2015 Bill Maher #359 08 07 Tsunami of Stupid

by Catherine Giordano

Bill Maher premiered the Fall Season of Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday, August 8, 2015. Episode 359 of his popular show was a tsunami of snappy dialogue, hard-hitting satire, and funny comedy segments. It appears that the hiatus did Maher and his staff a world of good—they are back and they are better than ever.

The Debates

Bill Maher said that he timed his return so as to be able to comment on the two Republican debates. He asked the audience, “Did you ever take ecstasy? He followed up with, “This was the opposite of that. It was a tsunami of stupid.” “It was like a Comedy Central roast of the Constitution.” 

Bill Maher was delighted to have Donald Trump to kick around again. Maher has had a feud going with Trump for years. Maher said that Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News, sent the word down to “kill this Rosemary’s baby monster in its black crib.” Trump is “nasty, boorish, sexist, ignorant, and smug, but that is what the Republicans like about him.” Maher also said there were five governors, three senators, a brain surgeon, and a ham-colored cartoon character on the stage. [Did Trump spend that afternoon at the beach—he was definitely red-faced at the debate, and that was before he got angry at the questions the moderators asked him.]  

Maher had his best quip of the night when he spoke about Jeb Bush. Speaking about the polls, Maher said that Bush doesn’t mind getting the second most votes. He says that’s how his brother became president.  

Maher said the Republicans were mad at the moderators because they were too tough on the candidates. The answers were the same as ever, “Muslims kill, Mexicans rape, and carry the baby to term.” Maher added, “All they had to sell was fear. Hope-and- change meet pee-in-pants.” He concluded with the comment that the candidates “seemed to be unaware that women can now vote.”  

The Interview—Climate Change

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The interview was with Michael Mann, Professor of Meteorology at Penn State University, Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change. Mann said, “We are still at the point where we can stop it. It is not too late, but there is an urgency.” Maher said, “It is super-settled science. Climate change is real and it is caused by human activity.” He added that people have to stop thinking that “someone will invent a super carbon sucking machine.”   

co-founder of realclimate.org and co-author of

Bill quipped “We should call it a ‘war on coal’. We might get McCain.” [Maher was referring to McCann’s well-known tendency to call for war at the drop of a hat.].  

Maher Mann discussed how the people are ahead of the politicians on this one—70% of Americans favor renewable energy. Clean energy is not an economy-killer—there are twice as many jobs in solar than in coal. 

 

The conversation about climate change continued with the panel. Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), former Mayor of San Francisco, candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2018, and author of Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government remarked that none of the Republican candidates in the debate mentioned climate change, social-mobility issues, inequality of policing issues—it was extraordinary for what was not asked.”
 On climate change, Steve Schmidt, MSNBC analyst, Vice Chair of Public Affairs at Edelman Public Relations and former Senior Advisor to the McCain-Palin presidential campaign spouted the usual clap-trap nonsense. “Climate change is real, but do you want a trillion dollar cost to our economy? China and India are doing nothing. Maher had to slap him (metaphorically) upside the head. Maher said “We made a deal with China and they are ahead of the deal.” Schmidt continued telling us how you can’t breathe the air in China so how can anyone say they are ahead of us. Maher explained [as I sure Schmidt already knew] that yes they have serious problems in China, but they were ahead of the timetable for reducing emission that was part of the deal.

Mary Matalin, political analyst, television and radio host, former Assistant to President George W. Bush, and Counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney and author of several books--the most recent is Love & War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home (with James Carville), sounded even more like an idiot than even Steven Schmidt. First she started saying something about God. It seemed a non-sequitur or was she implying that we can all just sit back and let God fix it.

Newsom told that California is having record fire and floods due to climate change. Maitland said California needed more reservoirs. Everyone was stunned by the stupidity of that remark. Newsome had to inform her they had plenty of reservoirs and the problem was that they were only one-third full. Maher had to bring it down to a kindergarten level to get Matalin to understand. “It is the water not dropping down.”

Maitland suggested nuclear power and Maher had to remind her of what happened in Japan. Schmidt came back with the same idea that had already been debunked. “We should not make American workers pay for it.” People actually pay these two for their consulting advice!? They are truly a tsunami of stupidity.

Donald Trump

The Trump Bubble?

And then we were back to Trump. It seems like every news show on TV has to devote half of their time to Trump. Maher said that Trump could go all the way He asked us to remember Ronald Reagan. Everyone disparaged his chances--he was an actor, he was divorced, etc.  

Schmidt looked like he had been slapped in the face by the criticism of St. Reagan, and went on to explain why Trump was doing so well. “His message is powerful. ‘Our leaders are incompetent. I will fix it.’ He is saying what millions are screaming at their TVs.” 

Matalin said,” He is competent, confident, and he stands for what we believe in. The federal government is not working.” [Is she a Trump supporter? Earlier she seemed to be a Fiorina supporter.] 

Maher said, “At least Democrats deal with reality. Everything is not Mexico, China, Iran and lazy talkers who use welfare money to buy drugs.” He challenged his Republican guests, “What does it say about your party that the guy who is leading is full of nonsense.” Maher told them that Trump said that he would repeal ObamaCare and replace it with “something terrific.” Newsome pointed out, “Trump is no Reagan“ because the two Republicans on the panel were too busy complimenting Trump to defend Reagan. Maher concluded, “Ronald Reagan was a little better than ‘something terrific.’”  

And now a word from God

Maher asked the panel if they thought it was appropriate for the moderators to ask the candidates about what God was telling them to do. Newsome said it was a “cringe worthy” moment.  

The conversation veered away from the debate into a discussion of atheism. Maher said that atheists and agnostics are the same thing. I’m glad he said that because that is what I have been saying and getting a lot of pushback from some in the non-believer community who prefer to split semantic hairs. He pointed out that 38 million people in the U.S. are “Nones”, the second largest group surpassed only by evangelical Christians.  

[Maher was referring to the 2014 Pew Poll. I wrote about it in Polls Show Christianity Declining, Nones Rising ]

Matalin once again showed her ignorance by saying “Atheism is a belief.” Maher explains, “No it’s not. It’s an absence of belief. Saying atheism is a belief is like saying abstinence is a sex position.”  

Matalin responded by shouting, “But it is! It is! It is!” [Maybe abstinence is her favorite sex position—she was very insistent-- and maybe that is why both she and her husband, James Carville, always seem so emotionally anorexic.] 

Maher said that Dana Perino, former press secretary to President George W. Bush, once said “If they [atheists] don’t like it, they don’t have to live here.” Matalin tried to deny that Perino said it, but when forced to back down, she sanctimoniously replied, “I believe in tolerance—it is the essence of my faith.”  

Finally Schmidt brought the conversation back to the debate. He said, “They [the moderators] should have asked if they knew the difference between Shia, Sunni, and a kangaroo.” Which gave Maher the opportunity to say, “Once again you say these people are utter idiots and they are my people.” [It appears that Schmidt sometimes forgets what team he plays for and gets as exasperated with the tsunami of stupidity as the rest of us.] 

Read more about the "the God question" at the Republican debate here: : "A Word From God"

Hillary Clinton

The mid show comedy: Hillary’s Tweets

The mid-show comedy segment was a riff on Trump’s tsunami of angry 3am tweets attacking Megyn Kelly for asking him tough questions [Maher said there were about 30 of these tweets.] 

Maher showed us what Hillary’s tweets would look like if she were an angry fool like Trump is. What if she got on the bluster bandwagon? Here’s a few of them—I picked the most wicked ones. .

Lincoln Chaffee: Zero percent in the polls. Are you a candidate or a great rate on a car loan? 

Carly Fiorina: You come off kind of cold and unlikeable and entitled and that’s coming from me.  

Chipolte: Glad I didn’t tip. If I want to throw my money at Mexicans, I’ll buy coke from Jeb Bush’s kids.” 

New York Times: Crossword Puzzle. 1 across: Kiss. 2 down: My Ass. 

Monica Lewinski: I’m still married. How are you doing?

Mid-show interview: Caitlin Flanagan

Caitlin Flanagan is a journalist, a national correspondent for The Atlantic, and a former staff writer for The New Yorker.The September issue of The Atlantic will feature Flanagan’s new article, “That’s Not Funny: Today’s College Students Can’t Seem to Take a Joke.” She is also the author of To Hell with All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife and Girl Land.

She was invited on the show to talk about one of Maher’s favorite subjects, political correctness, especially on college campuses. Flanagan’s thesis is that college students know nothing of the world and it is the duty of parents and instructors to teach them. The adults have abdicated their responsibility in this and colleges are like a country club nowadays. The kids perceive themselves as being the victims of a host of micro-aggressions.  

Maher then quoted from a “Bias Free Language Guide.” This reads like a comedy bit, but Maher swears that he is not kidding.

Senior citizens: People of advanced age

Rich: Person of material wealth

Obese: People of size

Tomboy: Gender non-conforming

Homosexual: Same gender loving.

Personally, I prefer the current terms. Advanced age? Say that to me if you want to get smacked upside the head.

New Rules

One of Maher’s New Rules brought us back to the debates. It was captioned "Ruff Crowd". Maher said the debates were like the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. There were two divisions. The big dogs who bark a lot and slobber (Trump and Christie) The small dogs who wear sweaters and prance (Santorum and Graham.)

The final New Rule was a segment called “Floss Hogg.” One of Maher’s hot buttons is animal rights and he was really taking aim at the dentist who shot Cecil the lion. He told him if he wants to kill things to show what a big man he is, he should “Go to Syria and take out Isis.”  

Maher’s theory is that someone like this dentist wants to go on a hunting safari to show everyone that he is rich because in America being filthy rich is the greatest good.” [Trump takes every opportunity to say “I’m very rich” and it appears to be working for him.]

 

Scott Walker Trophy

Maher segued to the Republican nominating process and how the wealthy buy candidates. Maher said, “The rich shouldn’t just get to tell politicians what to do. They should get to hunt them so they can then put the trophy Republican’s head on their wall to go with their trophy kills, trophy car, and trophy wife. Scott Walker’s eyes already look like taxidermy. Chris Christie’s leg would make a lovely umbrella stand.

 It was a tsunami of comedy and barbed wit on the August 7th show. I hope Bill Maher can maintain that high performance level throughout the season.
  

Bill Maher’s Guests:  August 7, 2015
 

Michael Mann: Professor of Meteorology at Penn State University, co-founder of realclimate.org, co-author of Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change

Caitlin Flanagan: Journalist, national correspondent for The Atlantic, former staff writer for The New Yorker The September issue of The Atlantic will feature Flanagan’s new article, “That’s Not Funny: Today’s College Students Can’t Seem to Take a Joke.” She is also the author of To Hell with All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife and Girl Land

Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA): Former Mayor of San Francisco, candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2018. He is the author of Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government

Mary Matalin: Political analyst, television and radio host, former Assistant to President George W. Bush, and Counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney. She is the author of several books--the most recent is Love & War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, TwoDaughters and One Louisiana Home (with James Carville)

 

Steve Schmidt: MSNBC analyst, Vice Chair of Public Affairs at Edelman Public Relations, former Senior Advisor to the McCain-Palin presidential campaign



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Masters of Sex #304 “Undue Influence”

Margaret has a new friend.

“Making Friends” 

by Catherine Giordano

This recap and review must begin with a spoiler alert. Season 3 of Showtime’s Masters of Sex seems to feel regular doses of shockers will make up for the heart the series has seemingly lost. Episode 304, which aired on August 2, 2015, will provide the requisite shock.

Bill Masters wants to boost the sales of his book in order to justify a second printing. He lurks in a book store (remember those) trying to figure out why his book is not getting sales. He complains to the book store owner because his book has been placed in the back of the store. The owner explains that people who want the book call ahead so the book is wrapped and waiting for them when they come in to pick it up. It seems no one wants to be buying a book called Human Sexual Response.

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Bill gets a great idea. He returns to the store with a roll of brown wrapping paper. He asks the bookstore owner to wrap his remaining copies of Human Sexual Response in the paper and put them in the window. The bookstore owner thinks Bill is nuts, but agrees to do it after Bill promised to buy all the copies that don’t sell. However, the sales go wild. It seems a little mystery in matters of sex can do wonders.


While in the book store Bill buys a copy of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. The ideas in the book hit Bill like a thunderbolt. “Make people feel important” the book says. Bill decides to do this by buying a fur capelet for Virginia. The store places it in a box and the box is placed into a shopping bag. Bill keeps the bag in his office waiting for a suitable time to give it to Virginia.  

Awkward! Virginia seems embarrassed by this extravagant gift. Perhaps it seems like an attempt to manipulate her into going on the book tour that she does not want to go on. She has a new baby, remember. Later in the episode, Bill shows up at Virginias' home. Now that the brown paper wrapper thing is working, the book tour is not so important so he is no longer pressuring Virginia to go on the book tour. Virginia is still reluctant to accept the inappropriate gift. Only wives and mistresses get furs from men—Virginia is not his wife and she doesn’t want to think of herself as his mistresses. 

 

Bill still on his charm offensive, offers to take Virginia out to dinner. Then he mentions that it is a bit chilly outside. “If only you had something to keep you warm,” he says as he drapes the capelet over her shoulders.This is not the way to make friends and influence people; this is the way to dominate people.

The fur gambit will have another awkward consequence. Bill's wife Libby, showed up at Bill's office. He was busy with a patient so she goes into his office and sees the shopping bag with the store name on it. She opens the box, sees the fur and then replaces everything as she found it. Does she think that this is a surprise gift for her? What will happen when she realizes it is not for her?

Margaret, Barton’s ex-wife, seems interested in maintaining a friendly relationship with her ex-husband. She shows up at his apartment with a casserole. She finds out about Barton’s lady friend. She may be feeling a little jealous. She makes a bit of a scene because Barton is not telling this woman the truth about himself. Barton insists he and the woman are just friends. 

It turns out Margaret is right. The lady wants more than friendship from Barton. After a dinner at his apartment, she says that she could spend the night with him. Barton blanches and makes up a story. He has high blood pressure and his medication makes him unable to perform. Will the lady accept this? Will she want to attempt intimacy anyway or will she just go away. 

Margaret has another reason to be angry. She has been keeping Barton’s secret. She has taken the blame for the divorce, telling everyone that Barton divorced her because she was unfaithful. Her daughter is not talking to her because of this. She can’t even tell her new boyfriend, Graham the truth. 

I don’t think that her new boyfriend Graham is overly concerned about Margaret having cheated on her ex-husband. It seems he has another girlfriend in addition to Margaret. Shocker! But it gets worse. Margaret knows about it. In fact, the three of them are all great friends in a poly-amorous relationship. After years of a sexless marriage, Margaret apparently has some self-esteem issues. 

People are trying to be friends, but I doubt these friendships are healthy relationships. 


 

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Masters of Sex #303 07/26/15 “The Excitement of Release”



by Catherine Giordano

Love Sweet Love

 

As the credits roll at the end of Showtime’s’ Masters of Sex episode 303 “The Excitement of Release” which aired on July 26, 2015, the sound track plays a familiar song from the era, “Love Sweet Love.” It’s anything but love sweet love on this episode of the show.

 

Tessa

Virginia Johnston’s daughter Tessa is 16 years old and the daughter of the “Sex Mom.” It’s easy to see why boys at her school think she is sexually experienced and easy. Except she isn’t. She’s 16, she has a crush on a boy, and the boy seems to like her. He barely has the r thing down. Tessa is sitting in the boy’s car and Tessa may be hoping for a shy first kiss. Instead, the boy forces her to perform oral sex, forcing her head down into his lap area. Afterwards Tessa flees and vomits all over her new prom dress that her mother bought for her as a peace offering because there have been a lot of mother daughter squabbles. (Tessa seems to be all over the map with her sexuality—in the first episode of season three, she was trying to force herself on Bill Masters now sex play is making her ill.) Love, sweet love? Far from it.

 

Barton

Remember Barton, the medical director at the hospital where Dr. Masters used to work. Barton has hung onto his job, but lost his wife. Bill goes to see Barton and discovers Barton has a nice middle age lady with whom he is “keeping company.” Is this love sweet love? Far from it. Barton as you will remember is a homosexual, but he apparently is doing his best to stay in the closet. Does his lady friend want to do more than cook meals for him? What does Barton tell her.? Maybe something like, “I’m old-fashioned. I respect you too much for that.”

 

Bill wants to improve sales for the book. He thinks it should be a text book at medical schools for the sex-ed classes. However medical schools don’t teach doctors about sex. Bill enlists Barton to help him get to the executives at the hospital where Barton works and where Bill used to work. Barton brings him to a cocktail party. The executive treats Barton like a lackey; Barton has kept his job, but not his secret. His boss is contemptuous of him and treats him like a lackey. Bill can’t stand to see his old friend and mentor treated so badly, so he makes a scene and storms out. He invited Barton to join his medical practice. There is still some love left between these two.

 

Libby

There is no love between Bill and his wife Libby, although to the outside world they look like a happily married couple. They keep up the pretense, their marriage as much a marriage of convenience as the relationship between Barton and his new girlfriend. Libby has become friends with Joy, a woman who lives next door. The woman confides to Libby that she is going to leave her husband. Libby tries to talk her out of it--perhaps just she talked her own self out of it—but the woman insists she will leave.

 

Lester and Jane 

Remember Lester, the photographer and Jane, the subject in the early experiments of female sexual response. The two had run off together to Hollywood so Jan could become a star—it was true love, but not for long. Soon Lester returned because Jane had dumped him for the casting couch. Lester took up with the “incest girl.” When Lester said he was working late to avoid going home to a nagging wife, I thought he had married incest girl. Instead it turns out, Jane is his wife. No love sweet love there. But Jane is hired to respond to the tons of mail masters and Johnson are getting. One night she reads aloud one of the letters, a very salacious one, and that is the spark that lights Lester and Jane’s fire. Now that the sex has returned, will the love return?  

 

Dan Logan

Bill and Virginia are looking for investors. They take a meeting with Hugh Hefner at a bunny club. You never want to bring Virginia Johnson to a bunny club. No way she will get into bed with Heffner, and I mean get into business with him. Fortunately, Bill thinks that being associated with Hef is not the kind of thing that will give him and his work respect. So, pass!

 

Someone else is sniffing around. Dan Logan is an executive from a flavors and fragrances firm. He wants to get the smell of sex into a bottle. There is clearly sexual tension between him and Virginia. Will she be willing to get into bed with him? I mean that both ways--as a bed partner, as a sex partner, or both.

 

Masters and Johnston

There’s not much sex going on between Masters and Johnson. It has probably been at least a year since they had sex (or made love). Masters was squeamish about it while she was pregnant with another man’s baby. Or maybe he was just being extra-careful that there would be no scandal during the release of the book. Now the baby has been born and the book has been birthed. Time to hit the hay again.

 

In the first scene of the episode, Bill and Virginia are in bed together, but Virginia begs off saying her body still doesn’t feel right after the birth of the baby. “It’s been eight weeks since you had the baby,” Bill tersely says. “It’s OK for you to have sex now.” It’s clearly connects to the later scene between Tessa and her date when Tessa’s date demands that she gratify him. Bill is demanding the same of Virginia. I

 

The last scene takes us back to the first scene. Bill and Virginia are in bed. The baby cries and she has to get out of bed to tend to the baby. She brings the baby to bed with her, and places the baby between them. It is like they are a family. Bill must love her baby, if he is to love her.

 

Love sweet love. Not too much of that going on



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Masters of Sex #302 07 19 15 “Three’s a Crowd”

Virginia and Bill at the book launch party.

Bad Things Come in Threes
by Catherine Giordano

 

A friend of mine said that she stops watching a series after the second season because the writers usually only have enough good stories for two seasons. I think she is on to something. The first two episodes of season three of “Masters of Sex” have been disappointing. With episode 302, “Three’s a Crowd,” I’m beginning to see a trend.  

The problem may be that there has been too much focus on just our triad-Bill, Virginia, and Libby. The writers need to bring the stories of the other characters back to the foreground. Bill is cold, Virginia is defiant, and Libby is mopey. Ho-hum.

 

The Pregnancy
The plot has pretty much jumped the shark. Virginia is pregnant. It turns out that Bill is not the father. The father is Virginia’s ex-husband, George. At first I thought that George being the father was the cover story. No, George really is the father. It seems George and Virginia were so distraught over their son’s getting hit by a car and his decision to join the military that they had sex with each other. They had sex in that over-crowded house at the lake.  

Nothing in the plot line prior to this set us up for Virginia and George to have sex. There was no thawing in their relationship. Bill and Virginia were not fighting any more than usual. The writers just threw us a plot twist. I imagine them sitting around the room saying:  

“Hey,.How about if we make Virginia get pregnant?”

“Good one. And let’s make it be by her ex-husband.” 

“Well, we got nothing else, so why not?”

 Virginia tells Bill she has an abortion all arranged. She had been putting it off until after the press conference for the book. Is that believable?  Maybe, a little. But now we get to the totally unbelievable part. 

Virginia shows up for her appointment. She gets on the operating table. The doctor gives her the local anesthetic and asks her if she can feel anything.  She says, “I feel nothing.” End of scene. 

Next thing we know, we see Virginia still pregnant. She apparently on the spur of the moment, decided to just hop off that table and have the baby. Nothing before this showed us that she had the least bit of doubt about the abortion. She’s not married, she has a book tour to do, her 16 year old daughter, Tessa, is proving to be more than she can handle—it’s just a great time to have a baby.  

 

The Solution

The solution?  Virginia will marry her ex-husband. Virginia doesn’t like the idea very much. George wants to marry Virginia because he thinks they can have what they had when they were first married again, but he doesn’t want a sham marriage. Bill offers to write him a very big check.  

A short time later. the happy couple meet with a lawyer one morning to sign the pre-nup. There will be no co-habitation, no sexual relations, and no sharing of assets. The same afternoon, they go to the justice of the peace, and with Bill and Libby as witnesses, they get married. Libby is all smiles—she thinks this marriage may put an end to the affair that Bill is having with Virginia.  

The Speech

So far the plot twists are pretty bizarre, but things get worse. Virginia goes into labor and she can’t handle it. She falls apart emotionally—very out of character for her. Bill is at her side trying to talk her through it. He tells her, at great length, how she is part of a new chapter for women. Women can have both careers and children. Virginia will lead the way. Just as the two of them have broken down the barriers to sexual equality for men and women, they will now break down the barriers to equality in the home and the workplace.  

It is true that Bill and Virginia (along with the birth control pill) are ushering in a new era of equality for men and women. It is also true that the conversation between Bill and Virginia is totally unrealistic. One of the great things about Masters of Sex is that show reflects societal issues of the time. Usually, this is done indirectly-- the plot shows us these things, no one speechifies about it.  In this episode, Bill gave a 20 minute speech about it as Virginia dealt with her labor pains. This is more than unrealistic; it is boring and painful.  I was feeling desperate for the scene to be over, but it went on and on.

 

The Triads



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The rest of the episode showed both Bill and Virginia being difficult. Bill has hired, Dr. West, a female doctor to fill in for Virginia until after Virginia gives birth. He needed to have a female partner so he “won’t look like a pervert.” Dr. West talks directly to a patient, and this angers Bill. Despite the speech he will later give to Virginia about gender equality, he will not have a  woman being equal to him in his practice. She is there to assist and to be seen but not heard. 

 

This scene reminded me of the developments the previous episode. Virginia wants some time off to complete her studies and obtain her degree. Bill is angry because he needs Virginia to assist him as the book is edited and prepared for publication. Virginia is strong–willed and gets her way much to the good doctor’s chagrin. 

So third time is a charm? I hope so. I hope the show gets back on track for episode 3. While we wait we can contemplate the triads. Bill, Libby, and Virginia. Virginia, George, and the new baby. Bill, George, and Virginia. Maybe even Virginia, Tessa, and the new baby. Will there be sibling rivalry?

 



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Masters of Sex #301 07 12 15 “'Parliament of Owls”

One Big Happy Family

by Catherine Giordano

 

Season 3 picks up four years later after the end of Season 2 and nothing has changed and everything has changed. I call this review “One Big Happy Family” with more than a little sarcasm. 

Spoiler Alert: The recap and review of the Season 3 premiere of Masters of Sex which aired on July 12, 2015 discusses key plot points.  

 

The Book



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Human Sexual Response is about to be published. The episode begins with Bill Masters and Virginia Johnson holding a press conference. There is a lot of hostility in the room. For the most part, the reporters are scandalized even though the book is a very dry read of medical terminology and statistics. Masters and Johnson did everything they could to keep the book from being salacious.

 
The hostility is not just between Masters and Johnson and the reporters but also between Dr. Masters and Mrs.Johnson. Masters is the senior partner in this enterprise, but Johnson fights for equal billing. She makes sure that she takes half of the talking time, often jumping in with her answers before Masters can speak. When she is not doing that, she is adding to what he has said as it he had forgotten to mention some important points.


Their professional and private relationship resembles that of a contentious marriage; they have a strong bond to each other, but they fight for dominance in the relationship.

The Home Front

The Masters (Bill and his wife Libby and their two kids) and the Johnsons (Virginia and her two kids) are taking a vacation together at a lake house. It is apparently something they do every year. The action of the episode jumps back and forth between that summer vacation and the press conference. 

They may be on vacation but all Bill wants to do is work on the galley proofs of the book. The last thing he wants to do is be with his wife and kids He holes-up in one of the bedrooms all day, and at night he goes outside to sleep in a lawn chair. The room he is using as his office is the bedroom of Tessa, Virginia’s daughter, so he can’t sleep there. He won’t sleep with his wife, and so he ends up sleeping outside in a lawn chair. How hurt must Libby feel that he’d rather sleep outside and get eaten alive by mosquitoes that sleep in the same bed, or even room, with her? 

Libby has made her peace with it. She knows what is going on between Bill and Virginia, but it is something she never speaks of. Libby is very depressed (clinically depressed) and Virginia is probably her best, and only, friend. 

It is very much a ménage a trios although there are only two people in the same bed at one time. Libby comes into Virginia’s room to talk and gets into bed with her. It’s very chaste; she stays on her side of the double bed. She speaks cryptically, but Virginia knows what she is talking about. Libby talks about how important it is to her to keep her sham marriage intact. For the sake of the children. 

Then Libby leans over and kisses Virginia on the lips. Her husband won’t kiss her, so the next best thing is to kiss the lips that kiss her husband’s lips. Libby leaves the bed immediately after. In a way, it is a dominance play on Libby’s part.   

 

The Kids are Alright

No, the kids are NOT alright.

Virginia’s two sweet children, Tessa and Henry, are now 15 and 17 years old. They are rebellious and getting involved sexually. Virginia blames their bad behavior on their father who won custody of the children at the end of Season 2.  

Henry has is having sex with a local young woman, a single mother. He previously had an intellectual bent, but now he does not want to continue his schooling and he won’t keep a job. He has gone behind his parent’s back to meet with a military recruiter.  

Henry gets hit by a car, no serious damage is done, but he has to visit the emergency room and Virginia’s ex-husband is called. He comes out to the lake house  and the family is now bigger, if not happier. At the end of the episode, Henry’s parents have agreed to let him join the military, mainly because they can’t stop him. He will be 18 in a few months. 

Tessa has been having her own sexual experimentation. Virginia wants Bill to talk to her about boys and sex because the girl won’t listen to her. Besides, Bill is a gynecologist and knows about these things. (Virginia knows a thing or two herself, but she is backing away from her responsibility.) Bill wants no part of Tessa’s sex education. 

Unfortunately, Tessa forces him to get involved. She gets drunk and disrobes and kisses Bill. Perhaps this is her dominance play against her mother, trying to have sex with her mother’s lover. Bill recoils, but not before Bill’s young son sees the kiss. 

Bill is cold to his children and the children don’t like it. The kiss is the breaking point for Bill’s 8 year old son, Johnny. “You won’t kiss Mommy, but you kiss her, he screams. The boy grabs the galley proofs and runs out of the house with them. They are what his father loves more than him. He throws the papers into the lake.   

Bill, his face contorted with rage, raises his fist to his child. He catches himself before punching him. He is struck with the realization that he is treating his son the way his father treated him. He just walks away.  

I think we will see more problems with these kids in the future. Plus, another big shocker. There may be more kids coming to this family. Virginia is pregnant. 

At the end of the episode, the credits inform the viewers that these are fictional children. That is good because these kids are messed up.

Stay Tuned

One big happy family

It is a family of sorts. But happy has nothing to do with it.





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