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Californication Season 4-02 ‘Suicide Solution’ Recap

After kicking things off last week with a great season premiere, Hank Moody and company are back with yet another great episode. In week 2, we open up with Marci in bed, and waking up beside her, of all people is Hank! Of course, they both scream out in horror. When things couldn't get any more awkward, a naked Runkle runs in, also screaming. What's the cause of all this? Well as Hanks says, apparently their couch wasn't comfy enough.

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After kicking things off last week with a great season premiere, Hank Moody and company are back with yet another great episode. In week 2, we open up with Marcy in bed, and waking up beside her, of all people is Hank! Of course, they both scream out in horror. When things couldn’t get any more awkward, a naked Runkle runs in, also screaming. What’s the cause of all this? Well as Hanks says, apparently their couch wasn’t comfy enough.

Marcy tries to kick Hank out but he tells her that her and Runkle are his only two firends, so she lets him stay. Runkle, still fully naked, hops into bed with the two and tells them ‘I’m game if you guys are’. Marcy flips out and runs out of the bed. Hank, now cuddling with Runkle, tells him he looks good, like a baby, like a big, sexy baby. Boom, cut to opening credits.

After the credits, we see Runkle drop Hank off by his car, which is at his house. The car comes complete with two tickets that Hank throws away.  As Hank is starting the car, Karen walks out of the house. Hank tries to talk to her but she ignores him. He keeps calling her name and she eventually she turns around and whips her phone at him. He asks her to see Becca and she tells him that Becca, like her, hates his guts.

Hank drives over to his lawyer’s office and arrives 45 minutes late. She tells him off and tells him how serious the matter is. Apparently the DA wants to make an example out of him. Hank then brings out the charm and the two do a bit of flirting, leading me to believe they’ll end up in bed together at some point this season.

We then cut to Karen, Becca and Marcy, in the park. Marcy asks Karen to at least let Hank see Becca. Karen isn’t entirely convinced it’s a good idea though. As we switch back to Runkel, we see him walk into his office to find Hank asleep on his couch, they discuss the script and Runkle realizes that Hank hasn’t even started writing.

Hank says now that he’s convicted of statutory rape, he doesn’t exactly have the inspiration to write. Runkle replies “hey this kind of bally hoo didn’t stop Polanski did it?’ He then compares Hank to R.Kelly and Jerry Lee Lewis. Suddenly, Hank gets a text from Karen saying that he can see Becca. He jumps off the couch and rushes over to the house.

When Hank shows up, he asks Becca for a hug and she tells him it’s too soon. Admittedly, it’s a pretty awkward encounter and they end up going to get some guitar strings. Hank thanks Karen for letting him see Becca and tells her he knows how hard it must be.  With tears in her eyes she looks at him and asks, ‘do you?’

At the guitar store Hank tells Becca it doesn’t have to be this hard. Becca sees a very expensive guitar she likes and Hank offers to buy it for her. Becca refuses it though and tells him to save his money for a lawyer. Ignoring her, he buys it. There is just one problem, his credit card is declined. Becca sees this and walks out of the store, leaving Hank alone inside.

Hank drops her off and tells her he loves her. Without replying, Becca walks in the house and shuts the door. Hank then heads back to Runkles. Runkel tells him Eddy Nero (played by Rob Lower) wants to sit down to talk about the movie, he wants to play Hank. Hank is having none of it though, he says “I’m holding out for Keitel, when in doubt call in the bad lieutenant, plus the guy loves to show his dong, gotta love that in a thespian’.

Nevertheless, Eddy Nero meets with them. Acting a bit cracked out, Nero tries to charm Moody. He doesn’t care too much for Runkle though. He tells him to ‘keep quiet little boy, just sit back and nod and drink your fuckin girly cocktail’. He goes on to tell him ‘there is no place for you in a man’s world, fuckin suit ruining everything.’ Uh, way to rip off Billy Walsh from Entourage.

Sasha then shows up, does some flirting with Hank and then walks off. Odd. Hank still isn’t sold on the movie but Charlie asks, ‘what are you gonna do, get a real job?’ Next we see Hank at Sasha’s place, she tries to seduce him but Hank tells her he can’t continue it. She tells him she wants him and tries to get him into bed, telling him she wants one or more of his fingers in her vagina. Being the sucker he is, Hank goes for it. After all, who could resist a girl like Sasha?

Sasha runs off though when she hears the door, it’s Eddy. Sasha and Hank are interrupted and she tells him to hide in the bathroom. The episode ends off back at Runkles. Hank starts drinking, taking some pills and he finally sits down to write, not a script though, a letter to Becca. It’s actually quite touching and you really have to feel bad for the guy. He then gets up and passes out on the floor and thus the episode ends.

While not as strong as the season premiere, Suicide Solution was still an entertaining and fairly strong episode. Rob Lowe’s guest appearance was pretty funny and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him. Hank writing that letter to Becca at the end was also a nice little moment. The season is off to a strong start so far, let’s hope it keeps up.