Californication, Showtime, Airs Sundays 10pm E/P
Episode: “In a Lonely Place” (Season Two, Episode Seven)
Synopsis: Hank and Karen attend a parent-teacher conference at Becca’s high school. Hank hits it off with the English teacher, Mrs. Patterson, only to discover that this latest possible conquest is also the mother of Becca’s boyfriend Damien. Meanwhile, Charlie and Marcy take a frightened Daisy into their home. When Daisy’s former manager shows up for reparations, Marcy is forced to reveal that she’s spent their cash stash on cocaine, forcing Charlie to hand over the keys to his prized convertible.
Review: I’ve been saying it, and I’m going to keep saying it… this is one of the best shows on TV, and easily the best at flawlessly combining laughs and heart. We’ll start with the laughs. Hank’s back-and-forth with Ashby continues to entertain as the two of them play off each other beautifully. The duo has awesome timing and chemistry, and I’d almost like Hank and Karen to stay split just to accommodate the living arrangement at Ashby’s abode. As far as the music producer’s fleshy contortions with Mia, I’m fairly certain the affair is illegal in the state of California. She’s seventeen right? I’d think Karen would have a bigger issue with Mia’s fling with an older man.
And hello to Justine Bateman and her generous thicket! I’m a fan of the Bateman siblings, and it’s good to see this one talking dirty. Her banter with Hank before and after they shtup was great, but the highlight was easily Hank’s butt-ass naked reveal to her son… who turns out to be Becca’s boyfriend… who sees the menstrual blood on Hank’s nether regions and asks “Did you hurt her?!” Definitely a laugh out loud dialogue exchange. Bateman is also great when Hank has to promise her son that he’ll never fuck his mom again. Her disappointment is evident and hilarious. “Boys we don’t have to be so quick to… fine.”
The Charlie and Marcy saga continues to be the show’s slightly oddball segment. Aside from Charlie’s stroll through the Hustler store with Hank, he provided no laughs this week. Instead, we get the reveal that Marcy’s drug problem is bigger than Charlie thought, although it seemed pretty damned obvious. Sending her away opens the door for Charlie to stick more than a tip into Daisy’s sweet flower which would normally cause repercussions in a marriage, but I honestly don’t see how it could with these two. Aside from the absence of laughter, the other recent standard in Charlie’s storyline is a healthy dose of the unbelievable. The porno thugs that come busting into Charlie house… call the fucking cops! They’re trespassing, vandalizing, threatening, and physically assaulting (well restraining anyway) Marcy. On top of which, the scummy van dude fired her a few episodes ago when he kicked her out of the Slam Van didn’t he? I’d fight that sleazy contract before I’d give up my car.
As usual with Californication, the meaty heart of it all shows up towards the end. Becca’s given her fair share of speeches to both Hank and Karen in the past, but this week’s was easily the most powerful and true. “I’m sick and tired of parenting you both. I’m a fucking kid! I don’t know what I’m doing half the time.” Madeleine Martin’s usual cadence is disrupted as she chokes up, and much like almost everything about this show, it was perfectly played. Five episodes left, and just like last season, it’s the most consistently great show currently on TV.
Up Next Week: Hank spends the day at the home of Janie Jones trying to get the back story on her relationship with Lew Ashby. When Janie’s husband comes home early, Hank is forced to bide his time in the pool house with the Jones family maid, Rosario. When Karen learns that Mia is having an affair with Ashby, she races to his house to confront him but winds up having a tender heart-to-heart with the legendary producer instead. Meanwhile, Charlie sends Marcy to her mother’s house to detox and succumbs to temptation with Daisy.
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