Last week we found out that Karen is going to be okay. Thank god! For Californication and Hank Moody fans alike, that is definitely a relief. Now that she’s okay, it’s going to be up to Hank to rekindle their romance and make sure he doesn’t squander his last chance to win her heart.
This week’s episode kicks off with Hank going to see Karen to check-in on her after the accident. Karen is definitely feeling better; at least well enough to tell Hank that her near death experience does nothing to boost his chances with her. Hank tries to combat her defenses by appealing to the foodie in her, telling her about a new restaurant opening up that he would love to take her to. After enough persuasion, Karen finally agrees. Little does she know that Hank’s romantic dinner is actually of his own making at the Runkle’s place.
That evening at Hank’s romantic dinner for two, he lays on the charm awfully thick in attempt to try and break down Karen’s protective wall. She then goes as far as saying, “Hank, I’m not going to sleep you with you”, which does nothing but motivate Hank to try another method. They sit down for dinner and Karen is impressed by how good the food tastes. Hank admits that the food is actually takeout, as he failed miserably to cook anything half-decent. His failed attempts actually charm Karen. Their dinner is then interrupted when they get a knock at the door. It’s Julia and she really needs to Hank, but she offers to leave when she notices they’re having a very romantic dinner. Karen leers her in with offerings of wine. This leads Hank to awkwardly play third wheel to his two baby mommas getting to know each other.
The evening then continues to spiral downwards for Hank when everybody continues to arrive at the house. First Charlie and Marcy arrive in hysterics after having all their credit cards declined at the restaurant where they were having dinner. This leads to Marcy bringing up Stu’s million-dollar proposal again. The whole group then talks about Stu’s giant penis, which does nothing to make Marcy’s decision any easier. Next up at the door is Krull (the rock’n’roll butler and Charlie’s new client) who has come to drop off some more pages for Charlie. Krull immediately makes himself comfortable, even propositioning Marcy again. Shortly after Levon arrives with his new friend Ming, another prostitute that he met outside of the comic book store. Ming then recognizes Krull, who’s a previous client of hers.
It wouldn’t be nearing the end of Californication’s run if we didn’t get one last outrageous run-in with the infamous, Eddie Nero. He shows up at the door with Santa Monica Cop showrunner, Rick Rath. Eddie is in a wheelchair and dressed as a cop in research for his role on the show. He rolls in, “Moody!!” He then wheels around the room, remembering all the memories that he had with the group in that very room. He then recognizes Ming as well, who is happy to see Eddie, but not so much when she recalls that he pooped on her. The night escalates even more when Stu barges through the front door with a briefcase filled with money. He demands another moment of Charlie and Marcy’s time. He then goes on to describe in great detail what it was like having sex with Marcy and why he’s not willing to let his offer fall aside. The briefcase is intended to be 10% of what’s to come if they decide to accept the offer. Charlie can’t take it any longer and yells at Stu to stop disrespecting him in his home, which leads Stu to say, “clearly this is a rental”. Charlie then grabs Eddie’s baton and smashes Stu in the back of the leg. This exchange erupts into a fill on girlie guy fight between the two guys. Charlie grabs Stu’s giant member and begins thrashing him around. The fight is eventually broken up when Hank and the others interject and peel them away from one another.
Soon after, in a moment of reflection, Eddie admits that Karen and him never had sex that time a few seasons back. He says that they tried but he wasn’t able to do anything but quietly release in his own pants. This news is like Christmas music to Hank’s ears as Karen having sex with Eddie Nero was one of his most haunting nightmares from the past. This is all broken up when Ming (Levon’s friend) steals Eddie’s gun and demands that everyone empty their pockets. In a furious attempt to overtake the gun, Eddie is wheeled right off the porch by Ming, where he goes flying through the glass and falls right on his backside on the lawn.
After the ambulances roll off with fake paraplegic Eddie Nero, Hank and Karen share some tender words out front the house. Karen tells Hank that she loves him, but she can’t be with him. She tells him that they don’t work; their history speaks for itself. Karen says he’s impossible to live with based off the chaotic way he chooses to live his life, which is also what makes him so attractive. He thrives off chaos, he needs it for his art and that’s never going to change. Hank watches her walk off, and lights his cigarette just as the episode concludes.
Things aren’t looking good for our boy Hank. It seems that Karen has moved on, or it at least appears she has…sort of. But you can never be so sure with a love story as dramatic as this one. There are only two episodes left, and a lot of questions still need to be answered. Be sure to tune in next Sunday, as those percolating questions will hopefully start to be solved!
