'Californication' Gives Men The Wrong Idea
Although entertaining, 'Californication' helps men think bedding every woman is plausible.
We love Californication. It's smart, funny, sexy, self-deprecating. Basically, everything we look for in a man show. And David Duchovny? What a comeback from the science department at the X-Files. Mulder did not have these skills. Read: Fringe: TV's Sexiest New Non-Couple
But like every man show, it does have its flaws. Namely, it suggests that the average guy can bag every girl he touches—a sexual Midas Touch, if you will. Because Duchovny's character, author Hank Moody, sleeps with not just one female per episode (not that unrealistic, especially for a TV show), but he sleeps with every woman he comes in contact with. Every. 4 Things You May Not Know About Sex Addiction
Let's recap all the women thus far: The underage girl in the bookstore. The woman at the dinner party. His daughter's teacher. The girl in the convenience store. And on and on. Sexual History: What Your Number Says About You
Hank Moody may be setting some lofty goals for the average guy, best-selling author or not. This is doing our male population (the Showtime watching segment, anyway) a disservice by propagating the myth that this is in anyway possible.
While we look to television to provide an alternate reality to our own, and often a more desirable one, Californication is setting up those poor saps. Go ahead, guys: Walk into the bar with the Hank Moody unaffected swagger. It might get you a conversation, some flirting, and maybe even a phone number. It will not, however, get you laid every day of the week. Sorry, boys. That kind of magic just doesn't exist in the real world. Essential (Obvious) Flirting Tips
Discussion
Oh please BookMama in most cultures (not US) 16 is perfectly legal!!! You have been thumpin your bible wayyyyyyyy too much. In Hawaii which is a "US" state it has been 14 years old for the age of cencent for a long time..........
and there is the fact that the actress is what I think 22 years old.........
Calm down babe!!!
i like the show. I'm not sure how a guy who rarely changes his facial expression or tone of voice can be so charming and engaging. Must be magic... or aliens.
At any rate, I think the show is more about this brilliant guy with an odd, odd, odd code of conduct and an irrepressible ability to sabotage himself. Of course he's going to try to fill his emptiness with booze and meaningless sex. But the sex isn't meaningless, his terrible decision-making leads to serious problems, an unintended pregnancy, a smashed windshield and inadvertent statutory rape, among others. His swordsmanship only causes him problems.
On top of that, he does regularly try get shot down by the one woman he THINKS he really wants: his ex-wife. But, like many, many guys with a weird romantic (Byron romantic not flowers and sunrises romantic) bent, he's more interested in the idea and ideal of a person.
I'm guessing that, for dramatic purposes, the producers decided to show only his successful exploits. For all we know, he could strike out time after time off-screen and between episodes. I believe that most guys would rather have slightly less success with ladies that Moody if they didn't have to reap the whirlwind of his sex addiction.
I think Vinnie Chase's consequence-free sex life is a far worse example than Moody's troubles with women. On top of that, Moody at least acknowledges how atypical and asocial his predilections and world view are. The cautionary tale, rather than the free-love voyeurism, are the show's real takeaway and what make him a relatable character.
Or something.
Personally, I'm not worried that guys will get the idea they can seduce any woman they want to. They probably already know that most women are going to turn them down.
My question here would be why is he still a lovable character despite all the consequences of his acts to other people? Who really suffers from the unintended pregnancy? Are we seeing the suffering of his girlfriends or just the problems he faces? Is he sorry for hurting people or sorry for getting caught? And why, oh why, does his girlfriend take him back?
No surprise, I'm sure, but what really gets me is the "unintended statutory rape." What, did Roman Polonski write the script?
On what planet are predatory blackmailing 16 year olds the problem? (And isn't it odd that her name is Mia?) That was the PC view of statutory rape back in the 1950s.
Just curious - why are you sympathetic with this guy at all? Do you think his ex should give him a chance? Do you think he can be a good father?
He sounds like the kind of guy women should avoid like the plague (or at least AIDS and other STDs).
The underage girl in the bookstore? Statutory rape is just evil.
I think you're being too easy on the show here. The problem isn't that guys might get the idea they can have sex with underage girls and end up in jail. The problem is that guys might get the idea that it's okay to mess up some kid's life.
Similarly, having sex with every woman you meet isn't just unrealistic, it's using people. It gets in the way of finding love and real happiness. It's bad for your health.
