MASTERS OF SEX "Manhigh" : Season Finale Review

Article first published as MASTERS OF SEX "Manhigh" : Season Finale Review on TheTVKing.

Showtime's excellent Masters of Sex completed its freshman run this week with "Manhigh." Bill Masters (Michael Sheen) prepares to present his findings of the past year of study to the hospital at large. Anticipation among the staff is high, and everyone eagerly packs the auditorium to hear Masters speak. But without Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) by his side, Masters overreaches and finds himself facing steep consequences.

Masters needs Virginia as much as any great partnership only works with both partners. He's brilliant, but bad at handling people. Virginia is smart, too, but her interpersonal skills are what balances him out so well. Masters would never have gotten as far as he did in his work without her to smooth his rough edges and communicate with their participants, calming anxieties. Now, her absence costs him dearly.

Masters realizes Virginia's importance, as evidenced by his inclusion of Virginia's name on the work product. He doesn't have to, with Virginia now working for Dr. DePaul (Julianne Nicholson) instead of him, but he does it out of appreciation for all that she has done. He isn't arrogant enough to minimize her contribution, and gives her the credit she has earned, even though she's a woman and women didn't get credit as freely at the time this story takes place.

Not that Masters is without assistance. His new helper, Jane (Helene Yorke), believes in him, as do cameraman Lester (Kevin Christy) and Bill's wife, Libby (Caitlin FitzGerald). But none of those three have Bill's ear or his professional respect the way that Virginia does. He likely appreciates them in some small way, but he doesn't consider them on the same level, and thus there is no one to tell him to temper himself.

Which is why the presentation is a disaster. Doctors and board members are shocked to see the inside of a vagina and the body of a woman masturbating, especially with women present in the room. They leave angrily, ignoring the statistics and invalidating Masters' work. In this instance, his data may be solid, but no one is going to pay attention to it because he screws up the initial conversation. He's his own worst enemy. Can he salvage anything from his efforts?

"Manhigh" ends with Bill standing on Virginia's door step in the rain telling Virginia that he needs her. This, more than her name on the work, leaves him bare and vulnerable, admitting something he didn't want to say out loud for the longest time. He swallows his pride and asks her to come back to him. This may be unhealthy, as he's missing the birth of his child, and he shows an obsession towards her with the use of footage of Virginia's body in the presentation. Knowing Bill is married and liking his wife, Virginia may be hesitant to return to the man who has few boundaries. But will she?

Virginia has a choice to make. She can stay in her home and work with Dr. DePaul and / or Masters. Or she can marry Ethan (Nicholas D'Agosto) and move away. This isn't as simple a decision as it may appear. Yes, Virginia loves her work, and with Dr. DePaul sick and Masters fired, both need extra help. But Ethan is really good to her kids, and they matter quite a bit to her, too, so she may want to put their needs ahead of hers.

Let's be honest, although "Manhigh" doesn't reveal Virginia's choice, she has to work with Bill. Otherwise, there's no show. Masters of Sex hinges on the relationship between the two of them, and as much as I enjoy the other characters, the rest are expendable. Thus, somehow, Bill and Virginia will end up working together again.

Besides this central plot, there are a lot of great supporting moments in "Manhigh." I love Barton's (Beau Bridges) struggle with his homosexuality, and his wife, Martha (Allison Janney), asking him not to undergo aversion therapy when she sees how bad it is. They are a couple I can't get enough of. I love Barton standing up for Masters, and Masters doing Barton a favor by saving the elder man's job. I love Lester and Jane's kiss. I love the masturbation conversation between Lester and Masters. I love seeing Libby hold her baby, someone that will surely bring her the joy her husband can't give her.

Masters of Sex is wonderful because of all of this. The two leads are fantastic, but the other players are terrific, too. The stories are well structured, with appropriate story for recurring parts without taking away from the whole, and layered, developed, authentic characters. There's commentary on the time and culture that doesn't feel preachy, and real questions that can't be quickly and easily answered are posed. It's definitely my new favorite Showtime series.

Masters of Sex has been renewed and will return next year to Showtime.

The House is heating up

FOX's House presented "We Need the Eggs" last night. Romance and soul mates were the focus, as a patient named Henry (Kevin Christy), who keeps an expensive, customized sex doll for a girlfriend, checks in. As the docs treat him, House (Hugh Laurie) calls out each of his fellows on the obstacles standing in the way to their true loves. They turn this back on him, as House tries his best to sabotage the relationship of his long-time regular hooker, Emily (Noelle Bellinghausen), after she quits on him. 

House is nearing the end of the series, and many shows finish with happy romantic pairings for their central characters. Romance has always been a part of House, but rarely the central theme. Still, it's hard not to want to see the people viewers have grown so invested in over the years, and even the newer docs, find fulfillment in their lives. And despite trends away from marriage, most Americans still view finding a stable, long-term relationship as one of the necessary steps towards total satisfaction.

Does anyone on House have a chance at achieving that goal in the last few episodes? "We Need the Eggs" reminds us that none of them are close. They are all drawn towards House, and he to them, because of damage in their lives. This little group is messed up, and because it's their version of normal, surrounded by peers who are the same, they've been content to let it stay that way. "We Need the Eggs" introduces understanding of this arrangement, and just about everyone seeks to break the old patterns, with varying degress of success. Which is essential to move on and find serenity.

House might just be the one closest to real romance. Not with Emily, who lies about the relationship, but is quitting House anyway. No, House has grown close Dominika (Karolina Wydra). She helps him with his scheme against Emily this week, and Emily is the one that points out to our titular doctor that there seems to be something real between them. A couple of scenes between House and Dominika, one on one, really paint the picture of this possibility, and it looks beautiful.

While discussing House with House expert and co-executive editor of BlogCritics.org Barbara Barnett on The Good, The Bad, and the Geeky podcast a couple of weeks ago, Barbara mused how interesting it would be if House found love with Dominika, a marriage of convenience. She has a point. After fighting with Stacy, flirting with Cameron, and crash and burning with Cuddy, wouldn't it be fun if House's real gal just sort of falls into his lap? They have great chemistry, and she seems like a nice girl who genuinely enjoys his personality. Why not?

The roadblock to their happy ending could lie in a mistake House makes in "We Need the Eggs." He sees that Dominika has been approved for permanent citizenship, and tosses the letter in the trash. Admittedly, they are not at the point yet where she would likely stay with him if he doesn't do this. But by lying and deceiving her, House leaves himself open to a backlash that could ruin what they have together. Unless she just knows him well enough to not be surprised and hurt by this action, or is later grateful to him for giving them the time they need to find out if they are right for each other. If anyone could see past this, she could. This is certainly a "wait and see" situation.

The other character that is in a good place is Chase (Jesse Spencer). He has stopped his series of meaningless one night stands, and even passes up a chance to sleep with Adams (Odette Annable), knowing it is not a healthy situation to get into. He does a similar thing when Park (Charlyne Yi) comes to stay with him in the previous episode. Chase is learning from his past mistakes, and the growth that he exhibits in "We Need the Eggs" sets him up to be ready for something meaningful. If he doesn't already secretly have a dating partner going on. Which, given the tropes of television, is a distinct possibility.

Adams is not at all ready for romance. She is still deeply hurt by her husband's cheating, and her charity work is just an escape. She has not accepted herself, nor found out who she wants to be. Until she does these things, she has no chance at landing a great guy, her good lucks aside. While people can find other people in the process of fixing themselves, and life remains a fluid process, it seems unlikely that Adams will be in that sort of place by the end of the series.

Park is a possibility. Her character has a knack for analyzing a situation, and taking risks to remove herself from her status quo. She is willing to go outside of the box. This week, she engages in a little duet with a guitar player, which may have been a bit too intimate for casual friends. Is there something between them? Who knows? What's important is that Park is proactive in changing her life, and that is a good first step.

And then there's Taub (Peter Jacobson). In "We Need the Eggs" he meets a cute girl named Wendy (Alexis Raben) in the grocery store. But he can't stop himself from lying to her. And just when he brings himself to confess one lie, he tells another. Now, viewers are not shown how things turn out between them, but it seems like she should run as fast as she can. Hopefully, her character's credited last name on imdb of Jacobson, the same one that actor playing Taub has, is not a signal she is staying. Because Taub is not at all ready for a real relationship.

Foreman (Omar Epps) has been absent these past couple of weeks, and it's hard to know what's going on in his life. Though he seems to be doing well in his new position, his romantic side has not been addressed recently. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) gets to tackle family intimacy last week, albeit as part of one of House's manipulations, and it doesn't go well, so he's probably done in this arena as well.

So, short answer, no, not everyone will end up with the romantic partner they desire. But some might. And, since love is not the main theme of House, this issue is likely to not be the sole focus of the characters' endings. Better to get a huge chunk of it out of the way in "We Need the Eggs" and move on from there.


Watch the final episodes of House Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! To purchase House DVDs and streaming episodes, please click here. Article first published as TV Review: House - "We Need the Eggs" on Blogcritics.