Californication was not a force to be reckoned with. It didn't engage a kaleidoscope of demographics like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad. It caught the eye of a more select audience. One that, while laughing at gratuitous vulgarities of the show, also appreciated the more selective emotional moments of rock-bottom and total bliss.
I often saw Californication as Sex and the City for men, due to the occasional misogynistic nature of certain events that possibly alienated a few women—although many female characters in the show were at par with the male sexual aggressiveness. This writer is guilty of being gruesomely bored by the Sarah Jessica Parker chick-flick series, so my comparison remains valid until proven wrong. Nevertheless, Duchovny's series was not easily hypnotic to many, which makes it extremely underrated.
We saw two distinct parts to the show: seasons 1–4 told of Hank's constant battle with Mia, the underaged teenager he was tricked into bedding. This story was sandwiched between his reconciliation with his girlfriend and daughter, followed by the chaos of fathering a teenager and coping with the law, as Mia resurfaced and told the truth. Season 4 ended on a note of farewell as Hank returned to New York on his own. If the series had ended here, it would have been an epic modern tale.
Seasons 5–7 saw Hank returning to California for some extra shenanigans, although truth be told, it seemed like a forced story. It was 3 years later, and the vibe was completely different as Becca entered college and Karen seemed more distant. Season 6 only strengthened this tendency, as we entered rock 'n' roll cliché territory. Season 7, as a whole, was perhaps more coherent and less fantastic, but lacked some passion. However, it all made more sense than a lot of random things that had occurred in most episodes of season 6. There was some conflict of character as everyone seemed dumbed down from the first few seasons, but it was all right, although not at par with the show's history.
Karen made occasional appearances, and Becca was seen in only one episode of season 7. Hank discovered his long-lost son, Levon, and was a TV show writer. Things were odd for a bit as Hank was in a weird rut. Something did, however, become strangely nostalgic in this last episode.
Hank dreamed of a walk in Venice with Becca, as they had done so many times. Charlie and Marcy reconciled through dysfunction, as they always did. Hank chased Karen. Charlie and Marcy, due to financial difficulties, move to a smaller place—a certain apartment in Venice Beach, conveniently vacant. Although cheesy, it sparked a little nostalgia in me. It was a good ode to the classics.
What's great is that the new storyline wrapped nicely. Hank helped Levon score a date and set up a blind date for Julia and Rath. Moody followed Karen onto a plane heading toward New York and read her a letter; somehow it seemed to work. A montage overlaid with a remix of Elton John's "Rocketman" played back a perfectly happy ending with a few flashbacks of family happiness. There is still the never-ending uncertainty as to what will actually happen to Hank and Karen, but given that the final dolly shot lowered onto the abandoned black Porsche, overseen by a California sunset, it seems likely their future is in New York.
The silver lining? David Duchovny will star in an NBC series entitled Aquarius, where he plays a police sergeant investigating a certain Charles Manson in the '60s. Duchovny playing an agent? That sounds familiar… Will the new show live up to expectations? Comment!
0 comments: