My Favorite Fictional Lush Today- Hank Moody

When I wrote the Starbuck entry, I received some good feedback and suggestions for future entries to this category of my blog. (please leave comments, folks) One was from a Twitter friend and she nominated a character from a show I had never watched- Californication. She usually has good taste (except for liking LOST but, alas, we can't all be perfect like me) so I went to learn more. I rented the first season from my library and sat back to enjoy.

I was BLOWN AWAY.

Besides her character choice being perfect, the show itself was damn good. Good character development and dynamics in their relationships. They were flawed like real people and I was actually engaged by what was going on. (By the way, Hank Moody might be based on Henry Bukowkski, an alcoholic German American poet and author, who wrote a fair bit about Los Angeles)

So off of Knitwit983's recommendation, I present to you the bullet points on Hank Moody.

SPOILERS ABOUND.

HANK MOODY

Birth Name:Henry "Hank" Moody
Birth Date:Sometime in the 1960s
Birth Place: New York, NY
Occupation:Author/ Dad/ Philanderer/ Drinker

Californication revolves around Hank Moody. He is a writer and novelist who has had some success and even a film made out of one of his books. He, of course, hated the movie. Hank also happens to be a heavy drinker, sex addict and is suffering from writer's block. The writer's block has been going on for years since he moved out to the hedonistic paradise of Los Angeles.

Already I like Hank. Can see where if I didn't take steps and/or continue to take steps I could be Hank in the long run. But get to the nitty-gritty of Hank's "finer" points, antics and actions. I don't condone them all but it makes for good television.

- Continues to engage in hitting on his ex-girlfriend Karen while she is engaged to another man. Sometimes directly in front of dude (To be fair to Hank though, they have a kid together, her fiancee is a stiff, she only half-heartedly fights off his advances and she looks like this...)

Hot in a vaguely Eastern-Euro, rocker mom sort of way.

- Is actually a good dad to his daughter and will bend over backwards for her. While not lying to her about the realities of the world, he is protective.

- Pulls off that whole "white guy using sassy black guy/gal" talk very admirably. I usually am not a big fan of it but Duchovny actually sells those lines. I actually cracked up when he told his agent to "Kiss my black ass" and thanked the aforementioned fiancee by saying "That's mighty white of you." Good stuff.

- Sleeps around. A LOT. But isn't a complete asshole about it and is usually honest and upfront about it.

That's just how he rolls, yo.

- Had sex with a 16 year-old fan who punched him in the face quite a bit during the lovemaking. He didn't know how old she was and it turned out she was the daughter of his ex's new fiancee. Small world.

Gotta check I.D. like club bouncers, fellas.

- Saves aforementioned teen from a pervy schoolteacher. Okay, it was a set-up but he went to protect her anyway.

- Performed in a Devil's Threesome to help his pal get some from a lady while he was estranged from his wife who was having a lesbian affair with his assistant. That's a wingman for that ass.

- Reunited the same guy with his wife at the wedding of his ex and her new fiancee. Very painful but Hank pulled it off.

- Also, stopped the teenage daughter from ruining the day in her own drunken fashion and got punched in the process. (He did deserve it but still...)

- Writes a blog about his life and the deficiencies with society at large. KINDA familiar.

- Punched out a guy for calling his ex a "cunt" at a party after her fiancee did nothing. Maybe my favorite Hank moment.

- When his daughter had her first period, Hank fought with a couple in the middle of a store to get the last box of tampons. Hilarity but I nominate him for Father of the Year for that one. (He'll lose to Liam Neeson's character in Taken but he'll still get a nod from me)

Sure Hank has his flaws. He's a bit of a womanizer, snorts blow off a hooker's ass, forgot while he didn't call a woman back, became a pedophile (by accident) and can be so honest that it hurts. But he is trying to change and make things better for the people he cares about and is fiercely loyal. Hank may stumble along the way but he will ultimately attempt to do the right thing.

He is like Batman. Just drunker and with less gadgets or a homo-erotic relationship with a sidekick. (Then again I haven't seen the second season yet...)


He's the hero we deserve, but not the one we need right now.