After getting into a car accident, Karen is transferred to a hospital. Worried out of their minds, Hank, Charlie and Marcy wait to hear if she is gonna be okay or not.
Unlike most entries in the series, this one emphasizes much more on the drama than the comedy. Hence, you can't expect much in terms of funny moments, though there are a few amusing lines here and there, mostly from Charlie.
David Duchovny portrays the anguished Hank very well thinking over all the things he regrets and how he wish life could have taken a different direction. I like when he talks with another guy at the hospital who's waiting for news about his wife with cancer. His talk about how it's not about making your life as perfect as possible but rather doing your best to survive all the hardships is something that rings very true. As for the flashbacks, I thought the conversation between Hank and a young Becca where she asks him why they fight so much all the time was a cute little moment. This was before she would grow resentful of him after screwing up his relationship with Karen over and over again.
Unfortunately, while this had the potential to be a very emotional episode, it falls a bit flat most of the time. The dialogue is too on-the-nose, especially in the flashback scenes. We know Hank, Karen, Charlie and Marcy are best friends, but there's a better way to show that than just the characters saying "We are best friends, and I hope we always stick together". It's too melodramatic, and un-Californication. Karen's line "This doesn't change anything, you know" sticks out like a sore thumb as well. If everything goes back to exactly the way they were before, what was the point of making Karen get into a life-threatening accident? I thought the message was supposed to be how in a life-and-death situation, things you were mad about before seem so trivial now.
Definitely not the best of the series since it has its fair share of problems, but I wouldn't say it's a complete skip either. If you can get through some of the more soapy stuff.
Unlike most entries in the series, this one emphasizes much more on the drama than the comedy. Hence, you can't expect much in terms of funny moments, though there are a few amusing lines here and there, mostly from Charlie.
David Duchovny portrays the anguished Hank very well thinking over all the things he regrets and how he wish life could have taken a different direction. I like when he talks with another guy at the hospital who's waiting for news about his wife with cancer. His talk about how it's not about making your life as perfect as possible but rather doing your best to survive all the hardships is something that rings very true. As for the flashbacks, I thought the conversation between Hank and a young Becca where she asks him why they fight so much all the time was a cute little moment. This was before she would grow resentful of him after screwing up his relationship with Karen over and over again.
Unfortunately, while this had the potential to be a very emotional episode, it falls a bit flat most of the time. The dialogue is too on-the-nose, especially in the flashback scenes. We know Hank, Karen, Charlie and Marcy are best friends, but there's a better way to show that than just the characters saying "We are best friends, and I hope we always stick together". It's too melodramatic, and un-Californication. Karen's line "This doesn't change anything, you know" sticks out like a sore thumb as well. If everything goes back to exactly the way they were before, what was the point of making Karen get into a life-threatening accident? I thought the message was supposed to be how in a life-and-death situation, things you were mad about before seem so trivial now.
Definitely not the best of the series since it has its fair share of problems, but I wouldn't say it's a complete skip either. If you can get through some of the more soapy stuff.