Californication: The Third Season

Still as strong as ever
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Season 3 was at least as strong as Season 2, if not stronger, which is quite a feat of writing.

Duchovny is masterful throughout, and his stunning chemistry with his screen muse Karen, is the cornerstone of what has been an unparalleled series.

Yep, it's strictly adult entertainment, and it needs to be seen as, to paraphrase the beautiful Embeth Davidtz, a mockumetary of the crazy, no-consequence LA life that it is portraying. The show, from the beginning, has been a parody of itself, but it works.

As we go into Season 4, Hank will be facing some major challenges, partly due to his poor, reactive handling of the Mia situation in the Season 3 finale.

Interesting times ahead.

PURCHASE = No Censorship
As a fan of the series up to this point I almost did not purchase this season via Video On Demand due to the negative reviews written here. Magically enough if you purchase the season or episodes you get the full pleasure of enjoying the series as it was meant to be viewed. It is not such a far stretch that Amazon would not allow a free viewing of a series with this sort of content without applying some sort of buffer to it...it was simply a courteous way to offer an insight into the direction of this season. If you like the show than purchase the season and it won't disappoint...if you are new to the show than start at season one...and in closing...don't complain about free.

3.5 Stars--Men behaving badly
What is one to make of the third season of Showtime's raunchfest about the misadventures of self-destructive author Hank Moody? Season three is full of the usual debauchery that has propelled the series, but at the same time it seems to be lacking the depth and heart that made the first two seasons so compelling. Don't get me wrong, this is still an enormously entertaining season, but it borders on farce as Hank juggles relationships with three women at the same time sans any signs of remorse and basically glides through season three without having to face any consequences for his actions--until a season finale that is essentially disconnected from the events leading up to it. It's all very complicated and frustrating and results in Californication's most uneven season to date. But there just may be a method to the madness.

Season three follows Hank as he takes a teaching job at a university which affords him plenty of opportunities to rail against the "establishment"...

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