DJariya

By djariya at 2012-01-08

Synopsis:



Episode 6 of 12

lamphorn

I usually groan when Californication goes into "flashback episode" mode, but this one was really good.

Gunde

I thought it was boring as fuck and this Hank/Karen shit is so incredibly played out.

Patman

Too bad Meaghan's not gonna give up the Goods.

Dr. DVD

I liked the little flashback sequences and thought this ep. did a really good job with the drama. However, I too am a little over Hank and Karen and their on again/off again relationship. I was actually hoping that the whole flashback over the song was Hank letting it all go into the past, but Karen appearing at Hank's doorstep ended that thought.

lamphorn

Yeah, I get all that and there have been times I've been totally burned out on the Karen thing and felt Hank is better as a free man, anyway, so we can get more seduction exploits and nudity. But, I gotta say, last night the flashbacks worked for me because they seemed to be less about the specifics of his relationship with her and more about life changes, big moves, and career turns. As someone who moved to L.A. from a familiar city that felt like home (Chicago, in my case) to get in "the business" in the midst of an incredibly sad breakup, it kinda got to me. I liked how they tied that into this song he helped the singer chick write.. it was a nice differentiation from the previous flashback episodes that were just all flashback.

Now, about the end of the episode.. yeah, I'm groaning at the possibility of yet more angst over their relationship, but what the fuck, if this season so far has been any indication, I'm hopeful that they'll go in a new direction. Either Hank will get back with her and they will really focus on him being tied down (my least favorite path), or maybe, finally, Hank will reject Karen and feel that he's moved on, and of course that would wig her out to no end and we'll have a season of her pursuing HIM for a freaking change as he happily continues to sow his neverending wild oats or pursues a real relationship with the singer chick.

All just speculation on my part, but after being thoroughly awfully disappointed in the idiocy of last season, I'm really really liking this season and finding it pretty interesting.

(p.s. I would really like to see an interesting storyline for Runkle instead of just flabby-naked-guy-being-humiliated-ha-ha. I miss his relationship with Cokie Smurf and hope if they stay apart, at least they do something good with his character. Maybe he'll date a guy, or something. They've been hinting at his bisexuality for a while.)

MikahC

One of the my favorite episodes, and it didn't depend on nudity. It was fascinating seeing Hank before he started catting around, and how in love he was. It also was nice to see him deciding to go back to NY because after experiencing what he experienced in the producer's office, he thought LA wasn't for him. It's Karen who encouraged him to stay. That said, they also made sure to have Hank utter the words, "Places don't change people. We are who we are." While I agree with that statement, that's neither here nor there. If I were married to an alcoholic, it might be great if she suddenly didn't crave alcohol anymore, but failing that, it sure would be nice if she'd just avoid bars. The bar wouldn't make her an alcoholic, but it sure could exacerbate core behavior tendencies.

Despite what we saw in the episode, I'm not so sure this means Hank/Karen back together. I can just as easily see Hank finally acknowledging nothing new or better would come of it. And I'm apparently on an island of 1 here, but I never get tired of looking at Karen.

DJariya

I loved this episode.

I know some people here can't stand Hank and Karen, but I thought this was a very effective dramatic episode.

The flashbacks to when Hank and Karen were a couple in love before he got Californicated were very effective & poignant. I liked how he passed on the sexual advances of that Producer because of his loyalty to Karen.

I love the raunchy stuff and the sex, but I thought this was a good break from that.

creekdipper

Sorry...just think you're giving the creators waaaaay too much credit.

The pattern was laid out early and the plot has never varied. Hank screws up, Hank pines for Karen, Karen takes him back, Hank screws up, Hank pines, Karen takes him back, Hank screws up....

And so on. It's going to continue until they finally get back together "for good" (i.e., when at the series finale). To think otherwise is to be delusional.

IMO, the main characters (except Runkle, who always seems to have interesting input) are incredibly boring or unlikable (been a long time since we've seen a female lead portrayed as such an emotional doormat). I don't know what Karen needs...a shrink, some oxy, or a good butt-kicking, but that girl really makes women look like desperate creatures mired in dependency.

As for the other main characters: Becca...blah. Marcy & Hank...ingratiatingly juvenile (the funniest blurb I ever saw advertising the show said something about 'Finally...a program that shows adults acting like real adults" LOL. How many people Hank & Marcy's age go around repeatedly saying things like "Hells To the No"?) Hank's new chocolate dessert...another unlikable user.

On the other hand, the secondary characters make the show fun. Samurai Apocalypse is fabulous when he's not trying to kill people. Marcy's new husband is funny. Hank's psycho gf was funny. Richard is hilarious (although the mangina was overused, and it was predictable that he'd turn out to go off the rails to justify Karen's return to Hank).

The scene in which SamAp bashed the guy with the baton was supposed to be funny, but it not only revealed more of SamAp's violent streak but Hank's basic cowardice. If Hank had as much "integrity" as he thinks he has, he wouldn't have ridden back yukking it up after witnessing an unprovoked physical assault on an innocent person. Getting whacked with a baton can do serious damage. This was a slip-up on the writers' part...normally, the rule is that any beat-down has to be on somebody 'asking for it' (Tyler), thus allowing the audience to laugh at the situation without feeling guilty. In real life, SamAp would be regarded as a dangerous creep who ought to be behind bars & Hank & Charlie would be seen as enablers. If Hank really cared for the girl singer, he would be trying to protect her from what looks to be a future Bobby/Chris Brown situation. Instead, the scene gets forgotten & SamAp goes back to being a paranoid goof. In real life, the girl would probably end up like Phil Spector's female companion.

I do understand the niche that Kapanos has carved out for Hank & he obviously doesn't want to stray from a successful formula of the annoying, egotistical, scruffy, selfish jerk who has the world thrown at his feet (repeatedly), has every woman fawning over him at first sight despite his ultra-ordinary looks, and can offend the people he "loves" endlessly while still being able to "come home". And I understand that shows that DO have their characters evolve ("Hung", "Tara", etc.) or are riskier ("Bored To Death") tend to get canceled more often. Even Weeds has shown had its characters evolve to some extent. Shows like Californication seen like a lazy way for a writer to make a living, but it worked for Married With Children and other shallow shows, so it's hard to knock the formula approach. And it does appeal to viewers on some basic level, even if it doesn't challenge the intellect.

I do wish they'd fix Hank's hair. It looks like a bad wig (like the old toupees male actors wore back in the sixties shows). His 'modern' hairstyle looks better than the 'flashback' ones, though...that is some really bad hair).

Now, if Tyler ends up with Becca & turns out to be a good guy,or if Hank throws himself at a woman first and is rebuffed, I'll eat my words.

Edit: Predictable as it is, Cali- is still better than the schizophrenic, confused House of Lies. Can't believe that it got picked up for a second season based upon the first 5 episodes. At least Cali knows what it wants to be, which I don't think HOL has figured out.

Red Dog

Agreed....

....and agreed.

Geofferson

I too liked this episode quite a bit. Nice departure from the normal stuff (which gets tiresome at times).

lamphorn

No kidding! That's the major weakness of the show: Karen is boring as shit and there's no discernible reason why Hank is so hung up on her. If the woman had some edge, actually seemed smart and successful rather than just rich and pampered, or ever showed any kind of integrity, I could get it.

That's an interesting thing about the show. It's completely haywire but seems to have an underlying sweetness at how accepting these people are of each other. I mean, you have Hank and Runkle walk in on Runkle's ex getting eaten out. You would expect Runkle to be devastated at seeing this, but he just giggles. Then the new guy gets up and tries to hug Hank. There's something Satre/de Beuviour-esque about the way these people relate to each other that's kinda liberating and entertaining. Makes me wish I could have a better sense of humor about jealousy and shit.

Another thing I like is the fact that Hank's a writer with standards. I'm an aspiring writer, so it's exciting to see a character like that (even if we only see that part of him in small glimpses). And of course, it's a total fantasy because women don't typically throw themselves at writers, and writers are NOT as highly respected or considered sexy in Hollywood as it's depicted (though they are occasionally paid very well, so that part's true).


Yeah, good lord! I painfully got through 4 episodes of HOL and just... damn, it sucks. I love Don Cheadle, but I can't stick with that show any longer. As much as it slams the audience over the head with a sledgehammer of quirk and cleverness, it's boring as shit.

Dr. DVD

I like that aspect of the show as well. Karen and Becca, especially Becca, have come to know and expect Hank to bed just about every woman that crosses his path. While Karen is obviously hurting to some extent due to Hank's exploits, she is also more apt to roll her eyes and move on, unlike women in most other series who go all to pieces.

I will give this season credit for coming across as if its at least trying to move in another direction. The presence of SamAp alone is a change as I don't really recall the series having any African-Americans as major characters to this point. Furthermore, they have done a pretty good job of making it seem that while Hank has not changed, Karen has, which at least offers a better than average chance of the same'ol same'ol not happening again. In all honesty, if this show strays too far from formula it will fall into the same criticism that plagued latter seasons of Sopranos (i.e. too much story and not enough gangster action), so I understand the hesitance. However, no reason to not have the characters move forward and give a few winks to the old days as well.

Nausicaa

I think Weeds is the better comparison. A great example of a show that should have stuck close to its central conceit instead of becoming the aimless mess that it is.

I do agree with your overall point. It is the reason I keep watching this show I think. Although I do grow tired of the constant back and forth with Karen, it is really the only logical anchor there is for Hank. I'm glad they've kept the show pretty much the same for the whole run. Hank anywhere but LA, or with anyone but Runkle and Karen, just wouldn't work.

That said, I thought this episode sucked, and indulged way too much in what I don't like about the show - its occasionally sappy sentimentality. I also felt like the acting was terrible. Hank and Karen acted too much like they do in the present. I guess I don't remember exactly when they moved to LA, but if it was right before God Hates Us All, then that would make it probably about 7 or 8 years ago, at least. And Hank was using the term Baby Mama? I doubt it. I bet they planned for color but then realized they weren't selling it as a flashback, so made it black and white instead. Lame.

Anyway, it was interesting to see Hank's first experiences in LA with the producer, and getting a sense of what he got paid for God Hates Us All.