Californication

Californcation's fourth season comes to a relatively calm end, and despite the lack of true drama here, I really thought the final scenes did a great job of showing Hank at a crossroads in his life and also how much his family really means to him.



Some may not agree with me when I say there was a lack of drama, because the best part of the episode, the mid-section where everyone that's been important in this season shows up for a celebratory dinner about Hank getting off with just probation and with his book being adapted into a movie. Rob Lowe continues to blow me away as Eddie Nero a.k.a fictional Hank Moody. His commentary throughout the entire dinner was absolutely hilarious and added much to the episode.



And when I say there wasn't much drama, I simply mean that nothing happens that we didn't see coming already from a mile away. Marcy finally admits that her kid is Charlie's, which was due to happen sooner or later, Hank ends up not seeing Sasha Bingham or his lawyer again, Karen and Ben end up staying together and Hank is left alone. If anything, compared to last year's finale, it could be seen as disappointing, but I thought the final moments (played over one of the most over-used songs in TV history: "You Can't Always Get What You Want.") added just the right amount of heart to make it all work for me.



So where does Season 5 go from here? It's clear that Hank is thinking more about his family than ever before (the fainting spell he suffers at the beginning shows how afraid he is of losing them), and I hope we see Hank somewhat growing up.. of course, if he were to completely grow up, we'd be at the end of the show.. so Tom Kapinos and co., please figure out a way to bring Hank to some kind of enlightenment. There's only so long a show like this can go on.

Hank finally gets his sentencing of three years probation from the judge so he now has to behave himself. Things come to a head at a dinner where all loose ends come together. To get this out of the way, Bridget's character is just crazy, it's like the writers had a conference of all the craziest stuff they could think of and have it come out of her mouth as her words, not that she's a bad character, it's more like she's a noticeable one dimensional experiment who only wants sex. The episode was well structured having the sentencing happen at the beginning and letting the aftermath really sink into Hank as he now has to live with a lot less of Becca and Karen in his life. I know Ben is that one girl's father but I'd like to see that relationship happen or whatever just to have more of a dynamic rather than just a written in way for him to be at their shows. Hank is left open ended as does the episode, the ball is now in his court with regards to his romantic future with his lawyer and whether he wants to be happy. All the characters' insight into his character about having a good heart and still being totally messed up is true. At least in the end in a well surrounded backdrop of "You can't always get what you want" he at least makes a step in the right direction of being involved in the movie and reconnecting with the past that he loves so dearly so that he can maybe overcome it and live in the present and be happy. Don't know what Season 5 has in store for us, but Season 4 was decent enough but I'm curious to see where the writers go with Hank and his family now that the big legal thing is in the rearview.