Californication is one of my favorite shows - with a perfect balance of hot chicks, low living and a-hole snark, each and every episode is a joy to watch. In this, the first of a recurring feature on Heavy, I'm going to pimp out 10 of my favorite moments in the show's 3 seasons so far. Warning: there be spoilers here, but if you haven't watched it by now you should really get on the stick.
10. Meet Hank Moody. Californication starts with a bang - and a whimper, as the first time we meet protagonist Hank Moody, he's receiving oral favors from a nun. Of course, this is all a fantasy born of his deviant mind, but what a first impression.
9. Welcome To Vaginatown. The second-season subplot of Charlie Runkle taking on managerial duties for low-rent pornstar Daisy culminates in the slapstick production of an adult epic called Vaginatown, which leads to Charlie's wife Marcy having to work as a fluffer. Now that's a marriage built on strong moral values.
8. The Family Reunited. Season 1's big arc is whether Hank's ex Karen will marry her new beau Bill despite still having feelings for our reprobate writer. The season finale put a cap on that by having their wedding interrupted with some drunken shenanigans before Karen takes off running and jumps into Hank's car for a perfect Hollywood "drive into the sunset" moment. It doesn't last, of course, but it's a sweet moment.
7. Sonja Gets Puked On. Although Hank Moody gets plenty of play, he's not the most dependable lover, as Scientologist fling Sonja finds out when Hank not only takes a headbutt and pukes all over the bedroom, but still manages to knock the poor lady up with a Moody spawn.
6. Enter Rick Springfield. The teen idol turned rocker plays himself on the show with insane gusto, acting like an amped-up caricature of the entitled rock star and sleeping with anything that isn't nailed down. He only appears in a few bits in Season 3, but they're all hilarious.
5. Dani Is A Suicide Girl. Hank's agent Charlie gets his relationship with his assistant Dani turned upside down in the first season, when he finds pictures of her on the Suicide Girls website. What follows is straight out of Secretary, with Dani going very speedily from submissive to dominant.
4. Hank Makes Ed Westwick Kill Himself. Or try to, at least. By Season 3, Moody is ensconced in academia, teaching college English. This, of course, brings lots of nubile young hotties to his door, but also in a hilarious guest spot young writer "Balt," played by the dude who is Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl. When Hank tears apart his vampire fiction, Balt is so distraught that he tries death by NyQuil.
3. Lew Ashby Kicks Off. Season 2 is all about Hank putting his pen for hire ghosting an autobiography for record producer Lew Ashby, but Moody quickly becomes more than just a tape recorder, saving the lunatic musician numerous times. After a massive catfight punctuated by a shotgun blast to the ceiling, Ashby goes for a line of coke to calm down only to shoot straight heroin and kick the bucket.
2.Hank Buys A Porsche. Moody's dusty black Porsche 911 convertible is his iconic prop, perfectly illustrating a man trying to hold on to his youth and vigor no matter how silly it is. So when he replaces it and blows a little advance money from a film deal, it's only a matter of time before it bites him in the ass. Before the credits roll, Moody's been carjacked and sent back to the comforting arms of the Cabriolet.
1. Hank Finds Out Mia Is 16. The show's first episode features Hank getting jiggy with a lovely little piece named Mia, a gorgeous brunette played by Madeline Zima. It ends with him discovering that Mia is only sixteen years old, and she's the daughter of his ex-girlfriend Karen's new fiance. This is the quintessential Moody moment - debauched, ridiculous, and laying the foundation for a whole world of trouble.
