Californication: The Whore of Babylon
By fred | August 30, 2007
(S01E03) Well, now that the excitement for that show is starting to fade away, and the show finding its “marks” and getting into his final shape… it’s not so so great anymore. The problem I think is that the show might think it’s better than it really is, they have a (way) too high value of their own doings.
As I’ve said before, I never felt the show was that good as a concept, it wasn’t neither new or very exciting, but no one cared because the show’s appeal was into witnessing Hank go through his messed-up life, laughing along the way.
Unfortunately, as soon as they start repeating too much themselves, or stop being that funny, there’s nothing left. And that’s already what’s going on, that soon.
Duchovny’s performance is still great, but the material he’s given took a hard punch down. While I liked the opening scene, him fighting the director of the movie adapted from his book, a guy and a movie that he constantly insults as soon as he got a chance for it, the scene with him and his manager was horrible. Mainly because it wasn’t funny, and we already had such a scene on previous episodes.
I fear there might be one each time, sadly.
Hank is highly self-centered, has a high consideration for his own little self, despite being depressed about his life and claiming low self-esteem on occasion, and may be a good portray of people in Hollywood. It also makes him somewhat two dimensional, and (potentially) boring.
It used to be funny, but the so-called “joke” when Hank thought the 16 years old daughter of his ex’ fiancé was late, while she was only late for school, was not the least funny. Far from it. And many others fall into that same category.
This whole plot actually seems to be drowning, he’s dreaming of her punching him in the face as they’re having sex, she keeps showing up all in love or like, it’s a mix of cliché and boring.
Sure Californication and Entourage have a very different tone, and aren’t dealing with the exact same kind of people. But while watching Harry Gold treating people like shit is absolutely hilarious and the greatest thing to witness, you just want more, I don’t want nothing to do with Hank’s manager jerking off to his suicidegirl of a secretary. Not even close.
The main problem this show seems to be facing with is this : they can’t have Hank evolve too much, too fast. They don’t want to, because his current situation is what makes the show. It has to stay like that for a while, or the show would have to be reinvented completely. So there isn’t much development, and the formula is shaping up, with the girl he fucks and his little voice-over for his latest blog post, relating somewhat to whatever happened this episode.
The only way to make this works, interesting for us to watch, is to keep things moving and happening. They need to shake things up, have stories that evolves, actions with consequences, deeper characters, and, well, stop loving themselves so much and be actually funny again.
Hank dreams of a lovely (too) young girl punching him in the face, and that’s actually what Californication needs, a punch in the face to shake things up and get back on track.
Posted in Reviews
Shows: Californication
