Season four of Showtime’s raunchy hit series “Californication” kicks off as Hank Moody (David Duchovney) is released from a weekend in jail after taking a swing at a cop in last season’s finale.
For those who don’t follow the show, “Californication” centers around the life and times of quick-witted and cynical bestselling author Hank Moody, as he roams the City of Angels chasing the love of his life and mother of his daughter while fighting his own tendencies to ruin every good thing that befalls him. The season four premiere introduces us to two new female roles: Abby (Carla Cugino), Hanks strong-willed, curvy lawyer; and Sasha Bingham (Addison Timlin), a movie star with her sights set on playing the lead in a new movie based on Hank’s bestselling book, “F*cking and Punching.”
This is where it gets tricky. In season one Hank was in a bookstore reading his own novel, “God Hates Us All,” when a woman struck up a conversation, recognizing him from his picture on the book. One thing led to the next and Hank took Mia home. Trouble is, as he’d learn later visiting his soon-to-be-married ex-girlfriend Karen (Natascha McElhone), Mia was Karen’s soon-to-be 16 year-old stepdaughter. When Hank writes the manuscript for a new book, “F*cking and Punching,” Mia steals the only copy, shops it around to publishers as her own and takes full credit as it quickly tops the best selling charts.
It hasn’t been a smooth ride as of late for Hank’s best friend and manager, Charlie Runkle (Evan Handler), either. After getting caught repeatedly masturbating in the office, Runkle loses his job at his talent agency, becomes the agent for a young porn star named Daisy (with whom he later has an affair which consequently serves to destroy his marriage), and finances her movie while his wife Marcy (Pamela Adlon) gets treated in rehab for cocaine addiction.
This season’s premiere sets Hank and company up for what looks to be another great season. The world has learned that “F*cking and Punching” was in fact written by Hank Moody, and the book is being optioned as a movie with Hank signed on to write the screenplay. Concurrently, it comes out that Hank and Mia’s illegitimate indiscretion served as the basis for the book, and Hank suddenly finds himself facing statutory rape charges. Tension between Hank and lawyer Abby is sure to span the duration of the season with predictably dangerous results. As with prior seasons, the Hank-Karen relationship is sure to linger with us faithfully rooting for them despite the entertainment of whichever muse Hank happens to be onto in any given episode.
The series has found less success with Hank’s ability to bag as many broads as he can each week, which has been given heavy emphasis in the promotion of the series, than it has with its delicate treatment of Hank’s relationship with his daughter Becca, and the intelligent, sharp, and often hostile prose Moody boasts. With Charlie’s marriage all but disintegrated, season four promises hilarious coverage of his stated intent to make it to triple digits, a welcomed change from the repetitive and steady decline of his marriage in seasons two and three. Mia’s nagging recurring role will play less of a part this season, despite the looming trial. With last season’s significant improvement over the lackluster second season, hopefully season four can continue on this trend and return to the caliber set by first. “Californication” airs Sunday’s at 9 p.m. on Showtime.
Brian Canova can be reached at [email protected].
