Californication: Third Season [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Firstly i've given this four stars as its not quite as good as season one which got the full five (see adendum below). It is excellent and any fans of the previous series won't be disappointed. It does start as a little bit of a slow burner but the momentum continues to grow to an absolutely brilliant finale. There is however a slightly different tone compared to the previous series. Rather than the rather harrowing drink/drugs/writer's block back ground storyline this time is seems a bit more comedic. I wouldn't for one moment say it's no longer risque, its still very adult themed, but seems to have lost a little of its darker edge. I won't go into the storyline or back ground but needless to say the main cast of Hank, Karen, Becca and the Runkles are excellent and are backed up by a great guest / supporting cast with Kathleen Turner at the forefront. A no brainer purchase for followers of the show.
Added 27th November:
After just finishing rewatching this season I have amended my rating to five stars. The further veiwing has allowed me more time to discover the depth of the quite excellent dialogue and acting and become more submersed in the plotlines and detail of the show. The premise for the season can really be summed up in two parts, Hank's own perception of his morality along with the changing relationship he has with his daughter as she grows older. Moody's sincere belief in his own behavoir is difficult to argue but when sat side by side with modern society is somewhat at odds and through all the good times the imbalance must at sometime come to bare. In closing I would very much suggest a second viewing which will add so much more depth to the original watching experience. Simply brilliant.

More sex, drugs and middle-aged tribulations for Hank and co. Not so sleazy as Cal.2, given that Charlie has moved out of porn and back into being an agent. Hank the writer drifts yet further out of the scenario, replaced by Hank the hopeless creative writing teacher. Karen is now in NYC without him - all because Becca wanted to stay for her boyfriend in Cal.2 - so Hank's domestic situation is still shakey. Cue many flings, a trio of demanding lovers all connected to his new job, and plenty more mischief involving the Runkles, etc.

Given the title, Californication, it might have behoved the writers to dump Hank and crew in Cal.2 and create a whole new set of characters with love-life problems. It often happens that characters in US shows wave their rights to our sympathy by failing to learn from their mistakes. By not developing. Hank was supposed to be a mess because he had lost Karen to another man. Since Cal.1, he has remained a screw up, despite having her back, albeit temporarily.

To conclude, Californication 3 is more watchable than its predecessor, but neither season has matched the first year for plot development, humour or wisdom. Still, I'll never forget the episode where Hank wakes up with three strippers and has to hide them and soon every one else in his life in different rooms of the house as, one by one, everyone he knows rings the doorbell that morning. Farcical fun. And a superb supporting role for the now shockingly butch Kathleen Turner.

Californication follows the trials and tribulations of writer Hank Moody, played by David Duchovny. Hank drinks, does drugs, gets far more women than he should, alienates his friends, and somehow shambles on through life without managing to pick a direction. He should be a terrible character, but in fact he's a delight to watch, mostly because Duchovny produces a career-best performance most episodes.

In the first season, Hank had lost his long-term girlfriend Karen, was unable to write, and had a bad relationship with his teenage daughter Becca. His best friend and agent Charlie Runkle was too far into Hank's charismatic spell to pull him out of it. As this season opens, Karen has come back to him but then moved to New York, he is unable to write, and he is stuck raising Becca alone. Runkle is still his best friend, and is still unable to control him.

The main plotline amid the chaos is that Hank is offered a job as a college professor, which inevitably puts him in range of pretty students and man-eating staff. Amid this he is making a bad job of his long-distance relationship with Karen, and failing to control Becca. The season does a good job of broadening the cast, bringing in the other characters, but one of the main sub plots is the disastrous relationship between Runkle and his wife, which has been going on since season one, and is getting a bit tired. None of the ideas this season really live up to the expectations from seasons one and two, and one episode is by far the worst from any season. There's a lack of focus that makes this the worst of the three seasons.

The real triumph of this show is that Duchovny should probably have been stuck in a typecasting nightmare after playing Mulder, but you don't even think of that role when you see him in Californication. The series lives or dies on his character, and he is the real reason to watch this show.

Overall, this is still an enjoyable season of Californication, and it looks like season four may be a return to form, so it's well-worth carrying on watching.