Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Masters of Sex: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 21, 2018

It has been said that money makes the world go 'round. It's also been said that love makes the world go 'round. The Stylistics once said people make the world go 'round. But ignoring any laws of physics, celestial alignments, and the like, it's probably "love" that, of those three, most likely actually makes the world go (proverbially) 'round. Why? Love invariably leads to sex (though of course love sometimes has nothing to do with it) and sex invariably leads to new generations of human beings who continue to propagate the species. But sex isn't always as simple as it seems to be by the textbook definition of how the act is performed. The human condition is often the biggest obstacle to it, physically and mentally alike, and for as simple as it should be, it sometimes requires some outside help to not just perform the act, but too understand the act, how it affects the brain and the body alike. Masters of Sex, based on the biographical books of the same name by Thomas Maier and developed by Michelle Ashford for television, was a Showtime exclusive that ran for four seasons from 2013-2016 and starred Michael Sheen and Caitlin FitzGerald as Dr. William and Libby Masters, respectively, and Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson, the threesome who comprised the "Masters and Johnson" sexual research team that redefined both biological and psychological truths behind sex through the 1960s and beyond.

He's watching...studying...learning...

Official synopsis: William Masters and Virginia Johnson, are known as pioneers of the science of human sexuality. Their research shoots them on a trajectory that takes them from humble beginnings in the Midwest to the cover of Time Magazine. Masters is a brilliant scientist who is out of touch with his own feelings. Johnson is a divorced mother who is ahead of her time on many fronts, including her determination to have a meaningful career. The pair's relationship isn't just professional, as it evolves into a three-way "marriage" with Masters' wife, Libby.

One of the more interesting takes from Mill Creek's release of Masters of Sex is the opportunity it affords to look at the show's fairly odd history on Blu-ray. Sony previously released seasons one and two on the high definition format. Both were reviewed extremely well, for both content and disc technical merits, yet the studio dropped support only halfway through the show's run. That's not exactly breaking news; many television shows have been teased with a season or two and left to die, so it's nice that Mill Creek is picking up the slack and making sure fans can own the entire run on Blu-ray (Mill Creek has also rescued another favorite, Rescue Me, with a full-series release after Sony curiously dropped third season on Blu-ray back in 2007 but decided to leave the rest be). Whether Mill Creek has lived up to Sony's standards as far as A/V qualities and supplemental content is a discussion for the review's technical sections below, but the show makes an interesting little case study into what has been a largely uneven television release slate throughout the format's lifespan, with a number of unequivocal successes to be sure but a number of disappointments along the way, too.

Blu-ray.com's Ken Brown lovingly detailed what makes Masters of Sex a masterful television effort in his seasons one and two reviews. Seasons three and four are a bit more uneven, particularly as they veer off course from the fictionalized "true story" of Masters and Johnson and towards a fictionalized "make-it-up-as-we-go" deal. It remains watchable through its final two seasons, maybe even compelling, at times, as the tangled personal lives interestingly often play against the real-world ramifications of the work the characters have done happening off to the side and reshaping the world around them. The performances remain a strength through to the end, unsurprising given the top-tier talent involved on the show, but even masterful works can't save a show that's clearly scratching and clawing to maintain excellence through seasons three and four.

Masters of Sex: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Masters of Sex: The Complete Series isn't a master of Blu-ray. The 1080p video presentation, as the show begins, is riddled by severe compression artifacts that results in significant macroblocking, poor noise management, and unconvincing and shaky structural integrity. Backgrounds are devoured by instability and banding, low light results in severe macroblocking, and the image just looks sloppy and unkempt throughout. Detailing fares well enough at-a-glance and sometimes for extended stretches, with basic skin, clothes, and environmental textures fairly well defined, but the image is hindered by the incessant artifact barrage. At its best, the core detailing can overcome the faults, in those not uncommon, but not frequent, moments when the stars align, image crispness and clarity elevate, and artifacts subside from their heights. By the end episode, the compression issues remain but don't appear quite so intense as the beginning. Colors fare better overall, with relatively healthy flesh tones, nicely saturated clothes and furnishings, vibrant red lipstick, and stable backgrounds in offices, homes, and other locales. At its best, the image rises to respectability, which makes it watchable, particularly if one isn't viewing it for scrutiny but rather as background television or on a smaller monitor. Videophiles will certainly scoff regardless, but viewers less sensitive to video shortcomings should find it a passable watch.

Masters of Sex: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Masters of Sex: The Complete Series features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack for the entire four season run. The show's sonic needs are generally minimal, as one might expect. The occasional prominent effect is handled well, from crashes to heavier din. The track will never extend the subwoofer or the surround channels to maximum, but both do engage from time to time, the latter in particular in order to carry environmental support, the occasional heavier din, or reverberation such as when characters address a gathering right at the show's outset, which also features gently wrapping applause. Music remains largely the property of the front channels. Clarity and width are both fine. Dialogue drives the majority of screen time, and the spoken word rarely stumbles away from the high points of clarity, positioning, and prioritization.

Masters of Sex: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Masters of Sex: The Complete Series does contain special features throughout the set. Deleted scenes, found on discs one-four, can only be found after clicking on an individual episode. Additional supplements on discs seven and eight are listed under a "bonus" tab. The supplements are simply ports of everything Sony included in the season one and two releases, just spread out little differently throughout this eight-disc set. This set ships with each two-disc season housed in a standard sized Blu-ray case, all four of which are tucked into a slip box that is of typical quality for a Mill Creek television release, read fairly flimsy and easily damaged in shipping or in slightly rough handling.

Season One, Disc One:

• Audio Commentary: For "Pilot:" Executive Producers Michelle Ashford and Sarah Timberman and Actors Caitlin Fitzgerald, Lizzy Caplan, Michael Sheen, and Teddy Sears.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): For "Race to Space:" An Awkward Proposition (0:25), It Takes a Male and Female to Make a Baby (1:02), Posted Bail (0:34), Scoot Down (2:05), Just Talk Her Out of It (0:36), I'm So Sorry (1:04), and Tricks of the Trade (1:14). For "Standard Deviation:" Try to Sound Human (0:26). For "Catherine:" George (2:02) and Big Smiles! (0:42).

Season One, Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes: For "All Together Now:" The Back Seat Is Roomy (1080i, 1:00), You Never Know When to Shut Up (1080p, 1:29), and No Shame in Loving What You Love (1080i, 1:59). For "Love and Marriage:" It's Fairly Common (1080p, 0:29) and Doctor and Mrs. Masters (1080p, 1:01). For "Phallic Victories:" You'll Never Be Half the Man I Am (1080p, 1:51). For "Manhigh:" Let Me Give You Some Advice (1080p, 0:39) and I'm Going to Sign It (1080p, 1:06).

Season Two, Disc One:

• Deleted Scenes: For "Palrallax:" Change in Income (1080p, 1:55), One Hour (1080p, 0:59), and Assumed Name (1080p, 2:15). For "Dirty Jobs:" How Should I Feel? (1080p, 1:29). For "Giants:" The Finest Obstetrician (1080p, 0:27). For "Blackbird:" Didn't Gert Much Sleep (1080p, 0:47), You Can't Help (1080p, 1:14), and Lillian at Home (1080p, 1:16).

Season Two, Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes: For "Asterion:" You Had an Affair? (1080p, 1:15), Just the One? (1080p, 1:42), The Special Day (1080p, 0:30), and The Paranoid (1080p, 1:14). For "Story of My Life:" This Is the Place? (1080p, 0:51) and Robert (1080p, 0:31). For "Below the Belt:" I Will See You at the Office (1080p, 1:41), You Know Where the Broom Is (1080p, 2:23), Unwanted Advances (1080p, 1:34), and A New Tennant (1080p, 1:13). For "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised:" Masters in Bed (1080p, 0:52) and Catch the Phones (1080p, 0:29).

Season Four, Disc One (special features, minus deleted scenes, from Sony's season one set; for full supplemental reviews, please click here):

• Making of Masters of Sex (1080p, 12:29).
• A Masterful Portrayal: Michael Sheen as Dr. Masrters (1080p, 6:49).
• Ahead of Her Time: Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson (1080p, 5:13).
• The Real Masters: A Conversation with Thomas Maier (1080p, 7:13).
• Surprising Facts About Sex: The Masters' Great Discoveries (1080p, 4:08).

Season Four, Disc Two (special features, minus deleted scenes, from Sony's season two set; for full supplemental reviews, please click here):

• The History of Sex (1080p, 17:51).
• The Women of Sex (1080p, 20:04):
• The Men of Sex: Actors' Roundtable (1080p, 26:19).

Masters of Sex: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Masters of Sex starts strong but begins to fade through season three. Maybe Sony was wise to cut the Blu-ray releases short, but kudos to Mill Creek for picking it up, anyway, even if it doesn't climax as well as it began. The studio's full-series Blu-ray box set presents a conundrum of sorts for would-be buyers. Sony's previous seasons one and two discs are superior, often vastly so, in terms of video reproduction. Mill Creek's set just cannot match the Sony for compression and total quality of presentation. On the other hand, it's the only way to own seasons three and four on the high definition format. Even owning both sets will result in many aghast fans making the switchover to Mill Creek for the final two seasons. The show will look fine on a smaller television and/or at a greater viewing distance. Perhaps watching on a secondary home theater in a bedroom would be the ideal way to enjoy the show. Anyone watching on a very large screen and at a relatively close distance will find it borderline unwatchable. The 5.1 lossless audio fares well enough and Mill Creek has included all of the Sony supplements, just spread out over the entire series run rather than thrown on the seasons one and two discs. Recommended only for fans who can enjoy the show while looking beyond the flawed video presentation.