Filthy Lucre (Californication)

"Filthy Lucre" is the ninth episode of the Showtime original series Californication. It was written by Ildy Modrovich, directed by Scott Z. Burns and originally aired on October 8, 2007.

Plot

After the funeral of Hank's father Al, Hank comes back to L.A. with a draft of a new novella. However Karen is determined to keep her distance with Hank this time. As they arrive home from the airport, Becca sings a song with her band for her parents. Before he leaves, Hank gives Karen his manuscript to read for her critical evaluation like he used to in New York.

Hank receives some bonus money from his film contract and his agent Runkle insists he spend it on himself, suggesting a new car. Hank buys a diamond ring to possibly propose to Karen. He goes to a Porsche showroom and has sex with the saleswoman during a test-drive. Hank buys the car and later he and Becca go to a guitar shop so that Hank can buy Becca a new guitar with some of his money. However, Becca sees a man with his young daughter trying to hock a guitar and convinces her dad to buy it to help the father and daughter out.

Karen wants to confess to Bill about having sex with Hank while Bill was out of town, but he presents a gift of a special photograph which overwhelms her and forestalls her confession. Mia sees Hank's manuscript and secretly takes it to make a copy for herself to read. Meanwhile Runkle's wife tells him that she is in lesbian relationship with his secretary, Dani, and that their marriage isn't working. Runkle fires Dani, but the two women still head upstairs together.

When Hank and Becca return, Karen tells Hank that she can't read his novels any more and returns the manuscript unread. Hank leaves, cursing himself for being insensitive. On his way home he is stopped by a woman asking for directions. Suddenly a man appears with a gun and the two demand he get out of his car. The carjackers drive off in the new Porsche with Hank's manuscript still in it. Hank stands in the road watching the only copy of his manuscript and his new car drive away. The episode ends with Mia in bed beginning to read a copy she made of Hank's manuscript.

Cultural references

• Karen tells Hank her favorite authors are Virginia Woolf, Martin Amis, and Charles Bukowski. Karen can later be seen reading Bukowski's book, Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, The Line, The Way: New Poems. Hank Moody, Duchovny's character, is based on Charles Bukowski's literary alter ego Henry Chinaski.

• Charlie says that after his spin job, the public won't be able to tell whether Hank's next book is "a piece of shit" or "a heartbreaking work of staggering genius," which is the name of a Dave Eggers book. To this, Hank replies "There's a difference?"

• Hank tells Karen "Words are all I have left to play with", quoting Humbert Humbert, the protagonist of the novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. In addition, when asked to describe his new novella, he calls it "a modern-day answer to Lolita". He then says Becca should put on her best frock, a more subtle reference to the novel.

Music

• Foo Fighters - "The Pretender"
• Cheap Trick - "Surrender"
• The Black Angels - "Black Grease"
• The Heavy - "That Kind of Man"

External links

"Filthy Lucre" at the Internet Movie Database