Californication

I gave up on Californication after watching The Devil's Threesome, the first season tenth episode. So I skipped its last two episodes and the whole second season. However when the third was greenlighted I thought, why not.



Hank Moody represents the man I don't want to be but David Duchovny's performance is good and the character can be funny at times even if he spends most of his screen time being a jerk. In fact it's really what repelled me because I can't believe such a pathetic loser can magnet so many attractive women. Of course they're only one night stands but as a man I can't help fantasizing about it. It leads us to Mia Lewis, the kinky and hot teen played by Madeline Zima. It's hard to admit but her first sex scene with Hank in the pilot really felt like tasting a bitter sweet candy. Because you can't forget a cowgirl's punch, it's both strong and soft. And the flashbacks at the beginning revealed she apparently decided to continue exploring her sexuality, in the most extreme fashions. Charlie also got his own load of wild things and even lost his job. But he's quite funny and the spanking sessions with his secretary were just priceless. In fact he's relatively shy and that's why his few scenes with his new charismatic boss, played by Kathleen Turner, were really the highlights of this episode. Her performance was great and deviously sexy. Watching her womanizing Charlie was nearly a modern retelling of the wolf and the sheep tale.



But underneath its addictive form and milky skin I can't really see anything interesting nor inspiring in Californication. The characters keep sinking and apparently the writers have decided to drawn them. I know it's basically the show concept but when I first read its synopsis I thought Hank would try his best to become a successful writer and make his family happy. In fact all these elements sort of mirror Weeds and in some way you could replace the protagonists. Nancy Botwin the cougar played by Mary-Louise Parker would become… Nancy Moody ? It would be both sad and funny to watch because it shows how much these shows are actually empty shells. It's really a waste of talent when you compare Californication to productions like Castle and Hung. When I first saw Natascha McElhone (The Truman Show) was playing Hank's wife I hoped that she would be able to turn the frog into a prince. But their relationship is so superficial that only a few seconds were dedicated to it and their last scene together wasn't authentic. I mean how can you love someone who cheats on you, lies all the time, doesn't respect anyone and can't even seriously lecture his own daughter ? Things were even worst during the female teacher invitation's scenes as Mr Moody showed everyone how much he was a selfish narcissistic sex addict. What he did to his peer, a writer, was also quite shocking and I just couldn't believe the teacher asked a few minutes with her husband to lecture him. He was so rude that the kindness of an other female guest was just unbelievable. And it's obvious what will happen between them in the upcoming episodes.



To sum things up I didn't enjoy this episode and was quite disappointed by the character backward development. Of course it was naive to think that they would get better but I don't see the point of watching the fictional life of such pathetic people. Reality is already hard to grasp and there's nothing essential to learn from them. The worst thing is that I can't really see anyone relating to them. I write but it doesn't make me a Moody. Some teenagers are more alienated than Becca but at least their emotions are real and in the world there're people eager to help so… But I'll definitely come back for the fourth season and I'm sure the next episode, The Land of Rape and Honey, is quite funny. Hank becoming a high school teacher is a nightmare coming true after all. Will we be able to resist or are we already doomed ?

I thought that this was a good start to the third season. It did a nice job of introducing the new characters. I really liked Peter Gallagher as the Dean of the university. This episode was fast paced and surely entertaining. There are two major flaws wtih this episode: 1) How the professor suddenly goes from 0 to 60 with his alcoholism. I know people can fall off the wagon, but this was a bit of an extreme. It led to funny moments, but it was very unrealistic how Hank was able to land the prof job based on an assumption that the old prof would become an alcoholic after one night of drinking. 2) Where in the world was Damian, the young lad dating Becca. I'm not a huge fan of the kid, but still, in the final episode of season two it was established very clearly that they only stayed in LA so Becca could be happy w/ Damian, who is no where to be found, and not accounted for whatsoever... Other than that, strong start.

Season 2 of Californication was mostly hit or miss, but one of the good things about this show is how in every episode there are a few genuine "lol" moments. Even the elite shows like 30 Rock and The Big Bang Theory do not produce the kind of scenes where you are on the floor laughing like Californication does, even if they have more laughs per minute.



This episode's lol scene featuring an author tucking his man parts to form a mangina and do the pee pee dance (I can't make this stuff up). Definitely one of the best drunk scenes of the last decade.



We also have Peter Gallagher on as a recurring character (Dean Coontz!) so that should be good as well.

The episode starts with Hank falling asleep in bed with some girl, which tells us he's not changed at all. Then when he catches Becca and her new girlfriend Chelsea smoking pot, he takes over and lights up on himself. Oh Hank, when are you ever gonna grow up?



What I find most interesting in this episode is the introduction of a new family, the Koons, including everyone's favorite dad from the O.C. Peter Gallagher, and the sexy mrs Koons, and their sweet-on-the-surface-but-definitely-teenage-delinquent daughter Chelsea. I love the first encounter between Hank and Stacy Koons, Stacy(is that even a man's name??) was biking on the road while Hank drives up behind in his dirky Porsche and try to pass by Stacy, who flips him off. Then Hank proceeds to drive by him and flick his cigarette butt at Stacy who falls over the sidewalk. Then Hank arrives at the Koons for dinner and in comes an angry Stacy. Quite a typical entrance for Hank in other words. Mrs Koons did not, however, seem offended and appear to take a liking to Hank, offering him a job as a teacher at the school the Koons work at. If those two do not end up tangled in bed together sometime in the future, I'd be surprised.



Charlie Runkle's got a less pleasant new character added into his story arc: his new boss Sue Collini (who according to herself: always gets the weenie), quite the ferocious amazon and totally coming on to Charlie, this new job he's got is looking bad already from the start. I'll bet Sue will jeopardize Charlie's getting together with Marcy.



Where did Becca's boyfriend go?? He was the reason why they stayed behind in LA and broke up the family! I also miss Mia. She's the only girl able to put Hank off his normal game, other than Karen.



The episode ends with a phone conversation between Hank and Karen, discussing the future of their relationship, and things were not all optimistic. All of a sudden I feel for these two, after all these years and all the things that's happened, they still can't get their family together. It's really very sad, and entirely due to Hank's outrageous childishness and irresponsibility. On the other hand, that's what makes him so attractive.