The WORST episodes of Masters of Sex

Every episode of Masters of Sex ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Masters of Sex!

The series chronicles the unusual lives, romance and pop culture trajectory of William Masters and Virginia Johnson. Their research touched off the sexual revolution and took them from a mid-western teaching hospital in St. Louis to the cover of Time magazine.

Last Updated: 11/9/2024Network: Paramount+ with ShowtimeStatus: Ended
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High Anxiety
star
7.23
653 votes

#1 - High Anxiety

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/6/2015

Masters continues his surrogacy program, now under Johnson's critical eye.

Directors: Daniel Attias
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Monkey Business
star
7.26
626 votes

#2 - Monkey Business

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/23/2015

Masters and Johnson are interviewed as they take on an exotic new patient.

Directors: Adam Arkin
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Undue Influence
star
7.33
716 votes

#3 - Undue Influence

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/2/2015

Masters seeks unexpected advice. Virginia is distracted by news of Henry.

Directors: Chris Manley
Writer: Gina Fattore
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Freefall
star
7.34
695 votes

#4 - Freefall

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/11/2016

In the wake of their fallout, Masters and Johnson search for purpose in a world without one another and look to work as their personal lives crash down around them. Libby finds herself alone for the first time since her marriage and discovers some unexpected allies. Season premiere.

Directors: Colin Bucksey
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Giants
star
7.36
952 votes

#5 - Giants

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/10/2014

Masters continues to break new ground by continuing his study as the only white physician in a Negro hospital but at the cost of his gynecology practice. Libby is confronted by Coral's boyfriend, Robert, over her poor treatment of Coral, Betty reunites with her former lover, and Johnson struggles to right her relationship with DePaul - who is newly aware of Johnson's ongoing affair with Masters.

Directors: Jeremy Webb
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The Excitement of Release
star
7.36
677 votes

#6 - The Excitement of Release

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/26/2015

Masters and Johnson look to capitalize on their burgeoning fame.

Directors: Miguel Sapochnik
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One for the Money, Two for the Show
star
7.37
842 votes

#7 - One for the Money, Two for the Show

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/21/2014

A television crew arrives at the clinic to document Masters and Johnson's work treating sexual dysfunction. Masters considers the publicity premature, and himself unsuitable as a television presence. Virginia deals with the fallout of having prioritized her work over her parenting when George argues to take their children on a trip with his new wife. Plus, Libby finds in Robert an appreciation for what she has to offer. And Langham realizes there's no way out of his sexual contract with Flo.

Directors: Andrew Bernstein
Writer: Amy Lippman
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Two Scents
star
7.38
655 votes

#8 - Two Scents

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/16/2015

Masters and Johnson take on a famous couple hoping to renew their sex life.

Directors: Michael Weaver
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Inventory
star
7.39
634 votes

#9 - Inventory

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/18/2016

Masters and Johnson turn to new partners in an effort to put the past behind them and focus on their expanding clinic. Given their fractured triangle, Libby reevaluates her relationship with Bill and Virginia.

Directors: Jeremy Webb
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Kyrie Eleison
star
7.41
1038 votes

#10 - Kyrie Eleison

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/20/2014

Masters begins a new job at Memorial Hospital under Betty's extortion terms only to discover that his boss insists he leave Virginia behind in favor of a handpicked secretary. Meanwhile, Johnson is torn between pressing Masters to rehire her and staying by DePaul's side as her condition worsens.

Directors: Michael Apted
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Surrogates
star
7.41
601 votes

#11 - Surrogates

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/30/2015

Johnson jets away with Dan Logan. Masters begins his surrogacy program.

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Through a Glass, Darkly
star
7.43
605 votes

#12 - Through a Glass, Darkly

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/13/2015

Johnson objects to Masters' program following missteps in the protocol.

Directors: Jeremy Webb
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Parallax
star
7.44
1226 votes

#13 - Parallax

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/13/2014

Masters deals with the ramifications of his disastrous presentation and being fired from the hospital. Meanwhile, Libby urges Masters to get another job; and Virginia fights off advances and innuendos stemming from the belief that she was the woman in Master's explicit film.

Directors: Michael Apted
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Night and Day
star
7.46
657 votes

#14 - Night and Day

Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/6/2016

Masters and Johnson return from Topeka, each grappling with the trip's ramifications. Art and Nancy look to tie up loose ends in order to have a fresh start, and Libby embarks on a road trip with Bram that changes her perspective.

Directors: Karyn Kusama
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Dirty Jobs
star
7.47
989 votes

#15 - Dirty Jobs

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/3/2014

Langham observes Masters and Johnson exiting a hotel room and shares his suspicions with DePaul, who is forced to make plans for her work without Virginia's involvement. Meanwhile, Betty attempts to conceal her infertility from Gene; and Masters tries to bring Johnson aboard as his assistant only to be thwarted by the head of the hospital, who takes a prurient interest in Masters' study.

Directors: Michael Engler
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The Pleasure Protocol
star
7.47
630 votes

#16 - The Pleasure Protocol

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/25/2016

Masters and Johnson adjust to new partners, but their respective cases have them second-guessing the instinct to remain separated. A romantic prospect pushes Libby to embrace life as a newly single woman of the sexual revolution.

Directors: Adam Arkin
Writer: Ellen Fairey
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Below the Belt
star
7.48
842 votes

#17 - Below the Belt

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/14/2014

Masters learns of a rival study and calls in a public relations expert to help brand his work with Johnson. Virginia, having finally learned of Masters' sexual difficulties, is invigorated by the prospect of finding a cure. Determined to prove her worth to Robert, Libby canvases a tenement for a rent strike. Plus, Langham is stunned when Flo informs him that he has to have sex with her in order to keep his job. And Barbara and Lester connect over their shared sexual dysfunctions.

Directors: Adam Arkin
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Mirror, Mirror
star
7.49
872 votes

#18 - Mirror, Mirror

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/31/2014

Masters privately treats a couple for infertility, without revealing his relationship to them. Johnson realizes her work with Masters can be used to help people suffering from sexual dysfunction - but quickly gets in over her head when she attempts to treat Barbara Sanderson on her own. Libby is unnerved after witnessing a hate crime that is then whitewashed by the police.

Directors: Michael Apted
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Three's a Crowd
star
7.49
757 votes

#19 - Three's a Crowd

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/19/2015

Masters takes on a high profile patient. Virginia and Libby come to terms.

Directors: Dean Perisot
Writer: Amy Lippman
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In To Me You See
star
7.50
604 votes

#20 - In To Me You See

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/23/2016

Masters looks to groom Art as his protege in a new area of research as Johnson does her best to keep Nancy at arm's length. Betty seeks an unlikely source for assistance in her fight for equal rights to Helen's baby.

Directors: Michael Apted
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The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
star
7.57
826 votes

#21 - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 9/28/2014

After watching an early cut of the documentary, Masters is disturbed by the portrayal of his work. Johnson's move to solidify her custody arrangement with George backfires. Finding justification in Masters' distraction, Libby continues her relationship with Robert. Langham discovers Flo's family's wealth and connections, causing him to re-evaluate his relationship with her. And after repeated testing of their protocol to cure impotence, Masters and Johnson feel they are ready to cure sexual dysfunction.

Directors: Adam Arkin
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Fallout
star
7.58
1349 votes

#22 - Fallout

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/1/2013

The hospital takes part in a nationwide civil defense drill, and the heightened atmosphere escalates conflicts among the staff. A former study participant reveals she’s pregnant and wants to know the identity of the father. Masters and Johnson, their relationship strained after ending their study participation, butt heads on whether to maintain study confidentiality or take responsibility. Haas learns he’s been denied a future job at the hospital but wrongly assumes his breakup with Vivian is to blame. Margaret Scully seeks answers about her husband’s sexuality from an unlikely source.

Writer: Sam Shaw
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Matters of Gravity
star
7.59
690 votes

#23 - Matters of Gravity

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/9/2015

Johnson's parents arrive unannounced. Masters takes on a promising patient.

Directors: Adam Arkin
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Party of Four
star
7.61
595 votes

#24 - Party of Four

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/20/2015

Masters, Johnson, Logan and his wife gather in New York for a dinner in which agendas collide, truths are exposed and no relationship emerges unscathed. Back home, Libby faces an accusation that threatens her family's foundation.

Directors: Susanna White
Writer: Amy Lippman
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Fight
star
7.62
1091 votes

#25 - Fight

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/27/2014

Masters delivers a baby with ambiguous genitalia and urges the parents not to surgically assign the child a sex out of fear or convenience. Meeting Virginia at a hotel for a secret rendezvous, the two of them divide their attention between sexual role-play and a championship boxing match, prompting Virginia to unearth the truth of Masters'' troubled childhood.

Directors: Michael Apted
Writer: Amy Lippman
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