VIRGINIA: Previously on Masters of Sex...
As soon as the mic picks up people talking,
the tape recorders in my office start recording.
I can't imagine any new hire agreeing to being listened in on.
If we had tape recorders in this office two months ago,
we wouldn't be staring down the barrel of criminal charges.
The charges are pandering and prostitution.
But my job is on the line with this new book as well.
You're sure she understood to bring a date?
She wouldn't have said yes if she were
still mad about us hiding that we're married.
It's a fucking key-party with coats.
Who does this belong to?
MAN: All right!
If you think that we're going to bed, you're insane.
I think the damage is done, whether we mess around or not.
I just got back from the doctor.
I'm pregnant.
My girlfriend's parents are in town.
Are you the carpool buddy or the office colleague?
The next door neighbor.
I want you to do something for me
for the sole purpose of giving me pleasure.
(LIBBY MOANING LOUDLY)
LIBBY: Let's not make too much of it.
Let's not make too little.
And bosses shouldn't sleep with their employees.
It happens.
Maybe he's the guy for you, Virginia.
Oh.
(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
ART: I felt she was being cagey in her intake,
but Virginia disagrees.
She wants to first rule out any physiological issues.
NANCY: Was Virginia like that the other night?
ART: (LAUGHS) What are you talking about?
NANCY: I know how much you like take-charge women.
What? (ART LAUGHS)
Was she the boss in bed, too?
ART: Nance, come on...
NANCY: I'm curious.
ART: What about the rule? We don't share specifics.
NANCY: I think this warrants an exception, don't you?
The woman's a world-renowned sex expert.
Maybe I could learn a thing or two.
ART: Well, she's an attentive lover.
NANCY: Attentive...
(CLICKS)
I can always tell it's you heading this way.
You walk with purpose.
Did something happen?
Your wife seems to think so.
I'm an "attentive lover"?
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)
Where did you hear that?
Doesn't matter where I heard it, Art.
It was a swingers' party.
She saw us go into the bedroom together.
She knows you stayed till morning.
Yet, I vividly remember telling you that
you needed to be honest with your wife
about what did not happen between us.
She just assumes. (LAUGHS)
She didn't just assume.
You confirmed it.
She wouldn't think any less of you, Virginia.
In fact, quite the contrary.
No, it's you that she would think less of, isn't it,
if we didn't have sex?
It sounds like your problem to deal with, with your wife.
Is this about Bill?
You shared some pretty intimate truths with me that night.
I think it's... I think it's safe to assume that the man...
No, it's not safe to assume anything.
But something happened between you and Bill,
a rupture of some sort.
And you're worried if he thinks you and I slept together.
Familiar with the concept of a stand-off, Art?
Essentially, it's two people holding guns at each other's heads.
Now, there may be things that you think
that you know about my private life,
certain assumptions that you've made.
Certainly, there are things that I know about yours,
things that if I chose to tell your wife,
would devastate your marriage.
But I don't want to have to do that.
Besides, you're an asset to the clinic.
We would hate to lose you.
I'll talk to Nancy.
I'm sitting there in my car, right?
Fifteen minutes till Sheryl's shift ends,
and all I see is that red neon sign across the street
flashing that word. "Cocktails."
I start doing the math.
Is there enough time for me to knock one back
before Sheryl punches out?
Will she smell the booze?
Then I think how it took me 20 years to get 20 days of sobriety in.
Seems like it's too much to give up.
Thanks for listening.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you, Jerry.
Tonight, someone in the group is here for his last meeting.
Congratulations, Bill.
90 meetings in 90 days. That's no small feat.
Now, traditionally, before a person leaves us,
they take this time to tell the group something they've learned
or something they'd like to share.
Good luck.
To you all.
(GROUP MURMURING)
"Good night, and good luck." You're a regular Edward Murrow.
What was I gonna say?
I never belonged here.
Well, you made that very clear.
Sitting there, checking your watch,
letting us all know that we're wasting your time.
I'm sorry. I genuinely am.
I wish I had time to worry about Jerry and the cocktail bar,
but I got other problems.
Like?
Like a trial. It starts tomorrow.
I'm not fighting some parking ticket here.
I'm fighting to preserve my reputation, my clinic,
all the people I employ there.
If these trumped up charges...
Trumped up, huh?
So, I'm guessing
you had nothing to do with bringing it on yourself?
Is that right? Can we not?
I need to win this court case
so I can clear away the mess of my life and start fresh.
Well, my cab is waiting, so if you wouldn't mind signing my form.
(SIGHS)
KELLER: Are you married?
I was married for 26 years. Now I'm divorced.
Potential Juror Number 11.
Before your divorce,
did you and your husband ever seek any counseling or therapy?
Yes, we did.
KELLER: Have you ever heard of the defendants?
Only that they wrote a smutty book.
Your Honor, the defense moves to
dismiss Juror Number 11 for cause.
I haven't read the book.
But, I did read their excellent paper
on sex in the aging female last year.
Your Honor, the prosecution moves
to dismiss potential Juror Number 22 for cause.
Do you have strong opinions about people who engage in sexual activities
beyond the standard missionary position?
How do you feel about a woman who marries
for financial support?
Do you believe in evolution?
What is your opinion of sex outside of marriage?
If you were the last hold-out on the jury
but you believe the defendants to be innocent...
If I prove my case beyond a reasonable doubt...
Would you surrender or will you hold fast?
What will your verdict be? Guilty.
Guilty.
We shouldn't have chosen the man in the sweater vest.
That was a mistake.
KELLER: How many juries have you picked?
Because I've picked plenty.
And every time you tug on my sleeve or whisper in my ear,
all you do is signal that you don't trust your lawyer.
I didn't mean to undermine...
I don't understand why aren't we talking about settling.
If there are no guarantees, why roll the dice?
Settling makes the most sense.
You want to plead guilty to sexual deviance?
Because I'm telling you,
the prosecution will stop nothing short of that.
And that will scare your clients away.
We are in the exact same position if we lose.
I disagree. A loss won't be a defeat.
It'll only be a temporary setback. Temporary?
We appeal. Again and again if we have to,
each time to a higher court.
Which could actually be preferable to a win.
A long, drawn out case? How is that preferable?
We take it to the national stage.
We defend the cause of scientific inquiry.
This thing could go all the way.
All the... All the way to the Supreme Court?
This isn't about some indiscretion in an exam room.
This is about the right of scientists to pursue knowledge.
Okay, I'd like to review your opening statement...
Come on... Not to find fault.
I just want to make sure
you accurately explain the precise nature of our work.
If you can argue we were acting as scientists
then you better have the science right.
I'm still drafting it.
DR. MASTERS: Understood.
Excuse me.
KELLER: Good of her to come.
Always helpful to have
the supportive wife sitting in the gallery.
On the way to being ex-wife.
Let's hope the jury doesn't find out she filed for divorce.
I hear they put that on hold.
I gather there's been some kind of thaw.
I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early.
NANCY: The husband's a real philanderer.
And the wife's dyspareunia
presents as almost completely psychosomatic.
It did not begin until...
There's something before we go up there
that I need to tell you.
(SIGHS)
What is it?
I get the feeling someone's been
listening in on our conversations.
What do you mean?
A few of the things I've said to you behind closed doors,
have been repeated back to me.
By whom?
Virginia.
What kinds of things?
What have we said that would concern her?
She just seemed aware of some discussions we've had
about clients, assessments,
things she couldn't have known unless someone had overheard.
What? Betty, Lester? You think they're listening?
All I'm saying is we should be aware.
Of what?
That we're working in an environment
where two people, colleagues, cannot confer in private?
You're okay with that?
Forget it. I didn't say this to get you worked up.
I will not forget it.
I'm gonna find out what's going on. This isn't the Soviet Union.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Ma, come on, you're gonna miss it. Why does she take so long?
You know how she is
with the curlers and the tweezers...
The boat's leaving now.
If the boat's leaving now, why am I hurrying?
Because, our future is written in pencil, not in ink, Ma.
Sure you don't want us to stay home?
I want you to leave and have fun. You've done too much already.
Oh, um...
Hi.
Excuse me. Um, I didn't knock.
Hello.
Mom, Dad, you know Betty. Betty lives down the hall.
I water the plants when she's away.
But you're not away.
I got mixed up.
I thought that you were going to visit your parents.
No, yeah, no, I...
They came to visit me.
But they're going on a gambling cruise this morning.
(CHUCKLES) Yes.
That sounds fun.
(CHUCKLING) Yes.
Well, it was nice to meet you.
PHIL: Nice to meet you, too. EDITH: Nice to meet you.
Okay.
(DOOR CLOSES)
Yes, we can confirm the 2:00 appointment.
Great. Thank you very much. Bye.
(CLEARS THROAT) Good morning.
I spotted some backlog dictations.
So, I've been transcribing them.
Here is the updated Devlin file for this afternoon.
Thank you.
Dr. Virginia. Before you go...
I've been reading your book, looking over the files.
There is a revolution going on here.
The problems that you treat, the way that you treat them,
without mocking or judgment,
I have to say... Please let me say.
I could not be prouder to be here, helping you.
Thank you for giving me this job.
Well, thank you.
(PHONE RINGS)
Oh! Duty calls.
Reproductive Biology Research Foundation.
Have you looked into Guy?
Guy?
The guy that you hired.
His name is Guy. And, yes, I've called his references.
They all gave glowing reviews.
But have you done a background check?
Want to make sure we know
everything we need to know about him,
why he's so keen to be working here.
You don't think that's a tad paranoid?
We're in the middle of a criminal trial
thanks to our last eager recruit.
Fine, I'll do more digging.
In the meantime...
The outline for the new book.
BETTY: May it rest in peace.
Little, Brown is returning the materials
since they've passed on publishing.
Call Bob Drag at Little, Brown.
Make an appointment for this afternoon.
In New York? Book two plane tickets.
Don't let Drag make any excuses.
Tell him we're only in town for a few hours.
I hope Keller's a better lawyer than he is a speller.
Little, Brown has dropped us.
They dropped us weeks ago
when we didn't show up for the press conference.
I mean, officially. They sent back
the outline and sample chapters.
Oh, that's very considerate of them.
They could've thrown them away.
I don't think we should wait
for the court case to be resolved before trying to revive
Little, Brown's interest in the book.
Why not reinvest them now
so they can capitalize on any publicity the case garners?
I'm sorry, now?
If we wait for a verdict, and it's unfavorable,
we'll look like we're scrambling.
Before a verdict, we can better position ourselves.
Fine.
So, call Bob Drag and tell him we have a world class attorney
who, apparently, never learned "i" before "e" except after a "c"
and tell him that, one way or another,
we will emerge victorious.
I say that we do one better
and we go to New York, and we tell him that in person.
But we're in the middle of a trial.
And besides, the publisher is your purview.
But we'd make a much better case
that Masters and Johnson are back on track
if both Masters and Johnson are in that room. Together.
I've already asked Betty to book the first flight.
You just assumed I'd go?
I hoped.
There's no way.
I have to review this statement,
and I'm working on questions for the prosecution's witnesses.
You don't think Keller's got that covered?
What if he doesn't? You know?
He may have dazzled you with his Supreme Court talk,
(SIGHS) but an appeal could take years.
This has been hanging over my head long enough.
A win would mean a fresh start.
Fresh start? That's what you want? Mmm-hmm.
Seems to me you've been backsliding, more than anything.
The other morning, when I dropped off Libby's coat,
it seemed that you and she...
You two...
Libby and I are considering reconciling.
That's curious...
Can I ask why? What's changed?
Why would things be different between the two of you now?
We're gonna work to make things different.
Do you remember what you said to me
when I was considering getting back together with George?
You asked me why I would want to make the same mistake twice.
And you were right.
There was nothing between us but a familiar old pattern.
Trust me, Bill, falling into old patterns can be dangerous.
Dangerous.
You want a fresh start?
Then come to New York.
We can both reinvest
in what has always given us the most satisfaction.
The work.
I'm going to put my focus where it belongs.
On the court case.
But I think you're right,
you should focus on reviving interest in the book.
I'm sure you'll be up to that task without me.
I don't need prepping because I'm not testifying.
And I'm not so stupid that I would
reveal Bill's and my situation.
He's the father of my children,
I don't want him to end up in jail.
The press will accost you, try to get you to say things.
You can't hide from the cameras.
They'd rather catch you running away than standing still.
I have no intention of running.
I seem to remember a party where I was left holding a plaid cape.
Are we through, then?
Not quite. (HUFFS)
Some reporter focuses a camera on your gorgeous face,
"Mrs. Masters,
"your husband is charged with pandering and prostitution."
What do you say?
This case was trumped-up by an over-zealous prosecution
bent on destroying my husband's years of scientific work.
I am very proud of what my husband has accomplished
and of his contributions to science.
Oh, my goodness.
I believe this whole thing was an excuse to make me meet you.
Didn't like my fancy footwork in the court room?
I could see you watching me.
(CHUCKLES) We are done here.
How about a drink? It's 5:00 somewhere.
I know a great little jazz club a couple blocks away.
What do you say?
I'm very proud of my husband's accomplishments
and his contribution to science.
NANCY: He's definitely the spy.
He took the photo of us and showed Bill.
But not before he showed it to you which means he's not a snitch.
We'll see what he says when we confront him.
Reproductive Biology Research Foundation.
NANCY: Lester?
Who am I speaking with?
He's not here. Let's come back. Lester?
Look at this.
GUY ON RECORDING: I'm sorry, no, the whole morning is completely full.
I can give you a noon appointment,
that's the earliest that I have.
We could try for the next day. I have a 2:30?
They've got the whole place wired.
Labeled and organized by room, dates, time. Why?
If they were taping us to train us, wouldn't they tell us?
It's like they want to catch us at something.
You might expect this if there'd been complaints
or if we'd been foisted upon her by a superior.
You think Virginia is behind this? God...
To think how many offers I had.
Boston Lying-in, UCLA, Columbia Presbyterian,
I gave them all up to be treated
like an untrustworthy incompetent
by a woman who isn't even a doctor. Shh.
We cannot stay here, Art.
How would it look if we jumped ship not even two months in?
I don't care how it looks. I'm surprised that you do.
Or maybe I'm not. You spent the night together,
she's worked her many charms on you.
Look, I'm just trying to imagine things
from their point of view.
They're letting us in on a process that until now
has only involved the two of them.
That's got to be difficult.
If it doesn't get better, we leave.
Okay.
Mr. Drag?
How was your flight?
Uneventful. Some turbulence. Wasn't really asking.
I was being what we call polite.
It's a concept that may be somewhat foreign to you.
Showing up at my office like this
after I made it absolutely clear to your secretary
that I wasn't available this afternoon
would be what we call impolite.
I understand.
Though I worried that it would be more impolite
to not at least stop by and say hello when I was
just meeting with Simon & Schuster.
They're excited about Human Sexual Inadequacy.
They think it could be another best-seller.
Did you meet with Mr. Simon or Mr. Schuster?
Bob Simon's been dead for 10 years, but nice try.
The point is, Bill and I are very loyal to you,
especially after everything
we put you through in St. Louis...
Don't. The two of you have been nothing but trouble,
and the last thing I need is trouble.
Did you change office?
Didn't it used to be upstairs?
Excuse me, please,
I'm gonna be late for a launch party.
Oh, why don't we meet up after the party?
I haven't told you about the new work we're doing.
Fetishes, deviants.
We treated a man
with a predilection for his wife's high heels.
Wearing them? Copulating with them.
Would make a compelling case study
for the new book.
What?
Too bad you're wearing that.
I'd take you to the party, but it's black tie.
Isn't Saks just around the corner?
How'd it go?
Well, I think they're all down for the count.
And Johnny snores now.
Which is kind of odd.
Uh, what are you doing?
A woman in my group gives them away
in exchange for frozen casseroles.
She hates to cook.
Want some? No.
I'll take a drink though, if you're pouring.
I noticed on Saturday that the back porch light was out.
I thought I'd fix it. Fixed it myself.
You found the right screwdriver?
I'm not helpless, Bill.
Uh, what about the disposal?
It's fine.
Bill, if there's anything broken, I will let you know.
Thank you.
How about us?
Can I fix us?
Those three wishes of yours were a good start.
Don't you think?
Maybe you could think of a few more items
to add to the list
and, well, I could check them off one by one.
Seemed to work the other night.
I think the other night is proof
that neither of us quite knows how a separation works.
Is that a bad thing?
I guess not.
We're just in uncharted waters.
So these, um... (CLEARS THROAT)
These uncharted waters.
Is there any chance of what happened the other night
happening again?
(LAUGHS)
Or we could experiment a little.
What we did the other night,
I gather that there's a way that we can do it to each other
at the same time.
I believe there's even a number for it.
I cannot apologize enough for what happened in St. Louis,
the way Bill and I left you with all of those reporters.
That was just...
Don't make me relive it.
The good news is we're back on our feet
and we're days away from having this whole trial business behind us.
Wine, please, and for the lady?
White wine as well.
Our lawyer, Bram Keller,
he thinks that this trial could be as important as Scopes.
Didn't Scopes lose?
He did, yes, but we won't. And even if we do,
Keller assures us that any outcome works to our advantage.
If we win, great. We lose, we appeal.
We become a cause celeb.
Hello, Arnold.
Bob.
I'd like to introduce you to Virginia Johnson
of Masters and Johnson.
Arnold Ketterman.
Arnold runs things around here.
Oh, it's a real pleasure.
Virginia and I go way back.
Is that right?
Excuse me.
What was that?
What?
Another white wine.
Pronto.
I believe what we just did violates Section 11, Subsection 010
of the Missouri criminal code.
(BOTH LAUGH)
Don't worry, I won't bring it up in court.
In court?
Keller's not gonna put you on the stand, is he?
Section 546, Subsection 260
of the Missouri revised statutes,
a wife cannot be forced to testify against her husband.
How are you smoking that stuff
and still managing to recite legal code?
You tell me. Here, try it. (LAUGHS)
No, I'm fine. Oh, come on, Bill.
You're a research scientist.
Aren't you a little bit curious?
All right. Just one puff.
I believe they call it a hit.
Do they? (CHUCKLES)
Oh!
(COUGHS) (LAUGHS)
God, it smells like a wrestling mat.
This bed is great. Mmm.
When did you get it?
There's a Sears across from the Salvation Army.
I went there after I gave away your clothes.
The woman there didn't even blink,
she'd seen it so many times.
Well, you were right to do it.
The clothes? No, the bed.
It's great.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
So, come on, what else should we have done differently?
Well... The sex, I know, I know,
but what else besides that?
Come on, Bill, we're having a nice time.
Let's not drudge up the list of grievances.
Well, now's your chance.
Can't promise I'll always be this open to hearing them.
Fine. Fine.
We should've had friends.
We had friends. No, real friends,
not just Virginia.
You know, other couples and neighbors.
We should've had dinner parties and played music,
played charades.
(LAUGHING) Three words.
First word.
"You." Mmm.
Second word.
Sounds like.
Eat. Sounds like eat.
Back. Eat back.
Past tense. Ate.
Sounds like ate.
Rate, mate, hate...
Hate. You hate...
I hate charades.
(LAUGHS)
No, you're right. You're right.
I should've tried harder to meet new people.
I never enjoyed it.
I don't understand that.
Well, I don't know.
I...
I'm always afraid people won't like me.
Why?
Because people don't like me. (LAUGHS)
Oh, we should've had more fun.
We should've traveled more.
We traveled.
Oh, not just to medical conventions.
We should've taken the kids to Disneyland.
You wanted to go to Disneyland?
Why didn't you say?
(LAUGHING) Bill Masters on the spinning teacups.
Isn't that what we just did?
I believe they also have a ride
called the Carousel of Progress.
Progress? Mmm. (CHUCKLING)
Sounds about right.
Do you want to go around again?
Mommy.
Honey...
Honey, did you have a bad dream?
I'm so sorry. Let's get you a snack and tell a story.
Go.
What was it, the monster again? HOWIE: Yes.
MAN: The whole novel is narrated by a guy who is being held captive
on a planet called Tralfamadore.
He's on exhibit in a kind of alien zoo
where aliens come to study him.
He's this crazy traumatized ex-soldier.
Slaughterhouse-Five, you say?
I will make sure to pick up a copy.
Will you excuse us just for a moment?
If this is your way of saying I need to sleep with you
to get the book published...
I have no interest in sleeping with you.
You are certainly behaving like you do.
You are the one who wanted to come.
I wanted to talk about the sexual inadequacy book,
not act it out.
So you've done your talking, go ahead, leave.
Why are you doing this, Bob?
Perhaps I should just talk to your boss.
Mr. Ketterman, was it? I have a feeling
this little performance was intended for him.
Don't.
You can see what kind of man he is.
Golf games, fishing trips, hunting.
For some reason, he's gotten it into his head
that I don't pass muster.
So, the small office, no secretary...
He's demoted you.
Didn't give me the new Norman Mailer,
which just about broke my heart.
Now, I write titillating ad copy for Jacqueline Susann.
I see.
It can't be a coincidence
that it happened right after my fiancee called off our wedding.
I'm so sorry to hear that.
I know what Ketterman thinks,
what all of them think,
and I can tell you, it's not true.
Either way, Bob, groping me is not the solution.
This was a bad idea, coming here with me tonight.
Wait, wait.
Are you familiar with the Latin phrase "quid pro quo?"
I'll be honest with you.
I need to take this book deal back to Bill.
A lot depends on it.
So that's the quid, what's the quo?
Mmm-mmm.
Have a little. If you don't eat them, I'm gonna.
Ever since these contractions started,
I feel like the Hindenburg.
Contractions? Why didn't you tell me?
It started this morning.
My mother said it's nothing to worry about.
Your mom, Edith Shiff, MD?
I called Barton, too. He said the same thing.
You should have told me.
Well, you're never around.
And don't say you wish you were. I know.
My mom has been helpful.
She filled our freezer with food.
And you should see the nursery. My dad painted it.
It's perfect.
I'm glad they're being useful.
They've been here long enough.
Have they booked their train tickets home?
Well, that's the thing, Betts. Um...
I just don't know how to ask them
to leave before the baby comes.
You use words.
"I want to do this on my own," that's all you say.
They'll never believe that.
Nobody wants to have a baby on their own.
You'll make them believe it or you'll call them
and say that the World Book salesman is coming
and he's being surprisingly supportive.
I don't care what you say, just say something.
But I want them to stay.
Oh, God.
Just for a few days. Just until the baby comes home.
Until it's not a few days, until it's a few weeks.
Try to understand, Betts.
You understand.
If I am not at that baby's birth
then I am gonna be the neighbor
in this baby's life forever,
at his birthday parties, his piano recitals,
every time your parents are around.
And what about when he's older?
When he can talk?
Are you gonna ask him to lie about me then?
You have to tell them the truth.
What, that I'm in love...
(WHISPERING) That I'm in love with a woman?
I can't do that.
It'll surprise them, it might even shock them,
but hell,
they seem like nice people.
It might be okay.
I know them. I know how this story ends.
It ends with me never seeing them again and...
And you can't ask me to never see them again.
Thank you.
I'm glad to catch you alone, Arnold.
I was hoping for a chance to speak candidly with you.
I'm sorry. I've promised Updike his gin.
Dr. Masters and I have had a bit of a situation with Bob Drag.
As you know, our first book, it was a best-seller,
created a huge following,
so huge, Hugh Hefner has come on board as an investor...
Mrs. Johnson, is this a sales pitch?
No, no, this is about Drag.
I fear that he may have
poisoned the well here at Little, Brown.
Well, seems to me that you two did that to yourselves, didn't you?
The lawsuit? No.
Bob should've made it clear that
that would have absolutely no negative impact on the book.
Bram Keller has taken the case.
And he thinks it could go all the way to the Supreme Court.
On the front page of every newspaper in the country.
That's free publicity for a book you could be publishing
if it weren't for Drag.
Bob Drag is barely hanging on here.
He wouldn't purposely tank a winner.
But he did.
And for the most bizarre, petty reason if you even knew the details.
You're going to tell me?
I would really rather not.
You're wasting my time.
Okay. All right, I'll tell you,
but you have to promise to keep it to yourself.
We let Bob participate in the first round of research
for Human Sexual Response.
Before you say anything, I know.
It was a conflict of interest.
We shouldn't have done it.
But he was so eager, adamant. We couldn't say no.
So, you can imagine his fury
when we couldn't include his data or his case study.
Because he's light in the loafers.
Hardly.
You saw the way that he was pawing me tonight.
His sexual stamina is off the charts.
Refractory period is non-existent.
Including him would've completely skewed our data.
No wonder his fiancee left him.
The poor girl couldn't keep up.
Bob Drag is one long and large erection.
Don't think he even saw you. Thank God.
Why would it be so bad if he did see me?
Nothing would make the kids happier than if we were together.
Bill, please... We could be a family again.
You know how I said we were in uncharted waters?
Yeah, well, here's the most amazing thing about them for me.
For years, I have been afraid
to tell you about the things I've known,
because I was afraid you would leave me.
But I'm not afraid anymore.
You've left me, and I'm fine.
I'm better than fine.
So, you know how to go at it alone.
Doesn't mean you have to go at it alone.
But there are other reasons why we shouldn't be together,
reasons that I am no longer afraid to say.
(SIGHS DEEPLY) Okay. So tell me.
I want to know.
Remember that first spring you were in med school?
I made all those flash cards for your exams,
because it seemed like something that a wife would do.
And I had reason to believe I might someday be your wife.
Ruth, my roommate, told me that you'd asked for my ring size.
Then you called and you said you were going away for the summer.
I knew that it was another girl.
That was the only explanation
for why I didn't hear from you all summer.
And, uh, I've seen the photographs.
Tucked away in a box, in your closet.
You water-skiing with Dody on your shoulders.
The two of you about to take off together
in her brother's plane.
And then at the end of the summer,
she broke your heart and you came back to me.
Well, because I realized that you were better for me.
Because you realized
that I wasn't going to hurt you like that.
Because, I couldn't.
Because you didn't love me.
I loved you very much.
Yes. Yes.
But not in that way.
Not in the way that makes you want to
take off together in a plane.
It's the same way that you love Virginia.
Come on, Bill.
When the two of you are together,
it's like you're in this bubble.
It's like you speak some secret language
only the two of you can understand.
But we hurt each other, Lib.
Not as much as you make each other happy.
Bill.
Why have we endured all this pain,
all this suffering?
If not for the two of you to end up together.
You belong together, Bill.
And I belong with someone who makes me feel that way.
Oh, Dr. Bill.
Sorry, I was just, um, freshening up.
Are you living here?
Flopping. Temporarily.
Until I get enough money for something more permanent.
This is not a shelter, Guy.
This is a place of business. Look, we...
We've had this trouble before.
I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to ask you to pack your bag and go.
You're firing me?
Yes.
Just like that?
No warning? No shot over the bows? Just goodbye?
Let's not make this any more dramatic than it has to be.
I'm sure you'll find other work.
Not this kind of work.
I mean, not in this kind of place.
Is this about the background check?
Betty told me Dr. Virginia asked for a background check,
so I figured you knew about everything that happened over there.
In that beautiful little jungle paradise called Vietnam.
You were a soldier?
And after four months of exemplary service,
I was dishonorably discharged six weeks ago.
I'm sure from all the clients you see here, you can guess why.
We treat dysfunction here, Guy.
Homosexuality is not a dysfunction.
Tell that to the army.
And my poor father.
We've been at each other's throats ever since I got back.
He told all the neighbors that I got shot in the arm.
He even got me a sling to wear for whenever I go outside.
'Cause he's petrified that his pals at the Elks Lodge
are gonna find out that I got sent home
for giving another private a blowjob.
All right. I can't let you live here,
but I'll ask Betty if she'll advance you some money
from your first pay check so you can find yourself a rental.
Should I get that? Yes.
I'm gonna be late for court.
MAN ON RADIO: Good morning, St. Louis.
It's 7:35 a.m. and here's a quick look at today's weather.
Current temperature is 64 degrees...
Bill.
Glad I caught you.
The prosecution sent over a new witness list.
There's a name on it I don't recognize.
They can do that? Just introduce a new witness?
Trial by ambush, but yes, they can.
I need to know what the witness is gonna say.
Here it is. Elliott Laskin.
Bachelor. Lives in an apartment in Rock Hill.
Works at the Shawnee Country Club.
Before that at the Park Chancery hotel.
The Park Chancery?
He's got nothing to do with this case.
Prosecution thinks he does? Believe me he doesn't.
You know him?
They're just trying to bring up my private life
to somehow impugn my credibility.
Solid tactic, your credibility is fair game.
I'm your attorney, Bill.
You gotta tell me what we're up against here.
Okay. They're gonna call him to testify
that for the last ten years,
Virginia Johnson and I have been meeting at the Park Chancery.
"Meeting"?
Ah, meeting.
Well, adultery's against the law,
so they're portraying you as a criminal.
What? For committing a crime that hasn't been prosecuted in 100 years?
They want to bring this in, it's going to get in. (EXHALES)
Look, it'll be worse for her than it is for you.
Adultery sticks to a woman more than a man.
You work long hours with a gorgeous woman.
You study sex together, of course you dabbled.
No one will blame you.
It'll forever be what people think of
when they hear Masters and Johnson.
We won't be the dispassionate scientists,
studying a cause for the greater good,
we'll be cheaters.
Our sexual behavior informing our results.
It'll be on the court record, it'll be in the press...
Hell, in my obituary.
(SIGHS)
I can't distance myself from her professionally,
nor would I want to.
Our partnership has yielded good work,
and hopefully, with more to come.
But our...
But our affair
was a mistake.
And I can't allow evidence of that mistake
to be following me around for the rest of my life.
I think we should take a plea.
I told you, Bill,
a plea is the one avenue that leads to certain defeat.
There'll be no appeal, no glory.
But it'll be done.
Even if I did pursue one,
there's no way Virginia would get on board.
I sold her on staying the course.
You saw her light up when I said "Supreme Court."
I need to put this behind me.
GUY: There's nothing in my book. There's no appointments at all.
I was told by Dr. Masters to clear the whole day.
HARRIET: I spoke on the telephone with Mrs. Johnson
and she personally confirmed these dates with me.
You're sure, Harriet? Of course, I'm sure.
And I'm sure that you're right.
But Mrs. Johnson didn't tell me.
Can I help with something?
There's been a mix-up. I'm sorry.
Dr. Masters and Mrs. Johnson are unreachable today.
GUY: They've traveled all the way from Philadelphia.
Clavermore? Of course.
I thought I recognized you.
Didn't TIME Magazine call you "The Man Who Fights Fire?"
Mr. Clavermore runs the largest asbestos manufacturing plants,
I think, in North America.
And you must be Mrs. Clavermore.
I'm Dr. Leveau.
I work very closely with both
Dr. Masters and Mrs. Johnson.
I can assure you if they were here, phew,
they would be mortified by this.
Happily, I think I can provide a solution.
Why don't I begin your intake?
Helen?
Hel...
Hey.
What's wrong?
I did what you said, I...
I told them the truth about myself
and you and the baby.
Oh, honey.
What did... What did they say?
Nothing.
They just packed their stuff and left.
I couldn't stop them.
And I've been calling and calling and...
(SNIFFLES) It just rings and rings, they...
They must have pulled the cord out of the wall.
Keep thinking about this dollhouse I used to have
when I was 10.
Three stories. My dad made it.
So many rooms and...
I'd lie on my stomach with my dolls.
The father and the mother and the daughter,
and I'd put them in different rooms
and make up things that they'd say to each other.
I knew
that I was never gonna live in a house like that,
or have a family like that family.
My family will always be my own mother and father.
And now...
Now...
And me.
Me.
And you.
And this baby.
We're your family.
And we're gonna take care of each other.
Yeah.
MAN: All rise.
VIRGINIA: I'm so sorry.
I came straight from the airport.
(SOFTLY) Good news. I need to talk to you.
I need to talk to you!
Bob Drag is back on the book.
We talked to the head of publishing,
they're putting it on the priority list.
(GAVEL BANGS)
Bailiff, call the jury in please.
Your Honor...
What is it, Dr. Masters?
I would be willing to discuss a plea,
if the prosecution would be willing
to drop the charges against Mrs. Johnson.
Your Honor, may we discuss this?
My entire negotiation with Little, Brown
was based on the fact
that we would fight these charges, and not plead guilty.
Listen to her, Bill. I still believe we can win.
Can you give us a moment?
You were right, we shouldn't roll the dice.
The book, Bill. Our reputations...
Our reputations are going to be tainted.
Only if we plead...
Elliot Laskin, the bellhop from the Park Chancery Hotel
is going to testify.
Keller's made it clear
it's going to be much worse for you than it is for me.
Do you really want all the work you've done,
everything you've achieved to be thrown into question?
You said, many times, the surrogacy program was my idea.
It was my mistake.
And now I'm going to make it right.
KELLER: The judge is waiting.
PROSECUTOR: The prosecution will dismiss the charges
against Mrs. Johnson
if Dr. Masters will agree to plead guilty
to the charge of sexual deviance
and to pay a fine of $500.
Your Honor, I will plead guilty to the charge.
You're a public figure, Dr. Masters, so I must point out
that if you accept this plea
you will be required to go into that courtroom
and stand in front of a jury and the press
and admit to being a sexual deviant.
Sexual deviant.
I'm a scientist who spent decades of my life researching sex.
Even I don't know what that means.
How can something deviate when there is no norm?
No two humans would paint the same painting
or write the same poem or compose the same opera.
So why would we expect two humans
to express their sexuality in the same way?
In fact, if there's one thing
that years of research has taught us,
it's that no being's sexual response is formed on an assembly line.
There is no shape it must take.
It's as particular and individualistic
as a kiss.
And where there is such infinite variety,
there's no norm.
There's only deviation.
Your Honor, I am willing to plead guilty to sexual deviance
because I am a sexual deviant.
Because we're all sexual deviants.
Go out there and say that to the jury.
We can still win in the court of public opinion.
The charge is sexual deviance.
How do you plead, sir?
Your Honor, I ask you,
how can something deviate when there is no norm?
I'm gonna stop you right there, Dr. Masters.
There will be no oration in my courtroom.
The charge is sexual deviance. How do you plead?
Guilty.
(CROWD MURMURING)
I thought you were a man who liked winning.
And yet your client just pleaded to sexual deviance.
That was not my idea, believe me. It was his entirely.
But why?
I don't understand. It's not like Bill not to fight.
A witness was gonna come forward,
things were gonna be said that would have been bad for Bill,
bad for Virginia...
And it would have been entirely embarrassing to you.
Well, I do want to put all of that behind me.
So does your husband.
Ex-husband.
Well, that right there, that's a fresh start.
What is your position on marijuana?
Firm represented LEMAR,
marijuana activists in Washington,
so I say legalize the plant.
And oral sex?
Legalize that, too. I'm a huge proponent. Why are you asking?
What about marriage? I've had three.
Each one more acrimonious than the last.
I don't plan to ever stand at the altar again.
What about dinner?
My favorite meal of the day.
I mean, how would you like to take me to dinner?
Yes, please.
There are 50 reporters
from every newspaper and television station in the country.
Now's your chance to do your speech.
Bill... Please don't.
No, I have to. I have to say thank you for what you did for me.
For the sacrifice you made.
It wasn't a sacrifice. Bill.
It wasn't. I did not do this for you.
Or Libby or anyone else. I did it for myself.
And I'm sorry if it's ruined things for the book.
I care about the book, of course.
And I care about all of the work,
but I care more about the two of us.
I know that you've always tried to protect me.
You put my name on the study so that I would get credit,
and now you sacrifice your reputation
so I don't get the blame.
I know what you did, Bill, and I know why you did it.
We have been through a lot,
the two of us.
But now, finally, we are back where we belong.
Together.
What do you mean together?
I mean I...
I want us to be together.
(EXCITED CHATTERING)
DR. MASTERS: I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak to you today.
I thought there was nothing for me in this program.
Because, well,
I'm not an alcoholic.
I've come to realize
that I am an addict of sorts.
For some of you all it takes
is a flashing neon sign for cocktails.
For me, well, I can pass that same sign 1,000 times,
and never even notice it. For me, it's...
It's something else.
It's a passing glance.
Her fingers brushing against my shoulder.
The linger of perfume when she's left the room.
Her hand in mine.
In an instant, I'm ready to give up everything.
I'm prepared to throw it all away. My work.
My pride.
My self-respect.
I'm Bill.
I'm here to ask for your help.