Masters of Sex: Season 3 (DVD) – Series Review
Follow Genre: Drama
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Episodes: 12
Duration: 56 min. per episode

Masters of Sex: Season 3 (DVD) – Series Review

Site Score
8.7
Good: Great storylines
Bad: Hardly any extras
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Even though we haven’t reviewed the first two seasons of Masters of Sex, we can now present you with our thoughts on season 3 of the series. We were hesitant at first as to what to expect of the series as, truth be told, the title ‘Masters of Sex’ can be read in many different ways. However, it turns out to be quite an interesting series, and we could definitely see why it has been nominated for two Golden Globes, among many other awards.

Masters of Sex

Bill Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) have, after years of scientific research on sex, found a publisher who is willing to publish their work. At a press conference in 1965, they explain the importance of the book as a scientific guide for couples about sex, and the value of sex within marriage. When Bill finds out that Virginia is pregnant, the father being her ex-husband George (Mather Zickel), he tries to convince her to marry George once again, given her current situation as a single pregnant woman could ruin their reputation and their book sale, while marrying George would legitimize her child. Virginia gives in, and she gives birth to a baby girl Lisa. Not much later, their book ‘Human Sexual Response’ is released, receiving overall mostly good reviews.

Bill sees it bigger though, thus while the book sells pretty well, he aims even higher. He wants to introduce the book as a medical textbook, but since the book is quite controversial, he doesn’t find an interested party. What he needs, he thinks, is an investor to make this dream happen. And thus Virginia and Betty (Annaleigh Ashford) meet with potential investors, until eventually, Bill decides to do business with Dan Logan (Josh Charles), who works in the fragrance industry, and is looking to capture the smell of sex in a bottle. It turns out to be quite the challenge.

Masters of Sex 2

Throughout the twelve episodes this season counts, the storyline spans quite evenly. The book launch and Dan Logan’s new investment are the core of the season, however, many smaller things happen all around the main characters, professionally but mostly personally, that affect the main storyline. This keeps it very refreshing and inventive. As the name of the show would suggest, the story is basically built around sex. It’s nice to see though that it is never just about plain sex, but about the scientific research around it, and medical support to find love (again). Of course there is still enough nudity, but we found it pleasant to see that even in a show that talks so openly about sex, some things are still left to the imagination, and the focus always remains on the leading characters’ professional and personal lives.

Michael Sheen produced the season, but also did a terrific job portraying Dr. Bill Masters. His professional side, his jealous side, his careless behavior, his tortured soul, they are all visible in his character. Lizzy Caplan puts down her character Virginia as an honorable woman, who might seem a bit reserved, but knows very well what she wants (in most things), even though her decisions may not turn out to be the right ones. Annaleigh Ashford deserves a mention here as well, as she plays her character Betty brilliantly and will certainly make you laugh more than once.

Masters of Sex 1

Sadly, there are only some deleted scenes added as extra content to this DVD release. While we were happy to have those, it isn’t a lot, thus we feel like a bit more effort could have been made. As it is now, it’s not really worth picking up a copy of the series if you hoped to see more than what you could have already seen on TV.

Conclusion

Jumping right in, without watching Masters of Sex’ previous seasons, we were pleasantly surprised about what the series has to offer. Great storylines and complicated, yet relatable characters make this series stand out, together with the very fine acting performances. The only downside to this DVD release is that there are hardly any extras. Nonetheless, we can easily overlook that minor issue, given the series itself is absolutely worth it.

Masters of Sex 3

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