Having renounced Entourage, we’re now free to recap a far less guilty pleasure: Californication! Real-life sex addict David Duchovny plays Hank Moody, a foul-mouthed, promiscuous, drunken brawler — who really loves his daughter and her mother. But can he live up to their love? The fourth episode of season two finds our antihero once again drowning in sin and seeking grace. Herewith: family versus fornication.
Family
A reunited Hank and Karen need to prep for a dinner party, but all Hank has done is scatter rose petals on the patio. He re-proposes to Karen, with typical Moody élan: “I want to spend the rest of my life annoying the shit out of you … I’m so wet right now, are you?â€
Karen is apparently not feeling this. And Hank’s distracted by her 16-year-old almost-stepdaughter Mia, who he screwed last season before realizing who — and how young — she was. Also, something about Guitar Hero, and the vetting of a date for his daughter.
Fornication
The party explodes that brief bit of familial bliss. Hank’s agent, Charlie, and his waxer wife, Marcy, show up high on ecstasy and unable to keep their hands off each other — or the other guests. Ashby brings some coke; newly responsible Hank confiscates it and dumps it down the toilet, but inexplicably pauses to snort some of it himself — and gets caught by Karen. He redeems himself a little by saving Ashby’s life with an EpiPen after the producer accidentally picks up some sashimi via his date’s mouth, but there’s no recovering from the revelation that Sonja’s probably pregnant with Hank’s baby. The news is, of course, broken by naughty Mia: “So I’m just doing a little mental math over here, but correct me if I’m wrong: Hank could be the father of your child since you bumped uglies that night at my father’s house.â€
Back on the patio at the end of the night, Karen announces that she’s not marrying Hank. It’s not because he knocked up her friend when they were split up, just because they are — he is? — one big mistake. “It was nice while it lasted,†Becca tells dad. The soundtrack to their teary goodbyes is “Freebirdâ€: “Lord help me, I can’t change.â€