We’re seven episodes into the sixth season of Californication and at last I feel as though I can breath a sigh of relief. Finally, Californication has got its groove back after the painful-to-watch fifth season.
Although the endless Hank-Karen melodrama is still there, it has taken a back seat to a light-hearted story. Becca is partying like a rock star, Hank is back to “reluctantly” sleeping with every girl he meets, Charlie is no longer a caricature and the guest stars are finally bringing back the spirit of Lew Ashby. Remember that guy? I miss him.
In “The Dope Show,” Hank and Karen took Becca to meet Atticus. It was their hope that seeing Atticus’ mush-brain in action would scare Becca back to the straight and narrow. When Hank introduced Becca, Atticus waved a drug-induced hand in front of her and said, “Hello child.” Hey, it may not have been a great Ashby or Sue Collini quote, but it was still funny. Atticus has been steadily growing on me over the past few episodes and his cocaine highs are a joy to watch. He also told Hank that he dreamed about making Karen orgasm just by looking at her. Then, he proceeded to stare Karen down every chance he got, hoping that she would orgasm.
Marilyn Manson made his Cali debut in “The Dope Show.” He had a few good one-liners without stealing focus from the show. As part of Hank’s botched attempt to scare Becca straight, Manson said that he got AIDS from doing drugs. Then, he laughed off the joke and said to Atticus, “[For] Christmas I want Aids.” He later tea-bagged Atticus and asked Becca to take a poop on the rockstar’s face. It was just the lesson Hank was waiting for to send Becca running back to daddy dearest.
Over at the Runkles, Charlie has rekindled his sex-life with Marcy. Unfortunately, their sexual reunion ended abruptly (and not by Charlie’s premature ejaculation) when Marcy watched Charlie get a blowjob on Housewife Hannah’s website. He may have been wearing a luchadora mask for the bathroom BJ, but Marcy knows his bent penis anywhere.
We’ve got five more episodes in this season. If Californication can maintain its current fun, laid back trajectory, I may actually be excited for Season 7. Season 5 was such a letdown that my expectations for this season were at an all time low. Perhaps it’s those same low expectations that have made this season so surprisingly fun to watch.
