Featured TV on DVD Review: Californication: Season Seven

August 2, 2014

Californication: Season Seven - Buy from Amazon

The last time I reviewed Californication was back in season three. By then I had grown to hate the main character, Hank Moody, so I skipped the other seasons as they arrived. This week the final season hits the home market, so I figured I would try the show one last time. Did it improve in the following years? Or should readers expect to see the DVD on an upcoming contest?

The Show

This was a mistake. I couldn't even get halfway through the first episode before I had to pause and walk away.

First a recap. The series focuses on Hank Moody, a "writer" who spends more of his time drinking, doing drugs, and generally being a complete asshole. I'm 90% sure the creators of the show wanted him to come across as a likable bad boy, but he's not. He's not even close. He lacks the wit and charisma to be a likable person. Throughout the series, Karen Van Der Beek as been his past, current, and future girlfriend and together they have a kid, Rebecca "Becca" Moody, who is literally the only mature character in the entire show. The other two main characters are Charlie Runkle, Hank's agent and the only person who will put up with him constantly, and Marcy Runkle, Charlie's on again off again wife. She is also my favorite character in the TV series. She's not as mature as Becca Moody, but she's given more funny lines and this show really, really needs the humor.

At the end of the sixth season, Hank Moody returns home to propose to Karen, except she's not home. He finds her at a local restaurant... on a date. He spends what feels like five years trying to be witty while insulting the man and failing at both. This is the point where I had to pause the show and walk away for a bit. The scene is painful to watch. After this scene, Hank drinks with Charlie and tells Charlie he needs a job to look mature enough to win back Karen. However, Hank is such an ass, that he is virtually blacklisted because no one in publishing, movies, or theater will work with him. That leaves TV. ... As if the people who work in TV don't talk to the people who work in movies, theater, or publishing. He does get hired by Rick Rath to write for a TV show, Santa Monica Cop.

The other main plot thread involves Levon, whom we meet in the first episode. He may or may not be Hank's son.

Is this season better than the past seasons? Hell no. In fact, it is worse than I remember the show. ... At least the episodes I saw were much worse. I couldn't get through the whole season. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't review a season I haven't fully seen, but I just can't do it. Nothing about this show works. The situations are repetitive. Almost none of the humor hits its mark, as there is a complete lack of wit. The show is nowhere near as smart as the writers clearly think it is. Most of the characters continue to do stupid and infuriating things. If Hank Moody were my best friend, I would have stopped talking to him years ago. Hell, if Hank Moody were my only friend, I would have chosen loneliness over speaking with him years ago. Worse still, the only mature character in the show, Becca, is barely in this season and her time is given to Levon, who is mostly annoying. There are some father / son moments that might have worked, had the rest of the show not been such a chore to watch.

The Extras

There are no real extras on the two-disc set. There are episodes to unrelated shows, but those are ads and not extras.

The Verdict

Californication: Season Seven will be given away as part of a Frankenprize A.S.A.P. It wasn't worth watching for free and I don't want it in my house.


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Filed under: Video Review, David Duchovny, Evan Handler, Michael Imperioli, Natascha McElhone, Oliver Cooper, Madeleine Martin, Pamela Adlon