Masters of Sex (2013–2016): Season 2, Episode 11 - One for the Money, Two for the Show - full transcript

Libby: Previously on
Masters of Sex...

Herb Spleeb.

"When life kicks you
to the curb, call Herb."

Herb's a divorce lawyer,

very interested in renting office space.

I'm offering you an opportunity

to participate in the work
as a subject.

I can bring men back to life...

I was wondering if you
could use my help.

I would like to contribute.

William:
I have secondary impotence.



I can function
when I'm by myself.

It's when I'm with a--
a partner.

Austin: I'm good at this job.

I know how to make women
feel good about themselves.

Flo: So do that for me.

Make me feel good.

William: Mr. Tally is a partner

at Williams and Kulick
Public Relations.

Shep: The two of you come on,
both scientists

and yet looking like
the nice couple next door,

and suddenly I trust you.

William: Us on TV?

Our father was a monster.

Francis: But our monster
was a sick alcoholic.



William: You know,
you've always been weak.

A gutless, pathetic man.

[ Grunting ]

Virginia: It's healing nicely.

Makeup will cover that.

William: Makeup?

I'm not gonna walk around
wearing makeup, Virginia.

Virginia: [ Chuckling ] No.

For the shoot tomorrow.

We'll cover it so you can't
see it on the camera.

Have you spoken to him since--
your brother?

William: I, uh-- I wrote him.

Virginia: Wrote?

William:
I-I intend to write to him.

He left town.

Didn't I tell you?

He and Pauline went back
to Kansas City.

Virginia: No.
You didn't mention that.

William: I'm gonna make it right
with him.

Virginia: Do you think
that's what made the difference

the other night?

You were so... Everything--
upset, angry, repentant.

You could fe--
I mean, really feel.

You were so charged up--
blood pumping through--

William: Virginia, please.

Can we not, uh... analyze it?

Virginia: Yes. Yes, of course.

We don't have to talk... at all.

Is that what you'd like?

William: I'd like you to tell me
how it was the other night...

for you.

[ Ring clacks ]

Virginia: To see you hurt
like that, you mean?

William: Uh, no.

What happened after that--
the, uh... the sex.

Virginia: It was good.

William: Tell me.

Virginia: It was very good.

William: How did I, uh...

How did I feel... inside you?

Virginia: Hard.

It's all right, Bill.

It'll happen next time.

William: How do you know?

Virginia:
Because it happened before.

William: Well, it was clearly
not the beginning

of an upward trend, Virginia.

It was a-a blip, an anomaly.

Virginia: Bill.

William: [ Sighs ]

Virginia: Bill.

It's all right.

Really, it's all ri--

William: [ Sighs ]

Virginia: [ Sighs ]

[ Birds chirping ]

William: [ Groans ]

[ Sighing ]

Virginia: She's got you wrapped
around her little finger.

George:
Well, she said she was nervous

about taking her Eiffel Tower
on the bus.

Tessa: Daddy.

George: [ Gasps ] Wow!

Would you look
at that masterpiece!

Virginia: Your French
presentation's today, bug?

Tessa: I told you. Twice.

Virginia: [ Sighs ]
I'm so sorry, Tessie.

I've had a lot on my mind.

George: [ Chuckles ]

Tessa:
Do you have my barrette?

George: Beret?

And I sure do.

Audrey picked it out.

Here, I'll trade you.
Go try it on in the car.

Virginia:
Have a good day, sweetie.

Tessa:
♪ alouette, gentille alouette ♪

- ♪ alouette, je te plumerai ♪
George: - Listen, if I could, uh,

grab you for a minute, um...

Henry: [ Groans ]

You got to make her stop
that stupid song, dad.

George: Help me out, sport.

Here, put that in the back seat.

I just need a word
with your mom.

Henry: If you'll let me
start the engine.

George: [ Scoffs ]

Virginia:
Have a good day, Henry.

He already told me that you
let him drive on Sunday.

George:
It was in a parking lot.

Virginia: No, I-I wasn't going
to scold you.

I think that it's nice

that you're spending
so much time with him.

George:
Well, it's Audrey's doing.

She's really encouraged me.

Virginia: Well, please be sure
to tell your wife

how grateful I am to her.

[ Horn honks ]

Mm, better go.

The natives
are getting restless.

George: Actually, Gini, uh,

- if you have a sec...
Virginia: - I don't.

CBS is sending a camera crew
to interview Bill and me today.

So we can talk later--
when I--

when I drop the kids off
at your place this weekend?

Betty: So, uh, what made you
choose keys?

Why not a magic shop
or a watch repair or something?

Harold: It's a business
with a lot of foot traffic.

Everyone needs keys, right?

Betty: - Yeah.
Harold: - And, on average,

it takes four minutes
to make one,

which is pretty much the time
it takes to put down 10 bucks

on the third race
at Fairmount Park.

Betty: [ Laughs ]

Harold: CBS?

CBS is here?

Betty: Oh, yeah.
They're filming a piece today.

Harold: On what?

Betty: Don't get
your knickers in a knot.

They're way more interested
in nookie than in a bookie.

Hmm, that rhymed. Ha.

Lester: How's it going?

That's quite a lighting package.

Not sure our building's
electrical system

has the juice support it.

Larry: We got our own generator.
It's downstairs.

Shep: Well, they picked up
a, uh, local crew

from the CBS affiliate.

Roger's bringing
his own cameraman from New York.

Virginia:
Oh, we were hoping that...

Is there a role for Lester
in all of this?

Shep: Absolutely.

Student.

He's gonna be learning
from some real pros.

Roger Corwin came up through
the ranks at the network.

He's worked
with all the big guns.

He really knows what he's doing.

William:
Not sure I can say the same.

Shep: Well, I'm sure that
you've had to explain the work

dozens of times before this.

William: Oh, yes, my colleagues
in the medical profession

have a basic understanding
of the science.

Virginia: Bill, uh, to be fair,
also two members of the board

who needed things spelled out
in layman's terms.

William:
That was your forte, not mine.

Virginia: We did it together.

Shep: Well, the task here
is much the same--

capture the layman's interest.

You have to be personable enough

to make the audience want to
invite you into their home.

William: Like Fuller Brush men.

Shep: Well, they're not the only
ones who know that a smile

and some direct eye contact
make all the difference.

Look, ask anybody who heard
the first debate on the radio,

and they'll tell you that Nixon
took it on substance.

But the polls
of television viewers

showed that Kennedy
came out ahead.

Why?

Because of that smile,

that confidence,
that twinkle in his eye.

Now, wouldn't you rather

spend the next four years
looking at him

than some sweaty dick ni--

[ Stammers ]

What is that on your cheek?

William:
Oh, I... got into a... scrape.

Shep:
A-are you wearing c-concealer?

William: - Um...
Shep: - Okay, never mind.

We'll just have the makeup man
take a look at it later.

A-and may I ask,
uh... would you be open

to, uh...
wearing a different tie?

William: Oh, wh-what's wrong--
what's wrong with this one?

Virginia:
Bill always wears a bow tie.

William:
It's not a fashion choice.

It's a matter of practicality,

so it stays out of the way
during exams.

Shep: O-of course.

But you're not performing
any exams today, are you?

I just wonder if a straight tie

might look a little less, uh...

[ Sighs ]
...academic.

Virginia: I could see
if Libby would bring one by.

Shep: Uh...

Virginia: - Bill's wife.
Shep: - Oh, yes. Of course.

And that's--
that's a great plan--

getting her on camera, as well.

Viewers will be more receptive
to the sexual nature of the work

if they understand that
it was conducted by a doctor

who's also a real family man.

Uh, oh, there's, uh--
there's Roger.

Excuse me.

Virginia: [ Sighs ]

William: I'm not a salesman.

Virginia: [ Sighs ]

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Woman: Good morning, Doctor.

Austin:
Jefferson City was a bust.

26 women showed up.

I've seen more fat
in a can of pork and beans.

They took my last brochure,
so I am here to load up.

Flo: The king is dying.

Austin: Long live the queen?

Flo: The king of Hollywood.

Clark Gable had a heart attack
yesterday

changing a goddamn tire.

Austin: What was Clark Gable
doing changing his own tire?

Flo: Because!

We're not talking
some namby-pamby Cary Grant.

He's Gable.

He's got a set of balls
between his legs,

not a strip of goose fat.

Austin: [ Chuckles ]

Flo: [ Scoffs ]

I was 22
when I saw "Gone With The Wind."

I ended up going back
the next day and the next

and twice a week later.

Me and every other girl in town.

Austin: [ Scoffs ] Gable.

What was it, the mustache?

Because, see,
mustaches don't look good.

Flo: It was the scene
on the staircase,

where Rhett carries Scarlett
up to bed...

against her will.

Austin: Never saw it.

Flo: You've never seen
"Gone With The Wind"?

[ Imitating Clark Gable ]
This is one night, Scarlett,

you're not turning me
out of your bed.

[ Normal voice ] Ohh.

He wanted her so much
that he just took her.

God, so sexy.

Austin: Yeah.

Flo: And every girl
in that theater--

well, we watched it
over and over,

trying to get every detail of it
to fix in our brains

because we instinctively knew
that was the fantasy

that was gonna carry us
through many lonely nights.

Austin: Do you want to
get carried up a staircase?

Uh...

Flo: For a guy who dips his wick
as much as you do,

you really don't get women
at all.

Austin: Um...
[ Chuckles ]

I think there may be a couple
dozen satisfied ladies out there

who would say that I am every
bit a real man as your... Gable.

Flo: How many pairs of slippers
you own?

Austin: Two?

Flo:
That'll be all, ladies.

Austin:
You don't think I'm a man's man?

Flo: I'd be interested
in seeing you prove it.

Austin: Um...

[ Chuckles ]

Gee-- geez, Flo, I, um...

I got an early... morning.

And you and I did it two times
last week?

Flo: Tonight you're going to
enter my house uninvited,

and over
my strenuous objections,

you're going to have your way
with me.

Austin: You want me to break in?

You couldn't
maybe leave the door open?

[ Chuckles ]

I'm just saying
it would be easier.

Roger: Okay, that's good.

That's good. That's good.

Uh, now, try and reformulate
the question in your answers.

So, for example, if I say, uh,

"What initially led you into
this line of work, Dr. Masters?"

You'd say, "What initially led
me to this work was..."

That way, in the final piece,

you won't have to listen to me
off camera

feeding you all the questions,
got it?

William: What initially
led me into this work

- was a desire to--
Roger: - Uh, not-- not--

not now, Dr. Masters.

We're still setting up
some lights,

and we have to adjust
some sound levels.

And, uh, I understand
we're waiting on a tie.

Do we have that tie?

Anyone?

Robert: Protesters were dropped,
obviously.

You heard?

Libby: So sad.

I-I heard he may not make it.

Robert:
Who said he's not gonna make it?

Libby: I-I just heard it
on the radio coming in.

Glenn: Did something happen
to him after the arrest?

Libby:
Clark Gable was arrested?

Robert: Martin Luther King
was arrested

down in Atlanta yesterday
at a sit-in at a lunch counter,

along with 52 other people.

Libby:
I didn't-- I didn't realize.

That's terrible.

Robert: Yeah, well,
it's gonna be busy today.

Lots of people calling
to find out what we know.

You coming?

Libby: I can't, uh, today.

I have to do something upstairs
for my husband.

I'm sorry.

Roger: Okay, why don't we begin
by you telling us, please,

how you two first met?

Oh, and, sorry.

Glenn, I think
we're gonna want to go

a smidge tighter on the day.

Virginia: Dr. Masters and I met
when he was on the faculty

of Washington University
school of medicine.

And I was working
at the hospital as a secretary.

Roger: Uh, it's okay if you want
to smile, Dr. Masters.

Virginia: Dr. Masters
was then in the early stages

of observing subjects
engaged in sexual behavior,

monitoring
their physical responses.

And he felt the process

of interviewing
potential participants

might be well served by having a
woman working alongside of him.

Isn't that right, Bill?

Roger: Okay, now, when you say,
uh, "sexual behavior,"

what exactly do you mean?

And I think we should have
Dr. Masters field this one.

William: Uh, well,
um, masturbation, for one.

Roger: [ Inhales sharply ]
Uh, can't say "masturbation."

William:
Auto-manipulation, then.

Roger: Mm, I think we want to
leave out anything

that suggests solo behavior.

Dwight: So, Ulysses is a dildo.

Lester: What did you think,
our female subjects

are having intercourse
with a Greek leader

in the Trojan War?
[ Chuckles ]

Dwight:
CBS doesn't like dildos.

Lester: Well, CBS doesn't
have to use a dildo.

But Dr. Masters
and Mrs. Johnson's participants

did-- do.

Dwight: So all of this is
footage of women using dildos?

Lester:
A significant portion of it.

It's not as if we were
shooting footage

to promote hand-washing
or good oral hygiene.

Frankly, I don't know
how you propose

we cut together an overview
of their work

without the suggestion--

Dwight:
Actually, I wasn't proposing

you and I do anything together.

Roger:
In addition to individuals,

uh, you also observed
married couples

engaging in physical relations,
though, didn't you?

William: Well,
they weren't always married.

Virginia: Often, they were.
Remember?

Roger:
Look, if you say "couples,"

then the natural assumption
is that they were married.

And-- and what exactly
were you doing

during these sessions
with these couples?

Virginia: Uh, during
these sessions, we monitored

and tracked all changes
in both subjects' bodies.

And in so doing,
we were able to identify

four stages of sexual response.

Bill?

William: Uh, a-arousal,
pla-- plateau,

orgasm, and--

Roger:
Sorry to stop you again, Doctor,

but "orgasm" is a problem.

William: For some people, yes.

Roger:
No, I mean for the censors.

William: But it's--
it's one of the four stages.

Roger: You're gonna have to call
it something different.

Larry: "Climax"?

Virginia: No, climax
is not one of the stages.

Roger: [ Sighs ]
"Climax" won't work, anyway.

[ Sighs ]

Larry: "Peak," maybe?

"Peak" would be good.

Virginia: [ Sighs ]

Dwight:
You know what I could use?

Do you have any shots

of patients coming into
the exam room?

Maybe, uh--
maybe he unbuttons his shirt.

She un-zips her dress.

Maybe they smile at each other.

And then you pan over
to that geiger counter thing

with the needle jumping
all over the place.

Innuendo.
Innuendo I can get away with.

Lester: I wasn't making
"From Here To Eternity,"

although that is
an excellent, excellent movie.

I was filming the truth
of people being sexual.

If you sanitize it,
you're completely undercutting

Dr. Masters' and Mrs. Johnson's
intentions,

which are to encourage
an honest discussion

about what really happens
to the body during sex.

Dwight: Look, you're close to it.
I respect that.

You-- you're invested.
Good for you.

But if I can be honest with you,

you're not the best guy to say
how to put this stuff on TV.

Lester: [ Sighs ]

William: Ridiculous,
this nonsense with the censor.

It's like having to explain
a recipe

without mentioning
a single ingredient.

I don't even think
this belongs to me.

I mean, it doesn't.

Someone must have left it behind
at a dinner party.

Libby: There weren't any
to choose from.

William: [ Sighs ]

Libby: Oh, your shirt
is so-- soaked through, Bill.

William: Well, it's hot
in front of those lights.

And if I can't use the correct
scientific terminology,

I'm just gonna come off
like a sweaty degenerate

groping for sexual euphemisms.

Libby: Well, you can't see it
with the jacket on.

William: [ Sighs ]

Libby: What do you think
they'll ask me?

William: You?

Libby: Yes, they-- they're
supposed to interview me.

William: Oh, that's right.

I'm sure they'll just want you
to tell them

I don't touch myself
at the dinner table

or wire you up to machines
when we make love.

Libby: Do you expect them
to ask about our private life?

William: No, that was--
Of course they won't.

I'm s-- I'm sorry.

Look, Lib, you don't have to
go through this.

I don't want you
to feel uncomfortable.

Libby:
I don't feel uncomfortable.

I might be good at it.

Virginia: Libby.

Uh, they're wondering
if you're ready.

Well, that certainly
is a different look for you.

William: [ Groans ]
As Henry David Thoreau said,

"Beware all enterprises
that require new clothes."

Virginia: Why don't you wait
in here, Libby,

and they'll come get you
when they're ready?

Libby: Oh, we're wearing
the same color, you and I.

Do you think
it'll look like a uniform?

What all of Bill Masters' women
wear.

Virginia: Not to worry.

They're shooting
in black and white.

[ Reel clicking ]

Man: Feeding.

Take one.
Action.

Roger: Why don't you talk a bit
about the reaction

when people find out
that this is the work you do?

Virginia:
The reactions to our work

really run the gamut
from outrage and indignation

to intense curiosity.

William:
Often in the same person.

Virginia:
[ Chuckling ] Yes.

I do find that I'm--

I'm very popular
at dinner parties

once everyone learns
what it is I do.

Don't you find that everyone

wants a seat next to yours,
Bill?

William: No.

Um, I'd--

I'd like--
I'd like to make clear

that the, uh...
[Clears throat]

The prurient angle of the work
holds no interest to us.

The goal
is to provoke conversations

about human sexuality

that are not conducted
in hushed whispers.

The vocabulary of sex--

words this broadcast, uh,
won't permit--

should be commonplace.

Uh, spoken as you would
refer to, say, um...

Virginia:
A sneeze. Or a hiccup.

William:
Yes, yes. Exactly.

Censorship perpetuates shame,

which, in turn,
fosters ignorance.

And ignorance prevents change.

So, you see,
it's a dangerous trajectory

to shy away from the language
of the body.

So while this program
may have...

Betty: I believe we have spoken
on the phone before.

"Mrs. Johnson is unavailable
at the moment.

May I take a message?"
That's me.

George: I thought
I recognized your voice.

Betty: - Mm.
George: - Listen,

if I could just grab a minute
with her...

Betty: It's kind of a crazy day
around here, as you can see.

George: Can I ask you something,
off the record?

Does she tell you
to take a message automatically

every time I call?

Because I almost
never reach her.

Betty: Oh, no.

She, uh-- she owes calls
to nearly everyone.

Best chance of getting through
is saying you can orgasm

listening to the traffic report
on the radio.

She never stops working,
that one, 'round the clock.

George: Wow.

Good to know
it's nothing personal.

Betty:
I'll let her know you're here.

William: ...to be derived
from the pretense

that procreation
is our only goal.

Pleasure is a human need.

It drives us

- the way hunger does.
Virginia: - Or fear.

William:
It can blind us or sustain us.

It can be a frustration.

Virginia: Or a source
of tremendous relief.

Roger: And the benefit
of being a male-female team--

can you speak to that?

William: Uh, well,
it's an advantage, obviously.

Shep: Try to, uh,
incorporate the question, Bill.

William: Ah.

Um... Mrs. Johnson and I are,
uh, tremendously advantaged

by the fact that she's a man
and I'm a woman.

Virginia: [ Laughing ]
The other way around, Bill.

William:
Oh, yes, of course.

Well, you can see the benefit.

We have a tendency to finish
each other's sentences.

Virginia: When we see
eye-to-eye, which is not always.

William:
We have different strengths.

Uh, certain patients, uh,

might be more comfortable

- with her than me.
Virginia: - Or vice versa.

And it doesn't always break down
by gender, as one might expect.

Roger: And what of
the common misperception

that you two are a couple?

William: Well, uh--
well, we tell people, uh,

we're married to the work.

Virginia: Just not each other.

Roger: Okay. That's good.

[ Reel clicking ]

Harold: Betty around?

Girl who sounds like Wisconsin?

George: She had to go downstairs
for something.

Harold: [ Scoffs ]

The key to the washroom
doesn't work,

which is ironic
'cause keys are my business.

I see you're reading
the sports page there.

You like the ponies?

George: [ Scoffs ]

Used to.

I'm reformed.

My wife won't stand for it.

Harold: And why is that?

You don't want your man
to have a little fun?

Libby:
Oh, he's-- I'm not his wife.

No, I'm waiting for my husband.

He's the subject of...
all of this.

George: So, you're
Dr. Masters' wife, huh?

Libby: You're a patient?

George: I'm Virginia's ex.

It's funny. I didn't expect you
to look the way you do.

Libby: Oh?

George: No, I'm just saying
you're a looker.

They should put you on camera.

Libby: [ Chuckles lightly ]
Yes.

Well, that's why I'm here.

They wanted a few words
with the woman behind the man.

Well...
[ Chuckles ]

The woman behind the man behind
the woman behind the man.

Harold: Sweetheart,
if that were a race,

no way would you be finishing
in the money.

Libby:
You are very right, sir.

[ Exhales sharply ]

When Betty comes back,
will you tell her

that Dr. Masters' wife
decided to go home?

It was nice to meet you.

George: Likewise.

Manny: Try 500. KLRT.

[ Radio scanning ]

Announcer: ...fired today
after piloting the Yankees

to 10 American League pennants
and 7 World...

Robert:
Okay, we'll wait to hear.

Pitchman: Fastest and most
complete relief in Anacin.

Glenn:
I can't find anything.

Libby: Is there any news?

Robert: That was Tom.

The police in Atlanta
are dropping charges

on about a dozen of them,

but they're gonna hold Dr. King
and the rest.

Glenn:
It's 'cause he's still got

that trumped-up charge
hanging over his head.

That driving-without-a-license
bullshit.

I'm sorry.

Robert: Oh, you can swear
in front of her.

We're waiting
on a statement from Atlanta.

Libby:
Do you know when you'll hear?

Robert: Ah, could be late.

[ Radio scanning ]

[ Telephone ringing ]

Libby:
Congress of Racial Equality.

[ Scanning continues ]

No, nothing, I'm afraid.

We're still waiting for news
from Atlanta.

Lester: So I said to him--
I said, "No,

I didn't shoot
intake interviews

because that's when Dr. Masters
and Mrs. Johnson

were determining whether or not
a participant fit the criteria

for a particular study.

It was only once they did--

that's when
I turned the camera on."

[ Toilet flushes ]

And then he said,
"Well, is there any footage

that I could cut together
to suggest an intake interview?"

Which is offensive
on three levels.

First of all,
he's going to cut my footage.

Second of all,
isn't that a little misleading?

And third of all--
third of all...

William: Maybe they know
what they're doing.

Lester: What?
You really believe that?

William: Well, I-I hired Shep
to do a job

we're not capable
of doing ourselves.

Last time I tried to explain
the work and why it mattered,

I got my hat handed to me,
literally.

And if their methods

aren't exactly
what ours might be,

well, then we push back
when we can,

but we allow them
enough latitude

to do the job
we brought them in to do.

Lester:
So the end justifies the means.

I know you, Dr. Masters,
as well as I think anyone can.

That doesn't sound like
something you really believe.

William: Well, it's easy
to be idealistic

when your life's work
isn't at stake.

Lester: Isn't that exactly
the time to be idealistic--

To hold on to your principles,
to be true to yourself?

William: I don't need
a lecture from you, Lester.

Lester: Maybe you do.

Maybe you need someone
who will tell you

you look very weird in that tie.

I've given you my time.

Whatever talent I have,

I've given every bit
of myself to this--

even my body, as humiliating
as that experience was.

So don't tell me I don't have
any stake in how this turns out.

[ Door opens, closes ]

Virginia:
It's not a good time, George.

I told you that this morning.

They're gonna need me
back in there.

George: Well, I've been trying
for a week, Gin.

It's never a good time.

It's like you're afraid

I'm gonna ask you for money
or something.

Virginia: Are you?

George: No.

I'm flush. I got a gig.

Six weeks backing Floyd Desouza.

Floyd Desouza.

"It's not the heat.
It's the humidity."

Virginia: [ Sighs ]

George: Well,
it's a very big hit overseas,

which is where the tour
is headed.

Virginia: Well,
that is wonderful, George.

George: Yep.
London, Paris, Rome, Madrid.

Virginia:
And Audrey is going with you?

George: She is.

We want the kids to come, too.

Virginia: [ Laughs ]

George: I'm serious.

Virginia: To Europe?

For six weeks?

Unh-unh. Absolutely not.

George: - Why not?
Virginia: - "Why not?"

Be-- because it-it's crazy,
George.

Because they've never been on
a plane before or to a big city

or even with you for more than
three consecutive nights.

But now you want to
trot them off to Europe

for six weeks.

What, you'll take them
out of school, too?

George: Well, they get
a week off at Thanksgiving,

three at Christmas,
so they'd be missing two weeks.

And they get a chance
to see Europe.

Tessa could see the Eiffel Tower
in person.

Virginia:
Have you mentioned this to them?

George: No, I wanted to
discuss it with you first.

Virginia: [ Sighs ]

Well, thank you for that,
at least,

but, uh, no.
My answer is no.

George: So you would rather
that they come home from school

every day to a babysitter?

Virginia: - They love Pam.
George: - A babysitter--

and hope that they can stay up
late enough to see their mother.

I know the hours you're keeping,
Gini.

I know that you're working
around the clock.

There's no good argument

that says waiting for their
mother to get home from work

is better for them
than being with their father

for six weeks and letting him
show them

a little piece of the world.

[ Crickets chirping ]

Flo: Who's there?

[ Keys clatter ]

Austin: It's me-- Austin.

Flo: You're not the man from
across the street, are you?

The one I've seen watching me
through the curtains.

Austin: Yes, that's me.

I can see into your bathroom.

Flo: Not the bathroom.

Austin: The bedroom.

[ Deep voice ]
I can see into your bedroom.

[ Footsteps approaching ]

Flo: Promise me
you're not gonna hurt me.

Austin:
Of course I'm not gonna...

Flo: Grab me by the hair.

Austin: - Really?
Flo: - Mm-hmm.

Austin: - Like this?
Flo: - Harder.

Austin: - You sure?
Flo: - Mm-hmm.

Drag me up the stairs.

Austin: Drag you up the stairs?

Flo: If you do, I'll scream.

Someone will hear you,
and they'll call the police.

And they'll take you away
to jail.

Any time
you want to jump in here.

Austin:
Uh, but I'll be acquitted.

When the jury sees you,
they'll understand...

why I couldn't control myself.

Flo: Well, I'm not gonna let you
take me upstairs.

Austin: Okay, so, you want to
do it here?

Flo: Even though I know
you want me in that bed--

the bed you've watched me
make love in.

Austin:
So we-- we do go upstairs?

Flo:
Not if I have any say in it!

Austin:
[ Chuckles ] I'm confused.

Flo: I'm going upstairs,
locking the door behind me,

and calling the police.

You just try to kick it down.

Even if you get in,
I'll never give in to you.

Flo: Are you coming?

Roger: Oh.

Bill and Virginia,
Bernadette and Kyle.

Bernadette and Kyle,
Bill and Virginia.

Virginia: Hello.
Nice to meet you.

William: It's Dr. Masters.

Virginia: Uh, I'm not sure

exactly how this is
going to work.

Roger:
Oh, well, uh, Dwight says

that your cameraman
didn't get any footage

of you conducting
any intake interviews.

So we're gonna have
Kyle and Bernadette sit in,

as if they're a couple
coming to you for help.

William: Help with what?

Roger: With their sex life.

William:
We don't help couples have sex.

We-- we observe them
having sex.

Roger:
A-and that whole process--

that's definitely gonna be
part of the story, certainly.

Um, but I think the centerpiece
is the work

that you're doing that goes
beyond educating the public

as to how the body works

and puts that knowledge
to practical use with treatment.

William:
We've talked about this.

We-- we haven't gotten
to the point

where we're treating
dysfunction.

Virginia: We are still in
the very early stages of that.

Roger:
L-look, all we really need

is just a few shots
of you talking to a couple.

A-and over the top of that,
we're gonna hear something like,

uh, "Masters and Johnson's study
is poised to break new ground

in the treatment
of sexual dysfunction."

Shep: And you are... poised.

So we're not saying anything
that isn't true.

Roger: Exactly.

T-this is only gonna amount to

no more than 15 seconds
of actual screen time.

It's just the visual.

A-and, frankly,

we can't use the footage
you already have.

It's just, uh...

Well, uh...
[ Chuckles ]

It's too graphic.

William:
I wouldn't allow it, anyway.

The understanding I have
with my patients

is that footage
is completely confidential

for research purposes only,
not as a calling card

for services
we don't actually provide.

Roger: And that's the case
for working with a couple

whose privacy
you're not actually violating,

who've actually signed up
to be filmed.

William: And are you...
a couple?

Bernadette:
We met just now in the lobby.

Kyle: Turns out we went to
the same high school.

William: So you've hired actors.

Virginia: - Will you excuse me?
William: - Where are you going?

Virginia: - Just for a moment.
William: - Virginia.

Shep: Bill, w-what is
the problem here?

I mean, if your own patients
won't participate, then--

William:
But they're led to believe that,

uh, I exploit other patients
for my own purposes?

Really? You don't--
you don't see that as a problem?

Herb:
You've never been to court?

Had any reason
to modify his visitation?

Virginia: No.

Herb:
And, uh, he's been responsible

while they've been
in his custody?

Virginia: For the most part.

[ Sighs ]
Yes, he has been responsible.

Herb: Any reason to think
that might change,

that they wouldn't be safe
with him or--

- or with the new wife?
Virginia: - No.

Herb: Are you offering them
something better?

Virginia: Well, we always
spend the holidays together.

We have
a lot of Christmas traditions.

And they would be missing
all of that.

Herb:
So, they swap one Christmas

for six weeks in Europe.

I think they come out ahead.
Don't you?

And would it be
such an awful thing for you?

I mean, I've seen the way
you run around here,

the hours you keep.

The second you're through,

the way you bolt
for the elevator,

probably racing straight home
for tuck-in time.

Am I right?

Of course I'm right.

You're a mother.

I know mothers.

Most of them could use a little
break every now and then.

Maybe one way to look at this

is that, uh, your ex is offering
you a little vacation, too.

Virginia:
No, I-I don't want a vacation

from my children, Mr. Spleeb.

Herb:
Look, you could say no.

Virginia: I could?

Herb: - Yeah.
Virginia: - [ Sighs ]

Herb:
Technically, you have the right.

But I would caution you
against it.

Why give him reason to revisit
a-a custody arrangement,

which, on the whole,
is working for both of you?

You see,
you push back on this--

on a reasonable request--

something your kids
are gonna derive benefit from,

you could be opening up
a whole can of worms.

I don't think
you want to do that.

Glenn: Maryanne said
we're out of formula.

Robert: Go.

You too, Donner.

And Harlan.

We're not gonna hear anything
tonight.

- See you in the morning.
Harlan: - Good night.

Glenn: - Night.
Libby: - Good night.

Robert: There's no point
in you staying, either.

Libby: Oh, I don't mind.

Robert: I'm leaving, myself.

Libby: Oh. Well, I--

I was expe-- expecting
to go home with my husband,

so I got a lift in.

I need to call a cab.

William: Well, next
he'll have us pretending to--

to wire them up.

Actors.

Shep:
He needs cutaways, Bill.

The entirety of your story
cannot be told

with the two of you
sitting behind a table

talking about things
that can't be shown on TV.

A re-enactment
is a happy medium.

William: Well, I'm not happy
about any of this.

It's fake-- all of it!

And what I'm pretending to be--

the fact
that I'm selling something

that doesn't even exist.

I'm not a salesman, Shep.

Shep: Well, then, Bill,
you are the only one,

because we are all selling
something.

I sold you on me,
on what I could do for you.

John Rock sold more
than the birth-control pill.

He sold an idea of pleasure
without permanent consequence.

He kicked open the door for you,

but you have got to
walk through it,

stake your claim, and say,

"I'm in the pleasure business,
too."

William:
That is not my business.

I don't have a business.

I have a study-- a practice.

And I have not cured one single
case of sexual dysfunction.

Shep: Yet. Yet.

But you will.

And if you don't, you tried.

You got to reach for it, Bill.

Even if it's outside your grasp,

it's the reaching
that people respect.

Look, these two
presidential candidates--

they may not deliver a single
thing that they've promised.

I guarantee you
history will judge them

just as much
for the nobility of their goals

as for what
they actually achieved.

But before
any of that can happen,

one of them
has to come in first.

You've got to be first, Bill.

That's what
all of this is about.

Libby: There's usually news
at the top of the hour.

[ Radio scanning ]

[ Theme from "A Summer Place" plays ]

Robert:
This is a station you listen to?

There won't be
any Martin news on this station.

[ Jazz music plays ]

It'll be here if anywhere.

[ Sighs ]

He's not gonna get out.

Libby: They want to make
an example of him?

Is that it?

Robert: No.

They'll likely offer him a deal

'cause they'll realize
all they're doing

is shining the spotlight
on the cause.

Dr. King won't take it.

He said,
"Let us not fear going to jail.

If the officials threaten
to arrest us

for standing up for our rights,

then we must show
that we are willing

and prepared to fill up
the jails of the South."

Libby: He said that tonight?

Robert: In Durham,
back in February...

At a sit-in
organized by the SCLC.

Libby: Oh.

[ Music continues ]

Robert: You know
what the SCLC is, right?

Libby:
Of course. The, um...

The South Carolina Liberation--

Robert: Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.

[ Sighs ]

Libby:
Do you enjoy that-- testing me?

Because you do it a lot.

Sometimes I can't tell if
you're hoping I'll pass or fail.

Robert:
Why would I want you to fail?

Libby: Maybe because
it would make it easier

for you to chalk me up

to being some silly fly-by-night
do-gooder.

It's-- it's like you're hoping
to discover underneath it all,

I'm really just a dilettante.

Robert: A militant?

Libby: A dilettante.

You don't know
what a dilettante is?

Robert: I don't.

Libby: Well, I, for one,

don't think
that makes you stupid.

Robert:
I don't think you're stupid.

I think you're uninformed.

Libby:
On some of the specifics, yes,

but-- but I understand
what the fight is about,

and I believe in it.

Robert: Why?

I want to hear your reasons.

Libby: Another test.

You know what I think?

I-I think you don't want to say
"Thank you" to me

- and seem like you mean it.
- [ Vehicle door closes ]

Robert:
What's this about?

Officer: Hey, boy.

What business you got
in this neighborhood?

Libby: We're fine, Officer.

Officer: Let me see
your license and registration.

Robert:
I break some kind of law?

Libby: It's really
not necessary, Officer.

I know this gentleman.
He's with me.

Officer:
What do you mean "With you"?

Libby:
He's a-a co-worker of mine,

and he was kind enough
to drive me home.

Officer:
Well, if that's the case,

why don't you head on in, ma'am,
and he can be on his way?

Libby:
Because I've invited him inside.

That's why.

Are you coming, Mr. Franklin?

Robert:
Get that out of my face!

Officer:
You better watch yourself, boy!

Libby: No, stop it.
Stop it. Let him go.

You have no cause, Officer.

Mr. Franklin, are you coming?

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Larry: You're not eating?

The sesame noodles
aren't half bad.

Mind me asking you something?

The boys and I were, you know,
kind of wondering

what's it like watching folks
go at it all day long?

William: I'm sorry?

Larry:
My girl, Maxine, and I--

we once went to the zoo,
saw two chimps doing it.

Had to go straight home to bed,
we were so hot and bothered.

So I'm guessing, uh,
watching, uh, all that action

alongside a woman like Virginia
has got to be--

William: Mrs. Johnson
is my professional colleague,

despite what people assume.

We explained that.

Larry: Honestly,
I don't think people assume it.

I mean, you know, no offense,

but a girl like that,
a guy like you...

William: Excuse me?

Larry:
I mean, I know how it is.

You know, my Maxine--
she's a real dish.

I get the "Beauty And The Beast"
thing all the time.

Roger: Okay, everyone,
the break is over.

Back in the conference room
in 10.

And, uh, Kyle, Bernadette,
you're on.

Larry: All right, hey, make sure
Jeremy powders you up.

You got a real shine
going there.

Libby: I-I know Bill keeps
a box of extra shirt buttons

in here somewhere.

Robert: What do you reckon
that babysitter thought--

you bringing a negro man
into your house?

Libby:
Well, she's-- she's not a...

She's a neighbor
just helping out for today.

Y-you heard what I told her.
We work together.

Robert:
A negro man in a torn shirt?

Libby:
Elaine is not a gossip.

Her daughter Sissy married
a Mexican man.

Here we go.

Shirt, please.

It'll make this easier.

Robert: No, ma'am.

Libby: Fine.
I will sew with you in it.

Just, uh, go sit,
uh, by the light.

Robert: Not in this room.

Not there.

Pam: Now, doesn't that
sound exciting?

Henry: And we get to miss school
on top of it?

Virginia: No, spinning, Henry.

Yes, we'll have to check

with Miss Braddock
and Mrs. Alexander.

And you'll both promise me

that you will do your homework
on the plane.

Tessa:
We get to go on a plane, too?

Henry: How else do you think
we'd get there, ding-dong?

Pam: What did I say

about calling your sister names,
Henry?

This is a special treat--

having dinner here
with your mom.

So you behave, okay?

Virginia: Pam, uh, do you mind

giving us a few minutes?

Pam: Oh. Sure. No problem.

How about I go find
some crispy green beans?

No almond cookies
for you, Tessie,

until you eat your greens.

You know the rules.

Virginia: Now, you know
six weeks is a very long time.

So you'll both
have to promise me

that you will be responsible
because you know how sometimes

daddy forgets
to feed you dinner on time.

Tessa: Audrey remembers.

She makes us eat vegetables
all the time.

Henry: Mom, can you tell her

I get to stay up until 10:00
on the trip?

She's so strict about bedtimes.

Tessa:
But she lets you stay up

and watch
"Have Gun-- Will Travel."

Henry: That's because
she likes it, too.

She says she was a gunfighter
in her past life.

Tessa: And a opera singer.

Henry: Even though
she has the worst voice.

You should hear her, mom.

She and dad sing in the car,
and it sounds awful.

Tessa: Do you think she told me
to pick France for my project

because she knew
we were going there?

Virginia: Could be.

Tessa: So what are you doing
for Christmas, mommy?

Are you gonna have a tree?

Virginia:
Oh, um, I don't know, goosey.

We-- we will have Christmas
when you're back.

Tessa:
Who's gonna give you presents?

Virginia: You will send me
letters and postcards

from every place you go.

And you'll tell me
everything you're seeing

and everything you're doing,
and...

that will be my present.

Libby: There you go.
Try it.

Robert: Oh.

The buttons are too big.
They won't fit in the holes.

Libby: Are you sure?

Robert: I should go.

Libby:
I have smaller ones.

Robert: I got a mama
three doors down from mine

who can fix it.

Libby: What would she think
of you being here?

Robert:
She wouldn't like it very much.

She'd say
I was just looking for trouble.

Which I'm not.

Libby: You've gone
looking for it before.

That time you stole those tires.

What did that feel like--

to put a brick
through a plate-glass window?

Robert:
That was a long time ago.

I know better now.

Those are the mistakes you make
when you're a dumb kid.

Libby:
I never got to be that.

Dumb, maybe, but...

never a kid.

They called me
the little grown-up.

I was so proud of that--

being good and...

following the rules.

Anything to be
the teacher's pet.

But then you grow up

and there's no teacher
to please,

just some idea of what people
expect from a pretty girl.

You make a nice home,

and you-- you raise
well-behaved children.

Don't make waves.

You don't make trouble.

And keep your voice down.

And you go along like that.

And your wanting to be good
makes you quiet...

So quiet that you forget
the sound of your own voice.

People forget that you're there.

Your husband forgets
that you're there.

Maybe you aren't.

But then...

Then you meet someone
who doesn't like you very much,

who-- who doesn't think
that you're kind or good,

who thinks that you're ignorant,
prejudiced, even,

which maybe deep down you are.

And this thing that you
have been afraid of forever--

someone thinking ill of you--

it is...

It is almost a relief

because at least someone
is seeing you.

You are not invisible.

Robert:
You got nerve.

Making the argument that being
discounted makes you feel alive.

I can tell you that it doesn't.

Libby: I'm sorry.
I didn't mean it that--

Robert: There are some
white women who want colored men

because they don't like
themselves very much,

like they're lowering
themselves.

Libby:
Do you think I'm like that?

Robert: Are you?

Libby: I don't know.

[ Chuckles ]

I don't know who I am.

I don't know what I am.

I don't know
why I want what I want,

but I just think...

Robert: What?

Libby: If you would...

kiss me,

then maybe
I could figure it out.

Robert: You-- you got
a neighbor across the street,

a policeman down the block,

and two little ones
sleeping down the hall.

Libby: And you...

on the other side
of that plate-glass window.

Austin:
So, you enjoyed that?

Flo:
Kind of ruins it

when I have to tell you
what to do every second.

Austin: Don't I get points
for not knowing

the right way
to take advantage of a woman?

Flo:
Oh, lighten up, Austin.

You've never played games
in the bedroom before?

Austin: Oh, sure.

Sleeping Beauty.

The milkmaid and the stable boy.

[ Chuckles ]

The professor and
the foreign exchange student.

Flo: [ Laughs ]

Austin: But I just don't
understand playing at this.

Flo: You haven't always been
this good-looking, have you?

Weren't you ever
a pimply-faced beanpole?

Didn't you
want to smack some girl

for looking right through you?

Screw the indifference
out of her

by making her want you
in spite of herself?

Austin:
I think maybe...

that's your story.

Flo: Huh.

Maybe it is.

Maybe I want to be Scarlett
for a change of pace.

Because I have been Rhett
for a very long time.

Waiting to be wanted.
Not wanting to be ignored.

It makes you do
the damndest things.

Austin: Well, now that you
realize that about yourself...

Flo: [ Chuckles ]
When has self-awareness

ever changed
a person's behavior, huh?

Has it ever changed yours?

Nope.

Sorry.

Austin: [ Chuckles ]

Flo: I'm not ready
for this to be over.

So you can keep coming.

Even if the game is pretending,

it's about more
than just job security.

Although, I have to say...

it would be nice
if you gave a damn.

Virginia: Bill?

Bill.

What are you doing?

William:
Are they gone?

I had to get
that goddamn thing off.

Shirt, too.

Soaked through.

We cannot present ourselves

as the saviors
of the sexually dysfunctional

without having cured
a single patient first,

including me.

Virginia.

Where are you?

Virginia:
What do you mean?

I'm here.

I'm sorry. I...

[ Sighs ]

It's been a long day.

William: You think
people are gonna welcome us

into their living rooms?

I mean, you, certainly, but me?

Virginia: - You did well.
William: - [ Chuckles ]

Virginia:
Bill, Roger said so.

William:
I don't have a twinkle.

Virginia: What?

William: What Shep said
about Jack Kennedy.

A twinkle in his eye that--
that wins people over.

It gets them to invite him in.

I'm-- I'm not personable.

I-I don't smile.

Virginia:
You smile, Bill.

I-I've seen you smile.

William: I'm the guy
with sweat on his brow--

with the makeup stains
on his collar.

I'm the one who's uncomfortable
in his own skin.

Virginia:
Stop. Please.

William: Why would people
want to watch me?

Virginia: Because you have
something important to say.

William: But they have to want
to look at me first,

find something attractive in me.

Virginia: You don't think
that you are attractive?

I find you attractive.

William: Why?

Virginia: What is it
that you want me to say?

I-- What do you want, Bill?
What do you want to hear?

What more reassurance
can I give you?

I'm here.
I am here.

I am not at home.
I'm not putting my kids to bed.

I'm here. With you.

William: Yeah, well,
maybe you should,

- you know?
Virginia: - Ohh!

William:
No, I-I don't understand.

How can you possibly
want to be with me?!

With-- with this?!
Someone who looks like this?!

All-- all the makeup
in the w--

I'm the guy who doesn't smile.

I-I can't twinkle!

I can't fuck!

No.

J-just...

Virginia: I'm here.

William: [ Sobs ]

Virginia: Shh. Shh.

William: [ Sighs ]

Virginia: Shh. Shh.

It's all right.

It's all right.

Bill: Sex is as basic
as breathing...

_

...and a relationship
with no sex,

your entire being
will eventually rebel.

I do not want to
live without this.

_

I'm not sure why it did happen.

What if you did it
because you wanted me?

I love you both so much.

Will you just stop defending
the indefensible?

Somebody has
massively fucked up!

You're not really worried
about the kids, Gin.

It's that study that
you're worrying about...

I never meant to hurt Virginia.