Californication

It's been a really long time since a new episode of Californication, so maybe that's why I felt a little strange about this episode. Sure, David Duchovny was hilarious as usual, him and Evan Handler had their great back-and-forth, the type that seems so natural to them, and there was the usual amount of raunchiness... now that I say this, perhaps I just have to get back into the Californication mood.



Someone mentioned that there was too much drama, and while I agree the drama was pretty heavy in this episode, I like that the show is able to jump in and out of comedy and drama without letting one dominate the show. There have been times in the past that the writers focus too much on broad humor that drags down the heart of the show. Hank Moody is a sleazeball, there's no doubt about that, but he loves Karen and he loves his daughter. I like it when we see moments that remind us of this.



And there were, of course, the great laughs and the raunchy sex the show has been lauded (and by some, criticized) for. The new cast begins rolling in right away, starting off with his lawyer (how much money do you want to bet he sleeps with her before the end of the season) and an actress who is to play Mia in the movie they're making on "F**king and Punching. I'm intrigued by this plot, mostly because I cared so little for last year's plots. Hopefully the show can handle it well and create an interesting story to rival the first two seasons. So far, it's off to a good start. Not an incredible one, but definitely good.

Fresh out of jail Charlie tells Hank that he cannot go home on Karin's orders and takes him to meeting where a movie star, Sasha Bingham, is interested in Mia's role in the film version of F & P but wants the screenplay reworked and for Hank to do it. Runkle negotiates to get his job back at his agency from Season 1 if he can convince Hank to do the script. Hank then visits his lawyer and processes his upcoming arraignment and meets Sasha at her place to go over details of the script and end up having sex and trying a little punching. Late for his arraignment Hank learns some good news and some shockingly awful news. Very good pickup of last season's finale as Hank finally has to face the consequences for what he day way back in Season 1 and this could change everything for him.

I have waited over a year for new episodes of Californication. The first thing I noticed is that it is almost like the show hit the reset button and is trying to go back to Season 1: Hank is trying to repair relationships with his wife and daughter and is dealing with the book he wrote based on the night of debauchery with an underage girl.



I like the reset, but the one thing that was better about the later seasons of this show was that they went for laughs more often. Here it seemed a little too hung up on the drama. Perhaps we could write that off as just the season premiere, but wouldn't you want the first episode back to be really hilarious so the show has some buzz around it?



Addison Timlin is the female star of the movie adaptation of Hank's book, so naturally he has to sleep with her. They picked a really attractive actress here who is not afraid of nudity, but I have to wonder if this is the right storyline for the show right now.



I liked the episode, but I expected a bit more here. Still, I'm glad the show is back, and you should be as well.