Filthy Lucre (Californication episode)
Encyclopedia
"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.
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.
Californication (TV series)
Californication is an American comedy-drama that premiered on Showtime on August 13, 2007. The show was created by Tom Kapinos. The protagonist, Hank Moody , is a troubled novelist whose move to California, coupled with his writer's block, complicates his relationships with his longtime girlfriend...
. It was written by Ildy Modrovich
Ildy Modrovich
Ildy Modrovich is an American singer and television producer and writer best known for her work on CSI: Miami, and as the lead singer of rock band The Heavy Woolies....
, directed by Scott Z. Burns
Scott Z. Burns
Scott Z. Burns is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. He has written screenplays for The Bourne Ultimatum , The Informant! , and Contagion , all of which feature Matt Damon. His latest two films were both directed by Steven Soderbergh...
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 WoolfVirginia WoolfAdeline Virginia Woolf was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century....
, Martin AmisMartin AmisMartin Louis Amis is a British novelist, the author of many novels including Money and London Fields . He is currently Professor of Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester, but will step down at the end of the 2010/11 academic year...
, and Charles BukowskiCharles BukowskiHenry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
. 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 ChinaskiHenry ChinaskiHenry Charles "Hank" Chinaski is the semi-autobiographical protagonist of several works by the American writer Charles Bukowski. He appears in five of Bukowski's novels, a number of his short stories and poems, and the 1987 film Barfly. An author character, Chinaski's biography is largely based on...
.
- 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 geniusA Heartbreaking Work of Staggering GeniusA Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is a memoir by Dave Eggers released in 2000. It chronicles his stewardship of younger brother Christopher "Toph" Eggers following the cancer-related deaths of his parents....
," which is the name of a Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
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 LolitaLolitaLolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...
by Vladimir NabokovVladimir NabokovVladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
. 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 FightersFoo FightersFoo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
- "The Pretender" - Cheap TrickCheap TrickCheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
- "SurrenderSurrender (Cheap Trick song)"Surrender" is a single by Cheap Trick released in June 1978 from the album Heaven Tonight. It was the first Cheap Trick single to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 62...
" - The Black AngelsThe Black Angels (band)- History :Formed in May 2004, the band's name derives from the Velvet Underground song "The Black Angel's Death Song".In 2005, the Black Angels were featured on a dual-disc compilation album of psychedelic music called Psychedelica Vol.1 from Northern Star Records...
- "Black Grease" - The HeavyThe Heavy (band)The Heavy are an indie rock band who claim to be from Noid, England, allegedly a small hamlet near Bath. However, no such place appears to exist.-History:...
- "That Kind of Man"