Californication

By levinson.paul@gmail.com (Paul Levinson) An excellent episode 4.5 of Heroes last night - in fact, the best episode of the new season - in which we get some good progress on Claire's story... Turns out that Claire's roommate Gretchen (Californication's Madeline Zima) is the not the source of Claire's worst problems. Gretchen didn't kill Claire's original room mate, nor is she trying to keep Claire from making friends at school, nor is she stalking Claire for any reason other than - Gretchen has a crush on Claire, and gives her a pretty deep kiss, which Claire - surprised but certainly not repelled - permits. Raises some interesting possibilities, and it's good to see that Madeline Zima is being true to her frisky Californication history.   [read the full post]

By levinson.paul@gmail.com (Paul Levinson) Apropos such high falutin' terminology like metaphysics, Claire's a freshman in college now, and so is Gretchen (new to Heroes, played by Madeline Zima from Californication, which will also be back on Showtime this Sunday). HRG's turning into about as good a guy we've so far seen, and he's creating an alliance with Tracy. See also reviews of Season 3 Heroes Gets Lost ... Heroes 3 Begins: Best Yet, Riddled with Time Travel and Paradox ... Sylar's Redemption and other Heroes and Villains Mergers ... Costa Nuclear ... Hearts of Gold and the Debased ... Seeing the Future Trumps Time Travel ... Superpowered Chess with Shifting Pieces ... Villains and Backstories ... The Redemption of Sylar ... Thoughts on the Eclipse, Part I ... The Lore of the Comic Book Store ... Hiro's Time Travel...   [read the full post]

By levinson.paul@gmail.com (Paul Levinson) I thought you might enjoy this Levinson News Clips podcast player, where you can hear my 5-10 minute reviews and analyses of Lost, 24, Fringe, Battlestar Galactica, Big Love, Weeds, Californication, and more ... including, starting next month, True Blood... You can put this player right on your own site, by clicking the embed button on the right side, and copying the code. (You first click to start the podcast. Look for the <> icon on the right - it's the third one down - and it contains the embed code.)   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (Paul Levinson) Showtime's Californication resumes next Sunday with Season 2. I saw the first four episodes - hey, it's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. Here's a no-spoiler preview review with some of the highlights.... As with last season, Hank can't seem to get a break. But his surprising mixture of licentiousness and responsibility - at least, to his family and friends, if not to himself - makes Californication, even if it wasn't easy on the eyes, a show to look forward to.... And don't say I never think of you, Infinite Regress readers - click here to see the first episode of Californication Season 1, on Showtime's special VIP insider site. You'll need a password. It's Lady Killers -enjoy!   [read the full post]

By Paul Levinson Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical Californication Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical David Duchovny, Californication Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds The Tudors was a wonderful blend of intellectual history, great acting, and lust. Californication was a writer's delight, and never was short of laughing-out-loud-hilarious. Weeds had a riveting, splash-in-your-face season. And Dexter's second season, concluding this Sunday, is better than the first, and about the best show on television right now.   [read the full post]

By Paul Levinson Californication concluded its delightful first season on Showtime last night with an hilarious, savvy, altogether satisfying 12th episode. What I will tell you is that David Duchovny was spectacular, as he was throughout the entire season. And Tom Kapinos' writing was brilliant as it's been throughout the entire series, too. In the end, Californication was really not about sex or nudity. It was about attitude. About not always ideal but more or less healthy attitude. About hard luck and good luck and failure in the face of success ... and vice versa, in professional as well as personal life. Check out Showtime's Californication wiki for contests. See reviews of other Californication episodes: 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 6 ... 7 ... 8 ... 9 10 ... 11: Pivitol Mia ...   [read the full post]

By Paul Levinson Mia (fetchingly played by Madeline Zima) was directly or indirectly the stimulus for all the crucially important developments in Episode 11 of Californication on Showtime. Meanwhile, Mia's theft of Hank's manuscript also has an indirect, but even more powerful, impact on Hank's life. His daughter Becca (well played Madeleine Martin) decides to move in with Hank, in part because the great novel he was writing in New York didn't pan out (of course not, because Hank thought he'd lost it), and Becca is worried that with Karen marrying the bore Bill, Hank will be left with no support... See reviews of other Californication episodes: Californication Going On Mondays ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6 ... 7 ... 8 ... 9 ... 10 ...   [read the full post]

By Paul Levinson A soft episode of Californication last night, in which little progress was made in any of the main relationships, but some possibilities are emerging. Otherwise, we were treated to a threesome of Hank, Charlie, and a woman Charlie wants to ravage. She's only willing to let Charlie do that if Hank is part of the act... Charlie's wife is coming around to realizing she's happiest with Charlie, and Karen moved a little closer - once again - to realizing that she and Hank are really soul mates who should be together, but ... I'm looking forward to some really decisive episodes, such as the two previous pieces on Californication. See reviews of other Californication episodes: Californication Going On Mondays ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6 ... 7 ... 8 ... 9 ... 11: Pivitol Mia ...   [read the full post]