Californication: Pussy & Palm Trees

So there's this new show on cable called "Californication" (Showtime, Mondays 10:30pm EST) in which David Duchovny fucks everything that moves. Yeah, that's basically the whole plot. The pilot episode had more breasts than your local KFC. In the space of 30 minutes, we saw him fuck four different women including a nun and his daughter's teenage friend. I'm not even counting the naked woman his daughter found waiting for him in his bedroom when they got home. There were so many naked women in this thing, for a few minutes I thought I was watching the Spice Network and Fox Mulder had shifted into porno. So I don't think it will come as a surprise to anyone when I say this show is AWESOME!!!

OK, there is a plot in there somewhere-- something to do with Duchovny being a novelist from New York transplanted to LA who has extreme writer's block and who's unhappy that his claim to fame bestseller has been turned into a shitty romantic comedy starring Mr. and Mrs. Tom Cruise. His daughter and ex-wife live there too, and he wants to get back together with her for some reason, because he loves her I guess-- I'm really not sure. They didn't really explain a lot about the characters during the premiere episode. I guess the producers felt like a lot of back story would detract from the whole tits and ass thing. Honestly, can you blame them? Plot just gets in the way. Ask any porno director.

I guess I would be remiss if I didn't mention the show also stars the always great Evan Handler (Sex and the City) as Hank's agent Charlieand the gorgeous Madeline Zina (The Nanny) as his wife's soon to be step daughter. Yes we see her naked. Natasha McElhone (Ronin) gives an understated performance as the ex wife dealing with their teenage daughter's budding sexuality and her ex-husband's philandering ways. No, she does not get naked-- yet.

I've never really been a fan of David Duchovny's acting chops. I always thought he tried to make it seem like he was being mysterious with that same blank expression on his face and the monotone voice he seems to have in every scene, but to me it always just seemed like he was bored. Surprisingly that dead expression actually works well in the context of this show and actually makes you believe he is an asshole who can't write anymore on a downward spiral of alcoholism and casual sex. He can't write, he can't get his wife back, but Lord he can screw. And screw he does. They didn't title this show Californication for nothing.