Writers: Tom Kapinos & Eric Weinberg
Director: Ken Whittingham
Cast: David Duchovny (Hank Moody), Natascha McElhone (Karen Van Der Beek), Madeleine Martin (Rebecca), Madeline Zima (Mia), Evan Handler (Charlie), Damian Young (William "Bill" Cross), Pamela Adlon (Marcy), Lance Barber (Mia's Teacher), Rachel Miner (Dani), Michelle Lombardo (Venice Beach Girl), Daisy Gardner (Crusty Cashier), Dana Michael Woods (Emcee), Robert Gilling (Band Member #1), Jory Glick (Band Member #2), Shira Kreitenberg (Band Member #3) & Myles Trifon (Band Member #4)
Director: Ken Whittingham
Cast: David Duchovny (Hank Moody), Natascha McElhone (Karen Van Der Beek), Madeleine Martin (Rebecca), Madeline Zima (Mia), Evan Handler (Charlie), Damian Young (William "Bill" Cross), Pamela Adlon (Marcy), Lance Barber (Mia's Teacher), Rachel Miner (Dani), Michelle Lombardo (Venice Beach Girl), Daisy Gardner (Crusty Cashier), Dana Michael Woods (Emcee), Robert Gilling (Band Member #1), Jory Glick (Band Member #2), Shira Kreitenberg (Band Member #3) & Myles Trifon (Band Member #4)
Hank is robbed by a one-night stand, goes to see his daughter perform in a Battle Of The Bands concert, before having to come to Mia's aide...Karen: What would you do if our little spawn actually became, like, a rock star?
Hank: I would be really proud of her.
Karen: You would?
Hank: And I would be there to help pump her stomach when she OD'd.
It's the half-way mark of Californication's first season, and the show has done an incredible job of crafting a memorable new TV character in the shape of Hank Moody (David Duchovny), and it's one of the easiest shows to watch in a marketplace stuffed with complex mythologies, labyrinthine plotting and huge ensembles. But, I've yet to see an episode be anything more than an enjoyable diversion.
Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fonder is another series of events for Hank, who we find swigging from a bottle whilst doing some late-night shopping in his shades. As luck would have it, a Venice Beach Girl (Michelle Lombardo) is sniffing around him, and becomes a damsel-in-distress for Hank to bed when he pays for her purchases. Unfortunately, the Girl turns out to be an opportunist thief who steals Hank's guitar and vintage LPs while he sleeps, although Hank seems robust to whatever life throws at him. Hey, the sex was probably worth the vinyl...
From there, Hank is again granted plenty of opportunities to make a play for his ex-wife Karen (Natascha McElhone), who might be weeks away from marrying someone else, but seems to be always willing to spending more time with Hank than fiance Bill...
The proud parents attend their daughter Becca's "Battle Of The Bands" concert at school, where she surprisingly rocks the place, but Hank is called away by Mia (Madeline Zima) -- the underage daughter of his ex-wife's fiance, who he's secretly slept with...
Mia's a sexy little control freak, who enjoys winding Hank up, and here concocts a story that she's about to be forced into a threesome against her will -- when in fact she's perfectly safe in the home of her junkie school teacher (Lance Barber).
Elsewhere, Hank's agent Charlie (Evan Handler) is still unable to stop getting his sexual kicks from playing "master" to his secretary's "slave", relishing making Dani (Rachel Miner) crawl around the floor on a whim. His wife, Marcy (Pamela Adlon), is still unsuspecting of her husband's antics, and his attempt to get her similarly interested in bondage and spanking fails miserably...
As always, it's all naughty fun and the writing is deft and witty, with the show held together by Duchovny's revelatory performance and fine support from the rest of the cast. The problem is, after 6 episodes, Californication hasn't really done much. I can predict where everything is headed, and while the episodes themselves are amusing and entertaining, the overall direction is a little plodding and not exactly compelling.
The show seems unable to provide the same level of writing quality that's been bestowed on Hank Moody's character. He's a great creation, but I wish he was being given something exciting and multi-faceted to do -- instead of variations on shagging every attractive woman who throws him a glance, flirting with his ex, tensing up around Mia and spitting venom at Bill.
There are another 6 episodes left to go, so I hope Californication will get out of its holding pattern and begin to fly into new directions, before the narrative's repetition becomes something even Duchovny's charisma can't counter.
15 November 2007
Five, 10.00 pm
