In 1945, William Masters (Michael Sheen) shows Barton Scully (Beau Bridges) an experiment he is conducting with rabbits.
He then reveals to Scully that he wants to stop studying animal sexuality and move on to humans, claiming that everyone, including Bill himself, is clueless about sex.
Time transitions back to February 1957, where an engaged college student (Mae Whitman) is consulting Bill about contraception.
Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) eagerly tells Bill about the prostitutes from the brothel that have agreed to partake in their study.
Bill watches two of the men have sex, then comes to the conclusion that using "outliers" such as prostitutes and homosexuals will keep them from gathering accurate data.
Another flashback shows Scully telling Bill that he needs to go into obstetrics at a teaching hospital, along with a perfect image, which includes a wife and kids.
Unable to see her so distraught, Virginia finally tells her that Bill's low sperm count is the reason they haven't been able to conceive.
The episode included vintage condoms and a diaphragm sizing kit obtained by prop master Jeffrey Johnson.
[3] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix called "Standard Deviation" a strong episode, and cited Sheen's performance as a highlight.