MASTERS OF SEX SEASON 2 SYNOPSIS Episode 201 “Parallax”

In the wake of his falling out with Barton Scully over the sex study, Dr. has left Washington University’s Maternity Hospital and is looking for a place to continue his work, especially now that he and Libby are parents. For Virginia Johnson, things are even worse: although she’s managed to keep her job at the hospital, she doesn’t earn nearly enough to make ends meet. Plus, her work with Masters has made her the target of explicit sexual advances at work. So after Dr. Lillian DePaul is unable to come up with any additional funds to pay for her work on her women’s health study, Johnson considers selling diet pills to her female colleagues. Meanwhile, in a desperate effort to treat his homosexuality and save his marriage, Scully ignores Masters’ warnings and agrees to electroshock therapy. But when Scully looks to jumpstart their sexual relationship, his wife Margaret balks.

In the weeks since leaving the hospital, Masters has clandestinely continued his sexual relationship with Johnson, making her decision about whether to accept Dr. Ethan Haas’ proposal to marry and move to California all the more difficult. While Masters is determined to hold out for just the right offer, Libby is growing increasingly anxious over getting him back to work. But as Johnson reluctantly starts pitching the diet pills to her co-workers, she counsels Libby not to force her husband to take a position he doesn’t want.

In hopes of helping her husband land a new job, Libby insists on attending a charity gala hosted by Memorial Hospital’s new chief of obstetrics, Dr. Doug Greathouse. Yet as Libby is working the room to promote him, Masters is surprised to run into Betty DiMello, the prostitute who worked with him in his sex study’s early days, and her wealthy husband Gene Moretti. Because they are having trouble getting pregnant, Gene offers to fund the study if Masters will agree to help. After telling Haas she’s choosing her work over his proposal, Johnson suspects that DePaul is covering up the fact that her cancer is getting worse. But DePaul dismisses her concerns, claiming her cuts and bruises are the result of an accident at home. Meanwhile, with his wife Elise on the warpath over his affair with her younger sister, Dr. Wallace Langham arrives at the hospital looking for a place to hide.

Continuing her effort to find him a job, Libby leaves Masters at home with their infant son while she attends another charity luncheon. As he struggles with the crying baby, his mother shows up to help. But when Estabrooks presses him to do the right thing for his wife and son, he lashes out over how she raised him and insists she leave St. Louis once and for all. Meanwhile, though she’s expecting him to keep up his advances, Johnson is surprised when Dr. Ditmer asks her to apply what she learned with Masters to a new surgical study.

1 As she deals with her husband’s inner turmoil, Margaret and their daughter Vivian are discussing nursing school plans when they find Scully trying to commit suicide in the basement. After cutting him down just before he hangs himself, Margaret looks to shield her husband from any questions, especially from Masters. In exchange for a large donation from Gene and Betty, Greathouse hires Masters at Memorial and agrees to allow him to continue his study. Finally, as Johnson looks to gain DePaul’s trust and friendship, Masters insists they continue their sexual relationship for the study, but says he doesn’t want a romance.

BEAU BRIDGES...... BARTON SCULLY ...... MARGARET SCULLY JULIANNE NICHOLSON...... DR. LILLIAN DEPAUL KAYLA MADISON...... TESSA ROSE MCIVER...... VIVIAN SCULLY DANNY HUSTON...... DOUGLAS GREATHOUSE RYA KIHLSTEDT...... TATTI GREATHOUSE GREG GRUNBERG...... GENE MORETTI EVAN ARNOLD...... DR. DITMER JED REES...... DR. CRANE DANIEL RUBIANO...... THOMAS CHRIS CONNER...... DR. BEGNER ELIZABETH BOGUSH...... ELISE LANGHAM

Directed by: Michael Apted Written by: Michelle Ashford

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