Because I still have a lot of time on my hands, I decided to catch up on another one of the pay-TV shows that I don't get to see first run, since I do not have any of the pay channels. This show has been getting a lot of hype in various media circles, so I thought that it might be time. The first series that I did this with was the Sopranos, then Rome, then Sex And The City, and now, the Showtime series Californication.
Odd as this may seem, this is my first real exposure to David Duchovny. I never watched the X-Files, nor have I seen any of the X-Files films. From what I have read, this series is also loosely based on Duchovny's life as a sex addict. I have only watched the first season, and they are currently airing the third, so I have not quite seen half of the episodes.
David Duchovny stars as Hank Moody, a sex-addicted New York writer transplanted in Hollywood. Once upon a time Hank was in a relationship with Karen, played by Natascha McElhone. Hank and Karen never married, had one child together, split up, and now Karen is engaged to another man and Hank is trying to piece his life back together, after the split. He is a successful, published author, and his most recent work was actually the basis for a Hollywood film.
Hank's agent, Charlie, played by Evan Handler (Sex And The City) puts up with Hank's foibles because they are good friends, and because he knows that Hank is capable of producing brilliant work, and hopes to steer him back in that direction.
I find Duchovny's Hank character to be very likable, and I can actually relate to him on some levels. What's most fascinating for me, is that he's a walking contradiction in so many areas of his life. Despite the fact that he sleeps around with nameless women, he's strangely moral, and is really a one woman man. The exact circumstances of his breakup with Karen are still a bit of a mystery, but it's made clear that Karen cheated on him, not the other way around, as one might expect based on all of his sexual and self destructive proclivities. Hank also makes it very clear that he still loves Karen deeply, and wants nothing more than to get back together with her.
Karen however, seems to be moving on. She's become engaged to a successful businessman widower named Bill, who also has a sixteen year old daughter named Mia.
For all of Hank's faults, he is a good father, and Karen recognizes and appreciates this. While for obvious reasons, Hank doesn't like Karen's fiance, Bill, very much, he is often around Bill and Karen's house doing his shared-custody parental duties of dropping off and picked up his daughter. As you might imagine, this leads to a lot of tension and drama between all of the main players.
So far I have enjoyed the show very much but I do find it to be occasionally predictable, and I am having trouble overlooking something that I see as a giant plot hole. Toward the end of the season, an interesting plot-line develops around Hank having finally written a new novel. He wrote it on an old-fashioned typewriter (yeah, I know) while back in New York for his father's funeral, and only has the one copy. He ends up losing the manuscript, but is surprised one day when he learns that someone else is pitching it to his agent. I am finding it unlikely that anyone would believe that the person who is claiming to have written the manuscript, actually wrote it, and that the people nearest and dearest to Hank wouldn't have recognized it as his work, immediately.
Despite these minor criticisms I think the show is strong, and am looking forward to seeing the second season. Hopefully it will only get better.
Odd as this may seem, this is my first real exposure to David Duchovny. I never watched the X-Files, nor have I seen any of the X-Files films. From what I have read, this series is also loosely based on Duchovny's life as a sex addict. I have only watched the first season, and they are currently airing the third, so I have not quite seen half of the episodes.
David Duchovny stars as Hank Moody, a sex-addicted New York writer transplanted in Hollywood. Once upon a time Hank was in a relationship with Karen, played by Natascha McElhone. Hank and Karen never married, had one child together, split up, and now Karen is engaged to another man and Hank is trying to piece his life back together, after the split. He is a successful, published author, and his most recent work was actually the basis for a Hollywood film.
Hank's agent, Charlie, played by Evan Handler (Sex And The City) puts up with Hank's foibles because they are good friends, and because he knows that Hank is capable of producing brilliant work, and hopes to steer him back in that direction.
I find Duchovny's Hank character to be very likable, and I can actually relate to him on some levels. What's most fascinating for me, is that he's a walking contradiction in so many areas of his life. Despite the fact that he sleeps around with nameless women, he's strangely moral, and is really a one woman man. The exact circumstances of his breakup with Karen are still a bit of a mystery, but it's made clear that Karen cheated on him, not the other way around, as one might expect based on all of his sexual and self destructive proclivities. Hank also makes it very clear that he still loves Karen deeply, and wants nothing more than to get back together with her.
Karen however, seems to be moving on. She's become engaged to a successful businessman widower named Bill, who also has a sixteen year old daughter named Mia.
For all of Hank's faults, he is a good father, and Karen recognizes and appreciates this. While for obvious reasons, Hank doesn't like Karen's fiance, Bill, very much, he is often around Bill and Karen's house doing his shared-custody parental duties of dropping off and picked up his daughter. As you might imagine, this leads to a lot of tension and drama between all of the main players.
So far I have enjoyed the show very much but I do find it to be occasionally predictable, and I am having trouble overlooking something that I see as a giant plot hole. Toward the end of the season, an interesting plot-line develops around Hank having finally written a new novel. He wrote it on an old-fashioned typewriter (yeah, I know) while back in New York for his father's funeral, and only has the one copy. He ends up losing the manuscript, but is surprised one day when he learns that someone else is pitching it to his agent. I am finding it unlikely that anyone would believe that the person who is claiming to have written the manuscript, actually wrote it, and that the people nearest and dearest to Hank wouldn't have recognized it as his work, immediately.
Despite these minor criticisms I think the show is strong, and am looking forward to seeing the second season. Hopefully it will only get better.
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