67 replies to this topic

[TWoP Barnes]

From TV Guide:

Debut: Transplanted author Hank Moody (David Duchovny) suffers from writer's block and is disappointed that his novel has been turned into a romantic comedy for the big screen. He also learns his ex is engaged and that their 12-year-old daughter is acting on her “emerging sexuality.”

Showtime's VIP Insider has the full pilot online, here. The password is MONDAYS. Thanks for the link go to USA Today's entertainment blog Pop Candy, by Whitney Matheson. You can also see the Weeds premiere at Showtime's VIP Insider, using the same password. Members who watch before the official premiere can discuss in the spoiler thread. Enjoy.

Edited by TWoP Barnes, Aug 5, 2007 @ 7:38 AM.

[kittycat2002]

Did anyone else watch it? I liked it. It was a little thin but it was just setting up the plot mostly. It was weird to see the youngest girl on the Nanny get all naked and freaky.

Edited by kittycat2002, Aug 13, 2007 @ 11:47 PM.

[AuntiePam]

I liked it too. I thought I was sick of sex on TV, but this was funny sex. Witty banter too, but not too witty -- I can imagine people talking like that. Hank is just sympathetic enough.

[Mystery]

I liked it but I can see myself getting tired of it if the character of Hank doesn't start showing some changes pretty soon. I don't know how much sex-with-younger-women I can handle watching. I'll give it a few more episodes and see how it goes. If he really wants to be the man who can get his ex-girlfriend back, he'll have to change, so I hope it starts soon.

Edited by Mystery, Aug 14, 2007 @ 12:16 AM.

[riley605]

That was Madeline Zima playing Mia? I must go scrub my brain now, what with the nakedness and use of word "coming" and all.

Other than that nugget of "info I could've gone without knowing," I f'ing LOVE this show. I don't think it's just residual Duchnovy love from XF days, although he was my tv boyfriend for so VERYvery long. I just love watching him play Hank. Not sure how I feel about character Hank yet, but DD is playing the shit out of him, imho. My husband and I laughed out loud in places - which hardly every happens - and there were moments (like in the school conference) where I said, "I could totally see him and Tea Leoni talking to each other like that!"

Loved calling the cuckolded husband "KFed" and telling him where the little man in the boat could be found; not loving the picking up of daughter w/out his pants and letting her cover him up after passing out. Oh, and if Evan Handler is onscreen, I'm loving whatever is happening, hands down. Great casting, this show.

Basically, I thought it was funny, spot-on-L.A., and nakedDD? Dude, the visits to the gym have totally been working out. Duchovny is surprisingly hot at his age. My husband immediately said, "Hey! He's got NO ass!" Then he looked at me strangely when I said, "I know." Went on to explain that if anyone is suprised that DD is drawn to this completely debauched character, they should track down some of his earliest work. Not porn, but indies high in sexual content.

Yes, I own several of them on DVD. :bag over head:

[chipaholic]

Hank Moody is what Charlie Harper from "2 1/2 Men" would be if swearing and nudity were allowed on CBS.

[plm75]

I guess I'm in the minority here but I did not like the show at all. The lovely and talented Natascha McElhone looked like she had the hardest time just keeping a straight face while "performing". I thought the characters were one-dimensional and BORING. The entire episode reminded me of a sixth-grade boy that just discovered he can shock people by using four-letter words. A nun offering DD a blowjob? Not really shocking, but silly.

Having said this, I think the show will probably get a lot of initial interest because it has been marketed heavily, has some attention grabbers in its debut, and has a cool title. As a long time L.A. resident, I suppose I get very tired of the cliches the show recylced about the city and the "industry". I didn't find its take spot-on, but, ironically, embodied what it sought to skewer. It's like the people who always complain about the shallowness and sheep-like mentality of Los Angelenos are often the most shallow people I know. Again, that was Californication. In defense of DD, I think he is an adequate actor and did as good of a job as he could with the material given to him.

[Silvervial]

Well, I laughed out loud twice, which is really good considering that I watched it alone and normally I never laugh when I'm alone. That said, I really hope they work more on the character and drop the naked women. I'm a major DD fan and it was fantastic seeing him again, but I am not entirely sure I'm going to get aboard with this character. Even the drug-addled doctor in Playing God was more generally likable. I did enjoy Hank's interactions with his daughter, his ex, and his agent, so I am hoping that they will focus on those relationships in episodes to come. Pilots are always troublesome, so I cut them a lot of slack, even those without DD-butt ;-)

Oh well, I'm along for the ride and glad to see that TWoP is covering the show.

[DolfinWings]

That was Madeline Zima playing Mia? I must go scrub my brain now, what with the nakedness and use of word "coming" and all.

Yeah it was her. And the poor thing has her tits flashing in all the promo's too.

[beebs]

Well I thought it was OK. Not great. I'll watch again. I think I'm forgiving a little bit because DD's in it. He's not bad. I'm just not sure about the set up.

[MsLark]

I'm also surprised people liked this. I saw it via Netflix a few weeks ago and thought it was the worst DD vehicle ever--and he's done some bad stuff. Boring as hell and if anyone wants to spend $13 on bad soft porn, more power to you. Watching a DD fuckathon with series of bimbettes is not my cup of tea, but clearly there's an audience out there for it. I'm sure plenty of 13-year old boys will figure out how to get around the Vchip. Maybe it will inspire them to become bad writers.

I do, however, look forward to Omar G's recaps until this pile of crap gets PHed.

[StarrGazerr]

Well, I'll give it a chance, pilots being the "set up" episodes and all, but I have to say I wasn't all that impressed. I agree with Mystery who said

I can see myself getting tired of it if the character of Hank doesn't start showing some changes pretty soon.

If they are setting up DD as someone with a lot to learn then they did a good job of it. The question is whether someone with a lot to learn can really do so. I'll keep watching for now, but I am hoping for more in coming weeks.

[Bulldog]

I would describe this as more "interesting" than "great," or even "good" for that matter.

I think my biggest problem was DD's portrayal of Hank. I figured the character would be more along the lines of "loveable slacker." Instead he came off as downright unlikeable. As others have mentioned, they need to soften him up pretty quickly.

Still, I've got to hand it to DD. Scenes with four naked women in a half hour show -- there's definitely worse gigs on TV.

McElhone reminded me of Meryl Streep circa Defending Your Life (in appearance, not talent).

I'll give it a couple of more episodes before a final decision. But right now chances of long term viewership are not good.

[buddylee47]

DD saw Rescue Me and decided that DO'L was onto something. He'll produce an allegedly "edgy" show where he can have fake TV sex with gorgeous actresses.

So how can a 14 year old know about bongs but not brazilian waxes?

[PaganChick]

So how can a 14 year old know about bongs but not brazilian waxes?

I thought they said she had just turned 12?

ETA:

I liked it. It had a few rough patches as most pilots do. I think they did a good job of setting up Hank as a character in crisis who may or may not be likeable. I loved the scene at the party when he literally carries his daughter out of there. Its good that no matter how fucked up of an individual he is, he still thinks his 12 year old daughter is too young to be partying with drugs and sex.

I did cringe and keep saying "Stop it Gracie- I shouldn't be seeing your boobs." during the Madeline Zima sex scene. Although I guess its good that she's getting work.

Edited by PaganChick, Aug 14, 2007 @ 8:34 AM.

[Mambo Queen]

I actually liked it a lot. I thought maybe it was trying to hard to be funny in spots, and I thought the scene in the movie theater where he beats up the cell phone answerer was pretty hackneyed, but it made me laugh out loud more than once. I particularly enjoyed, "That's the look that shrivels me testes!" and "I have it TiVoed, believe me, that show is fierce!"

[CrushMe]

Count me as one that didn't like it. I found my brain wandering after a while and then skipped the ending so I could switch rooms and not miss the beginning of the Daily Show. Will probably give it another shot next week since it's on after Weeds.

[Hegel88]

It was OK but not something I would care about if gets cancelled. The best part was who Mia turned out to be. I found DD's acting too flat even if his character is depressed. Hopefully it will pick up soon.

[Postkantian]

It was ok. I just felt sorry for the actress playing the ex 'wife' - she has to act as if this self loathing creep is somehow lovable and endearing, despite herself.

Why do I get the feeling that we're watching a lame writer's self portrait? The show comes across as a self serving male fantasy to me.

[Raja]

I liked it and thought the pilot did a good job in setting up the characters. Sure they all need to be fleshed out more but for a show that is little more than half an hour it did a surprisingly good job in packing a lot of stuff in. Duchovny does another one of his slacker role. A role that is always a bit clique, always a bit campy, but one that is always fun. Given the amount of nudity is it too much to ask that David be allowed to get back his dog co-star from Red Shoe Diaries? :)

For me the most interesting character is actually the daughter. At a very vulnerable and impressionable age with two less than ideal parents. She's well behaved and highly intelligent which has in many ways insulated them from the need to act better. Now that they are beginning to see some of their actions are going to have consequences in terms of her development it'll be interesting how much she is able to spur the two of them to change or at least be a little more discreet.

Edited by Raja, Aug 14, 2007 @ 12:27 PM.

[kaleidoscope]

I read the "weecap" but didn't watch the pilot because the daughter's insanely wooden delivery on the commercials was just too much for me. Maybe it worked better in context, or it was just her worst line? I would love to hear how people felt about that.

PaganChick said:

I loved the scene at the party when he literally carries his daughter out of there. Its good that no matter how fucked up of an individual he is, he still thinks his 12 year old daughter is too young to be partying with drugs and sex.

and Raja said:

Now that they are beginning to see some of their actions are going to have consequences in terms of her development it'll be interesting how much she is able to spur the two of them to change or at least be a little more discreet.

Jeeze, I freaking hope so. So many shows just limp along with this kind of action, letting the characters occasionally grow and change and mostly just being like, "Look how it is when people are messed up! Conflict is the soul of drama! And the only way to get conflict is to show them never changing their ways!" It would be really nice if this turned out to be a show about the struggle to change instead of just... the struggle.

I can't give either of them any credit for carrying their kid out of there, because it strikes me as so hypocritical. They want to keep doing everything that is messing her up, and not have to acknowledge that they are running roughshod over her boundaries and totally neglecting her as parents, and still insist that she not act out as a result. What the hell is she supposed to do? It's typical dysfunctional parent behavior - "why aren't our kids parenting themselves, damnit?" It's not a good pairing with Hank's covert sexual abuse.

[themollylama]

It was weird to see the youngest girl on the Nanny get all naked and freaky.

Holy. Crap. I knew she looked familiar. Maxwell is gonna be pissed.

Count me with the 'mehs'. It wasn't terrible, but it could have been better. I thought there were too many boobs. It was like a naked tit parade. Even though I was fully expecting a lot of nudity, I found the plethora of boobs a bit distracting.

[Mia Nina]

I'm surprised I didn't change the channel after the nun bit. First, because it was obvious, and second because it took place in a church. Not cool.

AuntiePam: I thought I was sick of sex on TV, but this was funny sex.

Too bad for me, I'm so very tired of sex on tv and in movies. It has lost meaning, impact, shock value, tenderness, charm, etc, etc...

riley605:not loving the picking up of daughter w/out his pants

Yes, that was a little out there. However, if they're trying to show how lost Hank is, besides all the craziness, that would be one way to show it. And I cringed when he kissed her on the head, he didn't have time to brush his teeth. Ugh.

To me the funniest scene was the one where Hank is celebrating his "lesbian" daughter. DD did a great job there, I was laughing so hard. The looks the two women were giving him were priceless.

[from carfax]

I liked it, too, although the plot was very thin. Too much of DD just wandering around.

Seeing Mulder smoking was ... disconcerting.

Love McElhone's cheekbones. And Pamela Adlon and Evan Handler were very pleasant surprises. I hope they're in most of the episodes.

[RDJisAOK]

It was weird to see the youngest girl on the Nanny get all naked and freaky.

Oh my god, my eyes are burning and my entire childhood has been turned upside down.

[Mystery]

Seeing Mulder smoking was ... disconcerting.

Yeah, I've been living in California for 29 years and seeing it was strange for me too-- you just don't see that many people light up very often out here. I could tell myself that he was from NYC, but the scene where he offered the cheating wife a cigarette, after the blowjob, for some reason rang false to me. It felt more like a writer's idea of the old-fashioned "cigarette after sex" than the real thing.

Not that I know what it's like apres sex with Duchovny.

[Snowden]

It's not too often there is a show about people I like, but I find myself actually liking the cast. Hank is a writer in a funk, funks happen, he might drink too much, but he seems like a decent guy. His ex is the most genuinely sweet woman I've seen on television. She isn't going to put up with his self-destruction, but her priorities are on the money. It's not that she withholds judgment on Hank's peccadilloes, she just doesn't blow them out of proportion, which is nice to see considering how ridiculous most T.V. characters are. I like that she even had a sense of humor about him checking out Mia. I LOVE the fact that Mia was 16 years old. That's just good writing. I strikes me as a guy who is fed up with phonies, and who doesn't like telling himself stories to get through the day. He is definitely more likable than Bukowski. The fight was the only bit that rang false. That's a good way to get shot or stabbed and end up a statistic.

Edited by Snowden, Aug 14, 2007 @ 6:29 PM.

[bayareabrad]

The whole show rings false with me. Here's what I wrote in another forum:


This is a cable comedy that once again seeks to push the envelope for adult programming (it airs at 10:30 PM). I actually surprised myself by watching the whole thing and even laughing a few times. But my hackles are up as this is yet another example of almost every female character in the show has to get naked (including one who is supposed to be 16 but the actress playing her looks more like 26..wth??) and apparently Duchovny's character gets more action than Captain Kirk on Viagra. I guess he's so irresistible that he's in bed with any girl about ten minutes after they meet. I don't know if this show is supposed to try be realistic or if it's total fantasy but the dialogue is so out there that it doesn't even resemble anything I've ever heard spoken on planet Earth. Like in the case of his daughter: "Daddy, why is there a naked lady in your bedroom? There's no hair on her vagina, is something wrong with her?" Yeah, all little girls talk like that, right? Well, despite all that, I laughed enough and the characters were entertaining enough for me to watch again next week. Because it couldn't be all the gorgeous naked women that I'll keep watching, right?

I will say I'm on the fence with this one. I will watch again next week and give it a decent chance, but to me, the whole "every female character has to get naked" reeks of an old HBO show from the 80s called Dream On. The Mia character I liked. Great sense of humor. "Now I'm definately....NOT going to sleep with you!" LMAO She is so unlike any real 16-year-old I've ever met. And that's the problem with this show. None of the characters are realistic. But the same is true for Weeds. So I guess it's fitting that they are on back to back. The difference of course is that Weeds is a very good show, and Californication is not.

[dr malcolm]

Just thought I'd point out that Weeds has been on for several seasons now, and Californication has had exactly 30 minutes of airtime. With, I think, a lot of potential to get better. As pilots go, though, I thought it was pretty good.

[Omar G]

I didn't take it that Mia is really 16. That was a joke being played on him by the ex. He was relieved when she said she was fucking with him, which I took to mean she's not really underage.