Flaked and Californicated by Georgi Sarafov I knew of Californication, ever since it came out, but watched the whole thing way later. When the fourth season hit and David Duchovny was on the Pacific Coast Highway billboards, I dug the idea of the show, but still waited until the last season was over. It reached a contemporary classic status. Throughout the period that it was being produced, some shows had a cheap “straight to TV” look, lacking any cinematic quality (speaking of which, Black Monday is solid gold). When I was working at Geoffrey’s Comics in Gardena, California, we had a lifetime subscription to satellite radio and the Howard Stern Show. In one of the episodes, they were talking about how David Duchovny had to go to therapy because he supposedly became a sex addict. “Well, who’s not addicted to sex”, said I and kept bagging and boarding comics. According to the entertainment industry experts, the debauched tv-series was responsible for his condition. Or maybe it’s just a bunch of bull.. David has an interesting academic background. He’s a Princeton graduate majoring in English Literature. In 1982 gets accepted in the American Poets Society. Then he earns a PhD in the same major at Yale University. Writing came natural to him even before acting. In the 80’s he book supporting TV roles and one of them is a transgender FBI agent in the second season of Twin Peaks. He reprises the role in the 2016 revival. Everybody has heard or knows about the X Files. Despite the success of the first season, David predicted that the show would not last long. He and the producers of the series got along pretty well and got creative freedom, which lead to the shaping of agent Mulder’s character
in the best way possible. The show started in 1994 and finished in 2003 along with a few feature length films. Duchovny has his directorial debut in 2004 when he made House of D. Robin Williams gives one of his most authentic performances since Moscow over Hudson in 1984. Early in the 2007 he was searching for a project filled with humor. A cool fact is that the creator of Californication had also written Dawson’s Creek, a guarantee that the latest project would be something way above the average production quality and expectations. In the show David does not play just another stereotypical guy, he has the freedom to be himself and the result is a seamless and natural performance. This recipe gives us Hank Moody - a larger than life persona. He describes the hero as: “ a debauched, yet well-meaning novelist.” On the surface it may seem that the plot is cynical and degrading towards women, however it is exactly the opposite. Deep down it’s a pro-women show. For most of the time it is a romance with nuances of tragedy for the main character. The story tries to present Hank as irresponsible, egotistical and without inspiration. At the same time we see him as the only voice of reason. He makes sacrifices for the rest, without being appreciated. “Don’t tell me what to feel. All my fucking life people have been telling me I do things wrong. I’m always the fucking asshole. I look around and see everybody else is infinitely more fucked up than I am.” Hank Moody’s point of view. Duchovny shows that the character is a sentimental romantic and blatantly honest. Well...yeah...the nudity. It’s definitely there. It is not the main and most important part but the TV industry markets it that way. To be honest there wasn’t anything more graphic than what you have already seen on Sex and the City. Many people seemed put off by the nudity and did not give the show a chance. Worst thing is that they haven’t seen it themselves and just listened to what somebody else said. The scenes are
created solely for their humor.“The T&A on the show seemed to be the thing that people hang their hat on, but I went to work trying to do a good comedy. It’s too bad, because I think they have missed a really good show” says Duchovny. Seven seasons later, the show has accumulated one BAFTA, four EMI’s and seven Golden Globes. It is an original comedy product, made by people capable of authentic art. *** Even though Californication is an HBO production, I watched it on Netflix because their video codec did not artificially boost colors and frame rates. If something is shot at 24 frames per second, it should be watched at the same frame speed, not boosted to 60 frames per second. When frames get jacked up to 60 it looks like you are fast forwarding the image while the audio stays at the previous slower rate and it sucks. Netflix also has tons of metadata about each episode, its description and title. They are good at making customized playlists and suggestions based on the viewer’s preferences. After finishing Californication, the first recommendation that popped up was Flaked. By the looks of the thumbnail it felt like a less expensive version of the previous show. Watched the pilot and it was fresh and not trying to imitate. Besides I always strive for an unbiased viewing and I don’t do scores and reviews on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. To me it’s not a part of the film going experience. At most, I would check out a trailer and a movie poster and that’s it. If a picture appeals to me, then I start digging deep for more info about the creative and technical process. So that’s what I did. The tagline is “One step forward, twelve steps back”. Production of the series was not intended for television broadcasting, just as web series. When streaming was starting to get popular a few years back and was not as structured, web series were a hot commodity. Some of them
were made straight for YouTube, others had their own websites and paid membership distribution. Most of them were done on a shoestring budget and did not pretend to be something they are not. Flaked has a production quality, exceeding most web series and television shows. Both, cinematography and screenwriting provide a large scope and it definitely does not feel like something low budget. The characters have the whole city of Venice Beach for them to discover, there is even a road trip episode that was great and emotional. The authentic atmosphere of Venice Beach is also captured and represented very neatly. This is a result of a well written and structured script. All of the characters are based on real people, and according to Will Arnett, executive producer and lead actor, they still live the same way as portrayed. Most of the source material is based on real life events and the fiction element serves as a fluid encapsulation and transition between plot lines. Flaked delivers a piece of authentic experience from people’s lives in Venice Beach, California. It is a different kind of show. It gives an example how reality plays out - interesting and unexpected. As Will Arnett puts it: “We made a show that we would like to see, not necessarily one that everybody would like.” In today's world, which unfortunately is not Wayne’s World, flaked and californicated is the way to go. Hank Moody’s wisdom corner: “I’ve lost a lot of battles, but I never lost sight of the war. My goal is to fight my way to a day, when we are old and gray and she looks at me and says “I’m glad you never gave up”. Until then, I fight. No retreat. No surrender.