After a year-long hiatus' worth of pent-up anticipation, season four of Californication began with the potential to be the show's best season yet. And though it certainly started off well, the storyline tapered off toward the end, coming to a close with a lackluster finale.
The finale, titled "And Justice For All," strove to bring closure to a tumultuous season for Hank Moody (David Duchovny) and his counterparts, but whether the episode lived up to its title is for the viewer to decide. Personally, I didn't buy it from the get-go. Justice for all is quite a tall order, and for a season that pulled the entire series in a new direction so quickly, it didn't seem likely that each character would meet a fitting and believable resolution.
Let's start with Hank. The conflicts surrounding our wayward writer as of late have felt increasingly contrived and short-lived. This isn't to say that I'm looking to see our lascivious leading man suffer, but living out of a luxury hotel while finessing your way into bed with a bevy of beautiful women sound to me more like a vacation than a crisis.
It seems that every time Hank got into trouble throughout this season, he quickly and effortlessly was saved from it. For example, when his off-the-wall financier accidentally kills himself in a debacle too shameful to describe in print, Hank punches the investigating officers. He then calls on his attractive lawyer, Abby Rhodes (Carla Gugino), to save the day. Not only does she do this, but she also does him afterward. Now, in the season finale, Hank gets off relatively easy from the statutory rape charge that has haunted him all season with a three-year probation sentence. Granted, he committed the crime accidentally, but without the ever dormant threat of his mistake to haunt him, the show has lost one of its central driving conflicts. What's worse, the episode left me with no real desire to see what may become of Hank in season five.
The episode ended with a sentimental montage overlaid with the Rolling Stone's song, "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Don't get me wrong, it was nice to see Hank settling into his position working on the film inspired by his life, showing Hank actually being productive for once. The memories drawn from the happy reality of his past were touching, but I must say that this fourth season finale was a bit of a letdown compared to the heart-wrenching finale of season three, in which a bloodied and desperate Hank is carted away to prison in front of his daughter.
My anticipation for season five of Californication is limited since the last vestiges of the central turmoil in Hank's life are gone. Surely the success, or failure, of Hank's movie is something to look forward to. Who knows? Come what may, I certainly wasn't left with a burning desire to know what would happen next as with in season three, nor with a wholesome feeling that everything would be alright as with season one. The fourth season's ending settled for something in between, and though it was by no means bad, it certainly wasn't great.
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