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Masters of Sex (Showtime)

Huntn

Huntn

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Outstanding debut based on Masters and Johnson's 1950's sex research! Women with natural breasts (always a plus :)), adequate sex, but the the real attraction are the human relationships and one of the lead stars Lizzy Caplan has real character and sex appeal. I'm hoping they can keep the story going.

lizzy-caplan-in-dg-rachel-zoe-the-campaign-la-premiere.png
 
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Huntn

Huntn

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May 5, 2008
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The Misty Mountains
mscriv said:
I could be wrong, but I think Huntn is referring to the sex appeal of the character/role that the actress is playing and not just making a comment about her looks.
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You are right. I can't speak for others but sex appeal is a lot more than physical appearance. Ultimately you are attracted to the personality, in this case the character's personality, not the wrapper. Granted the wrapper reinforces the attraction. ;)

Is anyone liking this show or no? Both Showtime and HBO like to flaunt nudity, but I don't feel like this is any more blatant than any other and it fits quite appropriately within the story line. And most importantly the story is a good one, with interesting character dynamics, at least for me.
 
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SilentPanda

SilentPanda

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Oct 8, 2002
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I intend to watch it once it's available via disc or digital form. I like to support intelligent media that pertains to sex because I think it needs to be talked about more, at least a lot more than violence currently is. I just don't have Showtime (or TV) so can't watch it now.

Of course this doesn't mean I require my media to have sex or nudity in it, just as I don't require it to have violence. I also think silly nudity is as funny as silly violence. So long as it's there for a purpose, be that comedic, serious, etc... I'm okay with it.
 
mscriv

mscriv

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Aug 14, 2008
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Huntn said:
You are right. I can't speak for others but sex appeal is a lot more than physical appearance. Ultimately you are attracted to the personality, in this case the character's personality, not the wrapper. Granted the wrapper reinforces the attraction. ;)

Is anyone liking this show or no? Both Showtime and HBO like to flaunt nudity, but I don't feel like this is any more blatant than any other and it fits quite appropriately within the story line. And most importantly the story is a good one, with interesting character dynamics, at least for me.
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I think the overall taboo feel, that is contextually appropriate to the setting of the show, adds to the appeal. It's literally a journey from innocence to experience from a social, sexual, and scientific perspective. Being in the social sciences I've studied, Freud, Kinsey, Masters and Johnson, etc. in an academic setting. Their work is quite fascinating and it's interesting to see it portrayed on television.
 
Huntn

Huntn

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May 5, 2008
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The Misty Mountains
mscriv said:
I think the overall taboo feel, that is contextually appropriate to the setting of the show, adds to the appeal. It's literally a journey from innocence to experience from a social, sexual, and scientific perspective. Being in the social sciences I've studied, Freud, Kinsey, Masters and Johnson, etc. in an academic setting. Their work is quite fascinating and it's interesting to see it portrayed on television.
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Mild Spoiler​

Masters seems like an odd personality, not a romantic bone in his body, everything is clinical, at least it has been so far. He approaches sex with his wife who is trying to get pregnant as a task and allows her to think she is barren, when in actuality it is he that is infertile. As a fertility doctor he is all about the mechanics, but seems to have a basic misunderstanding about female psychology and what it takes for a healthy relationship with a woman, specifically his wife, and his inability to connect (not physically) with the hookers he is trying to enlist for his study. I don't know how many liberties the writers are taking with real history, but it seems like Johnson is the connector between women and Masters, who makes it all work. That statement about working is based on history, not the tv show which portrays his sexuality study constantly on the verge of collapse. At this point, I wonder what his real motivation is, if he's trying to research sexuality, get into Johnson's shorts or both. :)
 
Huntn

Huntn

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Spoilers!​

Test subjects did use birth control, however they are not 100%. An interesting occurrence is when one of the test subjects becomes pregnant as a result of her participation in the study. All individuals have signed contracts/ waivers that both protect their identities and Masters and Johnson from this unintended consequence. However Master's attitude is tough luck, while Johnson tells the male test subject (randy doctor) to give him the opportunity to step up to the plate and then digs out a couple thousand from their research fund, gives it to the woman and and (I think) disgusted with Masters's attitude quits the study. Being a pregnant unwed woman back in the 50's was a real scarlet letter and a disaster for the woman.

It looks like Master's wife is going to be drawn in and based on the previews it looks like it's just a matter of time before she realizes what kind of study this is and more importantly who physically participated dozens of times.

The story is holding it's appeal with outstanding human interest, I predict that this show will win some emmys. :)
 
=w=

=w=

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Aug 11, 2012
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Just started watching this yesterday, after seeing this thread. I forgot I wanted to check it out. I only watched two episodes, but it's interesting so far. It's not one of those shows where I want to sit down and watch every single available episode at once, but I am definitely interested in seeing how things play out.
 
SilentPanda

SilentPanda

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I just got the blu-ray discs yesterday and am 2 episodes in. I really like the show so far. I'd watch more but I'm trying to limit my consumption. No need to rush a TV season as soon as I get it.
 
Huntn

Huntn

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SilentPanda said:
I just got the blu-ray discs yesterday and am 2 episodes in. I really like the show so far. I'd watch more but I'm trying to limit my consumption. No need to rush a TV season as soon as I get it.
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One thing enjoyable about having an entire season for consumption you can take it at whatever pace you like. If it is a series we enjoy, we typically watch 3 episodes at a time.
 
SilentPanda

SilentPanda

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Huntn said:
One thing enjoyable about having an entire season for consumption you can take it at whatever pace you like. If it is a series we enjoy, we typically watch 3 episodes at a time.
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It can be odd watching shows without breaks between episodes or even the commercial breaks. Shows try to use that time to build tension and then often resolve it right when you get back. But without those breaks the tension is so short. In a way that break is meant to be part of the flow but once it gets removed it can take away from the experience. Of course, that hasn't ever really stopped me but....
 
Huntn

Huntn

macrumors Core
Original poster
May 5, 2008
23,484
26,601
The Misty Mountains
SilentPanda said:
It can be odd watching shows without breaks between episodes or even the commercial breaks. Shows try to use that time to build tension and then often resolve it right when you get back. But without those breaks the tension is so short. In a way that break is meant to be part of the flow but once it gets removed it can take away from the experience. Of course, that hasn't ever really stopped me but....
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For myself, commercials are horrid, especially for movies where the tension is broken so they can sell you some dog food. One great thing about DVR/Tivo is that when TV shows are recorded you can skip through the commercials. I have a button the skips ahead 30 seconds at a time. Depending on what part of the show I'm at, I press somewhere between 4-8 times. :)
 
SilentPanda

SilentPanda

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Huntn said:
For myself, commercials are horrid, especially for movies where the tension is broken so they can sell you some dog food. One great thing about DVR/Tivo is that when TV shows are recorded you can skip through the commercials. I have a button the skips ahead 30 seconds at a time. Depending on what part of the show I'm at, I press somewhere between 4-8 times. :)
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Well yes in movies. I just mean that at least for network TV shows there is the expectation that they will be viewed with commercials often times and hence why every 15 minutes you get a little bit of tension. Also why you get tension at the end of the episode since you have to wait a week. Watching on disc removes a lot of that tension and can often times make the tension non-existent since it's often resolved as soon as the show 'comes back'. On disc it comes back immediately.
 
Huntn

Huntn

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Original poster
May 5, 2008
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The Misty Mountains
SilentPanda said:
Well yes in movies. I just mean that at least for network TV shows there is the expectation that they will be viewed with commercials often times and hence why every 15 minutes you get a little bit of tension. Also why you get tension at the end of the episode since you have to wait a week. Watching on disc removes a lot of that tension and can often times make the tension non-existent since it's often resolved as soon as the show 'comes back'. On disc it comes back immediately.
Click to expand...

I've just never been effected adversely by a lack of commercials. :D
 
albertfallickwa

albertfallickwa

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Jan 27, 2014
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Masters of Sex (Showtime)- Spoilers

Right now I'm watching Season 1 with my wife and it's definitely one of my all time favorites. Any others watching this?
 
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