreciate her and even wanted to run away. Fortunately, all of a sudden, Ethan has become a half-decent person, smart enough to call Virginia when Henry came to him and occasionally kind to his new girlfriend. Vivian at first seemed extremely casual about the seriousness of their relationship, but after their first time together, which was more than Ethan bargained for, she changed her tune to one of utter lifelong devotion. It was good to finally see Allison Janney as Scully’s wife, and Scully managed to get a great dig at Bill after giving him his condolences for Libby losing the baby and then telling him he didn’t want to give him a hug in case he misconstrued it. Austin freaking out when Jane wasn’t his partner presented an interesting situation, and I do hope that Bill doesn’t stick to his idea of only researching anonymous partners.