Re: Californication She's Susan Sarandon's daughter actually. I'm so on-the-fence about this show. On one hand it's fun, light and distracting, on the other hand it's freaking stupid and unrealistic. I'd totally be Hank Moody if I could though.
Re: Californication Yea, I was pretty impressed that we got to see the student's tits. And I agree with Chater, the end of the episode was awesome.
Re: Californication I'm pretty unhappy with where the show has gone now. The show is really going nowhere and only seems to be a vehicle for showing off tits and getting some pity laughs from Runkle. This has pretty much always been the case but at least the first two seasons were framed around Hank getting back together with his ex and sort of becoming a decent person. Not it has just devolved into an amoral, masturbatory mess. Eva Amurri does have some amazing tits though.
Re: Californication Two things: It pisses me off that the entire premise of this season was that Hank was staying in LA with Becca so she could be with her boyfriend. The boyfriend that has not been mentioned once this season. Also, Runkle's boss is one of the most repulsive women i've ever seen.
Re: Californication That's Kathleen Turner. Doesn't it floor you that she used to be a leading lady? She used to look like this:
Re: Californication Kathleen Turner, go rent "Body Heat" or "The Man with Two Brains" to see how awsome she used to look. I know they are not trying to flatter her looks in the show, but I could not believe she would look that used up.
Re: Californication One of the things that really got me interested in this show was the whole Hank being a WRITER kind of thing. Not just a debauching alcoholic (though that is fun too). I dig that he's a professor now, and wish it would start showing a lot more of Hank writing or imparting writing wisdom on talented students, a la Wonder Boys. I feel like Showtime is taking that whole "sex sells" mantra, and applying it completely, forgetting the whole "actually telling a story" part. But hey, I like to write, so maybe I'm the minority here. On another note, I saw the movie The Education of Charlie Banks like a year ago, and I just now realized that the sexy little stripper from Californication was Charlie's love interest in that. I had no idea she was hiding those cannon's under there back then, and the rest of her wasn't remotely as attractive either. Nice to see she's grown up a bit.
Re: Californication The problem is not so much that they're not showing him as a writer, but that there's no overarching plot. The first season was perfect, tightly written with a clear direction. This season (and to a lesser extent the second season) lack such a clear direction. I mean right now, the main conflict is Hank juggling three women. Funny, but less interesting than Hank desperately trying to win back the love of his life while avoiding a statutory rape charge. I'm still a huge fan, and watch it every Sunday. But I think it's clear that whoever came up with the show had a great idea for the first season, not so much for the second and third, and now is relying on an excellent character portrayed by an excellent actor. (If only every show could rely on that.)
Re: Californication Just a reminder to everybody: As somebody pointed out on the old board, new episodes air on the West Coast several days in advance of the East Coast (or perhaps vice versa) so try to avoid any unintentional spoilers (dickheaded, intentional spoilers OK.)
Re: Californication First of all let me 4th, 5th, and 6th how great those tits are. Just wow. Secondly I started watching this show through Netflix so I was about a year behind and watched the entire first season in a day, literally. A story about a bad-boy writer who had his masterpiece completely ripped apart and rearranged by Hollywood into some horrible date movie was a great subject and the first season delivered on all fronts (laughs, tits/chicks, real emotion, interesting story/characters, etc). Season two didn't start off strong but the introduction of Ashby led me believe that Hank would get back to his dark writing roots while at the same time using Ashby's lost love problem to help him reconnect with Karen. The season became too much about Hank whoring around and playing almost a lesser version of himself. I would have greatly preferred to see him get back at Mia in some form and seriously fuck up his relationship with Karen than the watered down "everything turned out ok" ending the season gave us. (There were some fantastic lines and episodes in season 2 though) Season three is just... blah (albeit with great tits) Some funny lines and Duchovny is really having fun playing the character but I'm getting tired of the always boozing, three women in one day, every day, Hank Moody nonsense. I hope they salvage the season and have him start writing again. Maybe make the love interests related to something he's working on, where they all think the book is about them. Hoping Showtime doesn't turn Californication into what HBO turned Entourage into.
Re: Californication Let me second the opinion that this season lacks any kind of primary story arc. They hint at it being the long-distance relationship with Karen, or Becca's introduction to adolescence, but those seem secondary to the "conflict" that he has 3 hot women lusting over him. Also, they're making Charlie out to be just too much of a boob. The whole mid-rape-coitus interruptus thing followed by his own weak attempt was probably more embarrassing for me to watch as a viewer, than it would have been to experience by somebody actually in his position. You want a lovable loser on the show? That's fine, but actually give me a reason to like him. Just because he has a shitty life and things aren't going his way doesn't mean I should be cheering for him. I need more than that. Kathleen Turner is just too ridiculous for words. Her uber-libidinal monologues are needless time-filler. I assume they're supposed to be funny. Yeah, she's an unattractive woman who kind of reminds me of a yak with a voice deeper than a WWI vet who's smoked Luckies his whole life, but she has the sex drive of a rabbit on meth. It just doesn't make me laugh or feel entertained. Becca. You can't have 2 seasons of a show where she is the most stable and rational character only to throw that away now and say "Hey! She's turning into a woman and is a spoiled brat now!" Also, I think lots of humor from the first season was generated between the interaction between Hank and Bill (Karen's boyfriend/fiance). Hank had one person on which to fix the target of all his witty barbs, and we felt he kind of had good reason to do so. Now he's just an asshole for the sake of being an asshole.
Re: Californication I disagree with this part, ridiculous or not, I find her utterly fucking hilarious. Her line to Charlie about him eating her pussy so good his momma made it had me rolling. It's even funnier because she is so hideous. Speaking of what the hell happened to her, she was Jessica Rabbit for fucks sake?
Re: Californication I can remember watching Romancing the Stone,, and she was smokin hot. Now she's the cure for priapism. Boner gondage.
Episode 5 was the worst episode I can remember. A useless friend from the past that isn't funny and doesn't add anything of value to the story line... meh. I'm surprised Hank would continue to "date" Jackie after she put herself back in his class. I get the feeling she's going to completely fuck him over and possibly blackmail him before the season is over. Her whole speech about doing whatever it takes to get ahead and save her mom had be done for a reason.
I'm pretty much done with the show unless it changes significantly in the next couple episodes. The last ep was just terrible,there was no point at all to it much like the rest of the season. Hank's feelings about Karen are just completely unbelievable now, the writers have turned him into a self-absorbed sex fiend with no redeeming qualities; at least in the earlier seasons you could almost believe that he really wanted Karen and their family back together. The show has just devolved into a vehicle for tits, and dick jokes.
And what is so wrong with this? For me, Californication is 25 minutes for me to zone out, enjoy and laugh. Even better if it has a good storyline, or one that is going somewhere, but it doesn't really matter. The acting is good enough, characters are interesting (although at times fairly predictable), and the girls are hot. I appreciate it for what it is. Although the Ashby storyline was good and gave the show direction, I think most still tune in for the great tits, and to have a glimpse at what we dream parts our lives were more like, as unrealistic as it may be. As for this last episode, I loved the scene when that midget stripper thing walked through the kitchen, and picked up the half drank beer bottle with both hands and chugged away.
I think you guys are being a little tough on the show. It's not supposed to be Lost, just a funny half hour where you can finish up your Sunday. You're honestly not curious how Hank deals with three women (who all think they're special) plus Karen, who actually is special? I know I am. And I find Kathleen Turner absolutely hilarious. She also must be the award winner for largest absolute decrease in hotness. I mean: to Ouch.
If you dig it, that's fine. Personally, I enjoy a show for more than escapism. If I just want to see some T&A then I'll watch porn.