THIS POST CONTAINS SNIPS OF NIPS, SPOILAGE AND FOUL LANGUAGE, CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED.
So earlier this fall I declared Californication the absolute best new series released this year and now that the short 12 episode first season is over and to quote Hank Moody, is it a piece of junk or a heartbreaking work of staggering genius?
I’ve been a Duchovny fan since he was a sunflower seed cracking-and-popping porn addicted paranormal investigating FBI agent in the X-Files. The man seems to do no wrong and Californication is further proof.
Hank Moody is the guy everyone wants to be. A sex addicted, booze swilling, coke sniffing degenerate. Wait, those are bad right? Yes they are, but at the core he’s a great person, he’s just broken. And that’s the whole point of the story, its Hank getting back on the horse. He’s still in love with his ex-wife, would do anything for his daughter, and does the right thing even when it gets him in trouble.
But what makes me want to be him his that despite all that happens in his deeply troubled life he’s free. He has more freedom than most of us will ever enjoy because he doesn’t let convention, pretense and contrivances get in the way of living life. And this is what I admire most. Plus I’ve never seen anyone get into so many fist fights and never do time.
I remember reading earlier reviews of this and comparing it to Dream On, an adult comedy about a book editor that was on in the late eighties. Well these reviewers obviously haven’t seen Californication or are socially constipated when confronted with series dealing with sex and adult situations to compare it to such a fluffy adult comedy as Dream On.
The first episode did have plenty of sex and nudity, but it was only serving to set how off the wagon Hank had gotten and the sex scene with the fucking and punching with the 16 year old daughter of his boss and soon to be husband of his ex-wife was enormously important for the rest of the season and catalyst for the whole storyline that would unwind and reach its apex in the final episodes.
The show also makes a statement about the human condition. We all walk around acting normal, like his editor, Charlie Rumkle. Everyone’s acting all smoothe and under control, but deep down we’re all little freaks. Charlie likes to spank his assistant at work. His wife likes to muff dive Charlie’s assistant at home. And if the boxing girl coming like a lawn sprinkler all over Charlie’s face just as his ex and Hank’s ex walk in on the threesome doesn’t crack you up and leave you rolling on the floor, you really need to get a life and unwind. It’s a comedic tour-de-force because it laughs at the funny ridiculous monkeys we are but desperately try to hide from everyone else.
So this week was the end, well the end of season one anyway. The end was a happy one. I think it was written before they got the green light for season 2 and decided to end the season on a happy note instead of a disaster which I was kind of looking forward to. Because I usually, I love to see my heroes suffer deeply.
It began, like the first episode, with a sweat inducing dream sequence but not that kind of sweat. It was pure Hank Moody, who should be an iconic character in my opinion, where everyone turns to him during the wedding ceremony when the reverend asks if anyone objects to them the couple being married and he ends up falling off a cliff. It’s all very hilarious.
Becca, his daughter, get her first period, making for an odd and awkward fight scene at a store between him and a couple that ends in both men back-slapping each other with congratulations. Mia gets completely drunk at the wedding and gets slammed by Charlie and also tries to protest when the reverend asks if anyone objects and of course, strangely enough, it’s Hank who saves the day. Yes Hank’s the man who ends up doing the right thing and gets punched in the face for it, despite being superbly flawed and broken, what’s not to like here?
A lot of mushy things happen during the party which leads to Hank driving away with Becca and Karen, in her wedding dress, in the back seat of his beat-up Porsche – a perfect ending for a one season series.
I wonder who the writers will fuck it up for Hank for season 2. Happy Hank isn’t all that interesting. But despite it all Californication Season 1 a heartbreaking work of staggering genius gets a 5 casbahs outta 5.
Previously Californicated:
Looks interesting, specially with Duchovny, who I’ve been a fan of since as long as you are!
But I haven’t seen an add or something for this one, does it play on regular cable?
It plays on The Movie Network. Nows the time to catch it if they replay it because its gonna start from episode one. I added a promo on top so you can get the idea
I wanted to check out a few reviews of the show and stumbled across your site. I couldnt even finish your review, I find it hard to read when you get so many things wrong, not to mention your lack of writing the english language correctly. Rumpkel is his agent not editor. The mother of his daughter is not his ex-wife. He never married her. You either do not thoroughly watch the show or you are just plain clown shoes.
Oh I’m hurt! Boo-fucking-hoo. This is what I mean by asshole fanboy behaviour. Lifeless nit-pickers
This show is off the hook. I am usually an entourage maniac and i have been depressed ,but this show was so fcukin cool.
Yo dave id keep doing your work man. Fuck that fan boy he obviously needs some ass.
go to xtvi and download the whole lot and then watch and re watch the brilliance that is this show…..I do.
Bring on season 2,3,4,5, you get the idea, i’m hooked
This show is off the hook!!!!
David Duchovny is the MAN, an the show is entertaining and hilarious
the very best ever.
if you’re a sentient grown man who’s done the ‘work’ and genuinely digs wimmin- then you know HM in your soul.
i’ll pay for HBO just to watch this shit. true MUST SEE tv.
Ok, there were a few minor flaws in the review, but all in all, it was a reasonable summary of the show and the characters. (By the way Nitpicker, its “English” not english.)
It will be hard to top this first, wonderfully over-the-top season. Hank seems to get himself together enough so that he wins back Karen, his long-time girlfriend and mother of his daughter Becca, and as the reviewer pointed out, a flawed Hank is much more interesting than a Hank that has his act together.
There is still the LA vs. New York problem and Hank’s struggle to come to grips with what he calls “the mighty erection that is the film industry” and its dehumanizing impact on people that get in bed with Hollywood. There is also the saga of a teenage daughter that is just starting to awaken to her own sexuality.
Hank and Karen also have a few more details to work out as well. Just because Karen does not want to be married to Bill does not mean she is willing to completely forgive Hank’s various previous transgressions. Lastly, there is always the possibility that Mia will let the cat out of the bag about her one night stand with Hank and this could unleash all kinds of legal and personal problems for him.
There is wonderful chemistry in this series between all the major characters. Sure they are all flawed, but that’s just amplified reality. Young Becca is the only one that seems to have her act together most of the time.
I can’t wait to for the next season. I have enjoyed Dexter and Weeds along with Boston Legal over the last few years, but Californication is on a whole higher plane of entertainment and social commentary.
Um, not to nitpick, but the Nitpicker who pointed out the matter of Charlie being an agent not an editor, was even further away from the character’s name than the reviewer was. The character is Charlie Runkle. The reviewer misstyped and hit the M instead of the N to get Rumkle, but the idiot nitpicker wrote Rumpkel — – now dumbass, how annoying is it that someone points out some insignificant foolish little mistake you made even though it did not in any way detract from the validity (or lack thereof) of your arguments.
That Shit’s Fucked Up.
nitpicking aside, i enjoyed the review. But what hasn’t been mentioned is that does no one think the very last scene was a hank dream? The way it freeze-frames at the end makes me think that series two will end up with Hank waking up with a massive hangover, and Karen married to Bill…
But whichever way it goes, I can’t wait…
This show is genius… I have watched it since the beginning. I got here because I googled “Shit’s Fucked Up” and I got here. Was that Warren Zevon singing the song or a re-make? Either way, hope Hank’s “shit” aint fucked up… have to wait and see.
Oh, and to Templefoot, yeah, I kept thinking through the entire show, “How are Hank and Karen together?” it was very dejavous.
I had a day off work, and noticed I could download the whole series from my cable company.
WOW, I am not that big on most tv, just sports and the news moreless.
BUT I love this show. Other than the episode with his dad, each show kicks ass
Fucking and Punching FTW!
Yeah its addictive and brilliant.
I wish they could turn it into a pornographic movie with full blown show everything European style hardcore. Then it would be worthwhile watching. All this pscyho-babble shit is so dull. I just want the girls show us their full talents.