Masters & Johnson

Dr. Dadglasses, MD. Somebody’s fingerprints are all over the right lens (MAYBE MICHAEL SHEEN’S, AM I RIGHT).

Damn, this episode had a bigger punch than I thought it would. 

Bill has the right idea to keep his distance from Gini. There’s a lot to be said about this, and I see where a lot of fans are mad at him for not immediately opening up to her and accepting her apologies and offers. But from his perspective, he’s finally woken up. Bill’s attendance at AA has wedged the language and description of abuse and addiction deep in his brain, and he’s seeing their relationship as a cycle of desire and disappointment, with tired footwork. It’s not the push-pull of two sexy people chasing one another—it’s an endless slog with no guarantee of authentic satisfaction, something he’s starting to seek out with his new perspective. That’s not to say Bill isn’t culpable for the cycle. Bill’s naively lived his life assuming that the women around him would never lie to him or be capable of deceiving someone as smart as he is, and for the object of his obsession to not only have lied to him many times over the years, but so neatly and deftly—that would shake someone with an ego like his. The last time Gini lied to him about having another man in her life, he couldn’t get an erection for a year. This time, there’s no outrage—there’s nothing else to do but accept it, because Gini has established to him over and over that this is who she is. So it’s reasonable for him to be cautious with his vulnerabilities. He isn’t punishing anyone; we all know what that looks like. He doesn’t seem to be building up the old William H. Masters, MD impenetrable wall again, judging by the last shot of the episode. 

Gini, meanwhile, is reacting to Nancy’s threatening presence (both through her open sexuality and her developing status as Bill’s “work wife”) by retreating into a reassuring and familiar routine. Get the guy. Men always love her more than she’s cared for them, so it should be easy. Putting the hotel key on his desk worked last time; why wouldn’t it work this time? She’s also just taken a double-whammy because Bill and Libby obviously slept together and there’s a chance for reconciliation. That’s ground-shaking; Bill’s obsession with her might not be as strong as it’s always been. He might be getting over her. Even with Libby moving on, it’s still going to be a shock that not only did Bill go home with Libby, but then he brushed off her confession about Dan in the mildest way, because it literally didn’t bother him. Now Bill’s obsession might not even exist anymore, which removes a huge chunk of what Gini’s always understood and assumed her power to be. Even when she’s in the part of the cycle where she hates Bill and wants nothing to do with him, she’s always enjoyed having the upper hand over some egotistical asshole. But the cycle that’s been guiding her ability to interact with Bill is failing her—he isn’t hitting the right steps or playing along anymore. Gini said it this episode: she has no understanding of what he’s been doing these last few weeks because he’s completely changed.