by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
In David Duchovny’s new comedy on Showtime, his disillusioned writer character, Hank Moody, has fallen into a self-loathing hedonist lifestyle. Hank is drowning in sea of booze, cigarettes, and one night stands with a succession of loose women. He regrets breaking up with his ex-girlfriend Karen (Natasha McElhone) and tries hard to win her back. However, every time he sees her he has a naked girl in his room or shows up without his pants. Hank’s only redeeming quality is his love of his bright daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin) who worries about her dad.
Against the seedy backdrop of Los Angeles’ suburban sprawl, Hank tries to write but is severely blocked. His one best-selling book was made into a movie, which he now can’t stand. So, although Hank has plenty of money, he desperately wants to practice his craft, but his party life is too distracting. Karen is disgusted with Hank and is engaged to a more stable and mature man. She was happy with Hank when he was a struggling writer, but when he went over the deep end, she couldn’t cope with his frat-boy behavior.
Hank’s only friend is his agent, Charlie (Evan Handler), who is secretly jealous of Hanks’ free-wheeling lifestyle. However, he is patiently waiting for Hank to deliver his next best seller and get over himself. Meanwhile, Hank has turned cynical and uses his saber-like wit to put down women who ask him to psychoanalyze them. To exacerbate Hank’s downward spiral, women are attracted to his charm and the fact his book was turned into a blockbuster movie. Yes, women throw themselves at Hank, so what’s a red-blooded male to do but take them to bed?
The new series fittingly follows the new season of Weeds, with an abundance of bare breasts and simulated sex as Hank goes wild, but he would give it up if he could win back Karen. Well, that’s not going to happen unless he changes his ways, but Hank is addicted to meaningless sex with a parade of pretty young women.
In the pilot episode, Hank gets a visit from his daughter Becca, who is used to finding naked women in his bed and their skimpy underwear around the house. She loves her father and thinks his lifestyle is cool. But Hank is embarrassed when she finds the aftermath of one of his all night sex parties. Karen worries that Hank’s lifestyle will have a negative effect on Becca who is just going into puberty. When Becca sneaks out to go to a party, Hank and Karen panic and go looking for her. When they return, Hank tells Karen he wants her back. Ah, but it’s too late. Karen wants a mature man who will protect her and not cheat on her. She knows damn good and well that Hank can’t be faithful to one woman beyond one night.
For fans of Duchovny’s Moulder character on the X-Files, Hank will be a shock. However, the series is masterfully written with input from Duchovny who is Executive Producer. The snappy dialogue moves at a rapid pace with character-driven scenarios. Some viewers will wonder how so many bare bosoms and sex scenes could be packed into this thirty-minute show. But the underlying tone is disapproval of Hank’s lack of a moral compass.
Clearly, Hank’s endless partying is a lame cover-up for his writer’s block. At the end of the pilot episode he sits down to write and types one word, “f**ck!” Yes, it succinctly sums up his life after Karen left and he fell out of the literary scene into a pit of pleasure-seeking emptiness. But Hank’s fall from grace makes for some funny and entertaining scenes of debauchery with Hank’s witty commentary.
After watching Mary-Louise Parker’s trials and tribulations as a suburban pot dealer, Californication is the perfect follow-up romp for a Monday night. Weeds and Californication run on Showtime on Monday nights at 10:00 and 10:30 pm respectively.
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