Masters of Sex S1E1 - "Pilot" Recap

In 1956, a nationally renowned fertility specialist met a former nightclub singer. Ten years later, they published a scientific understanding of human sexuality.

Dr. William H. Masters is honoured at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri for his work in Obstetrics surgery. Following this, he watches through a peep hole as Betty DiMello, a prostitute, has sex with a client named Ernie. He has a timer and takes notes on his observations. Afterwards, he interviews her as part of his research on sex. She tells him she had faked her orgasm and he is amazed, having never learned of this. He doesn't understand why a woman would lie about that and she tells him if he really wants to learn about sex, he should get himself a female partner.

Ethan Hass, a young doctor, tells Bill about a new female employee that is in the midst of divorcing her husband. Bill says that he is getting support from Scully about presenting his research to the board but Ethan doesn't have much confidence in this study. Bill assures him that it would be conducted in secrecy. When Bill returns home to his wife Libby, she has a romantic set-up in place. Their conversation reveals that they are having difficulties getting pregnant.

Ethan drives Virgina E. Johnson home and flirts with her. She tells him that perhaps they will be friends but when he admits he has been thinking about kissing her, she tells him friends can kiss. The next day, Ethan tells Bill that she gave him a blow job and calls it "incredible." Ethan is highly infatuated by her and brings her up to the Obstetrics wing to show her a c-section taking place in which Bill is the lead surgeon.

Virginia interviews to be Bill's new secretary. She is studying behaviour sciences and will have her degree by the end of the year. She says she has been married twice and has two children from the second one. They discuss love, marriage, and she says she believes womyn often believe love and sex are the same but she says they can be separate. He says he has never heard a woman express that opinion before. He asks her why a woman would fake an orgasm and she says it could be to get the man to climax quicker so she can get back to whatever she was doing. Virginia heads to the registrar and signs up for some sociology courses as an undeclared major.

Bill meets with Scully who tells him he didn't present the project to the board because they will dismiss it as smut. Bill finds it illogical that there are libraries of books about babies being born without any information about how babies are made. He says they should be researching it as doctors but Scully will not see reason.

Bill returns home and finds that Libby is distraught over the fact that her period just began and she is therefore not pregnant. Virginia is hired as Bill's secretary and Bill tells her Libby will be coming in to join his cervical cap trial to try to help her conceive. Ethan drives Virginia home where they have sex and she teaches him to perform cunnilingus, something he has never done before or even considered attempting. He enjoys it thoroughly.

Bill's patient is distraught because she lost her baby and other doctors have told her she will not be able to have another one. Bill promises he will not rest until she has another baby. Post-sex, Bill tells Virginia that Bill's low sperm count is what prevents his wife from being able to get pregnant but his ego keeps him from telling anyone about it. Ethan only knows this because he snuck a peek at Bill's file. Virginia politely kicks Ethan out, saying it would be confusing for her children and also, they are just friends. He expresses his confusion to Bill over the great sex but lack of emotional involvement. He says he is in love with her but she is killing him. Bill wants to focus on helping his patient(s) conceive.

Bill has Betty come in to take part in his new study on sex. Ethan begins treating Libby since it's against protocol for him to be the one to treat her. While Bill is hooking the monitor up to Betty, he learns that she is gay. Bill informs Virginia about the nature of his research and asks her to assist him with it since he believes she has good instincts for the work. She recruits Jane, another worked in the hospital to take part in the study.

Bill designs a dildo with a camera built into it to. He has Scully come in to observe what happens inside as Jane masturbates with it, though her identity is kept anonymous from him with the help of a curtain that hides her upper half. Bill presses Scully to submit his proposal to the board but when Scully remains stubborn, Bill threatens to quit, which would cost the hospital a great deal of money.

That night, Bill and Virginia sit and wait. Ethan comes in and is upset when Virginia tells him to go out without her, despite their having had plans to head to a benefit together. Bill warns her that their behaviour must be without reproach, as their study is already scandalous by other people's standards. He expresses his frustrations with people's attitudes about sex and dismissal of the importance of scientific research on it. When they are about to leave for the benefit, Scully leaves and gives them the approval to continue their research.

Bill and Virginia head to the benefit. They recruit Dr. Austin Langham to take part in their study. He is married, but has a reputation for having extramarital affairs. Ethan gets upset at Virginia and they head outside where he complains about her beginning to spend more time with Bill than him. She tells him they are friends but Ethan says that friends don't make love to each other. She apologises for hurting him but then he hits her. She hits back and he breaks thing off, calling her a whore before storming off.

Virginia is left with a bruise on her face but returns to work and meets Bill's patient, who is overjoyed at the news that she is pregnant again. Langham meets Jane and is charmed right off the bat. They are both hooked up to wires and Virginia tells them there are no rules and they only need to move through the four stages so the necessary data may be collected. Bill and Virginia observe from the other room. Bill later tells Virginia that they run the risk of potential transference between them and their patients. He suggests that they have sex with each other to deflect any inappropriate interaction with the patients and then they will be able to interpret the data first-hand. Virginia asks to think about it over the weekend.

Masters of Sex airs on Sundays on Showtime at 10PM.