La Ronde et Près De

Thoughts on

 

 

"You're going to be stronger in the places that are broken, uh, like Hemmingway said." 

 

Another interesting observation and kind of in theme with the episode title.  I think we all kind of live in a round cycle, forever repeating ourselves and ending up, basically, back where we started every time.  It's almost like we lead many lives in a normal lifespan, following that first pattern we set for ourselves, changing things up a little from one cycle to the next, on a good day, tweaking out the things that went wrong, hoping for a better result next time.  For all our many revolutions around the circle, and evolutions of yourself which result, it's still you, when you look in the mirror.  But at least you're alive and still trying, getting stronger in the places that are broken, as you go 'round to form your perfect circle.  I saw lots of round references in this episode, how life goes round and round, following old patterns with new twists, and how it can seem so not enough, when it's really how it's meant to be. 

 

Most everybody wants another chance, when ending with less than perfection, wants to do it different next round, and in spite of the undeniable sameness of the round and around life, there's always room for improvement and getting stronger in the places that are broken.  Meaning of life.  <g>  No more searching, there it is.     

 

I reeeally liked this episode on so many levels.  It had humor and honesty and pain and friendship.  Bromance and romance.  Nekkid!Hank in bed with Karen, sigh.  A makeshift putting/driving range, an art gallery, the Hollywood Bowl, an actual musical group playing their actual song on stage.  Hank actually turning down sex (was that a pig I just saw flying over my house?) with a beautiful, hungry, ready and willing female who'd pulled out all the stops to get him into bed, I mean, put more effort into it than most any other female on the series ever had to, and he still said no (that *was* a pig I saw!), Hank getting his immediate reward for good behavior, for a change, which means I got mine of the week, too, yum (oh ...never mind.  The flying pig was me), Karen getting hers, too, whether she realizes it or not.  Last and least, a lump on Hank's groin, instead of a bruise on his hip this week for us to worry about.

 

But we begin this week's journey at a beautiful retreat of some kind.  Could be a retirement community in Tucson or a high-end rehab center with a golf course and art therapy.  I have to assume, if it's rehab, it's on Ilene (Marcy's mom)'s dollar, because from all appearances, that wasn't Wishes in Oxnard where our quirky quartet met up for a visit and brutal honesty and hilarity.  Didn't look like the kind of place that would fit into the Runkle family budget.

 

Either way, Hank and Karen and Charlie are visiting Marcy, wherever she is, and she's spilling her guts to Charlie about all the acts of Cokie Smurf desperation she's committed against their possessions and finances.  It's part of her therapy, having to tell all, fess up to everything wrong she's done, because of drugs.  Charlie names off a few precious keepsakes Marcy has apparently pawned for drug money, and Marcy interjects that she didn't sell the wedding gift bowl she got from Hank and Karen. 

 

For my [falsely] prophetic factoid of this review, I'll have to say, Marcy and Charlie must've been together for a while, before they ever actually married, otherwise, it doesn't make sense that Hank and Karen gave them a wedding present.  "Film at eleven, literally," mim said cryptically. 

 

Casting prophecy aside, Karen pipes in that she made the bowl, Marcy knows that and says it's especially special to her for that reason.  Marcy tells Hank that this crude little ceramic bowl on the table next to him, black on the inside, red on the outside, with little multi-colored M & M-looking things decorating the perimeter, is something she made for them.  Hank picks it up, says he will treasure it always to Marcy, but then asks Karen silently what it's supposed to be.  Ashtray or an M&M dish, is my guess.  Karen just tells him silently to shut up before he hurts Marcy's feelings. 

 

Next, at Charlie's insistence, Marcy reveals she didn't get on the airplane to her mother's, despite her best intentions, because she happened across a waiter at the airport Chili's who had some blow.  They ended up snorting some and making out 'a little'.  Maybe a little tongue involved.  Charlie objects.  He doesn't want to hear this and claims Marcy wouldn't want to know if he'd done anything like that, and she's not so sure she wouldn't want to know.  She reminds Charlie he already did things like that with Dani, and she forgave him and stuck by him, and Hank seconds the notion. 

 

Karen butts in to remind Marcy that Charlie's doing that, too, that why he's here, he's sticking by her, that they all will.  Charlie looks uncomfortable, that pig, speaking of pigs, but Hank gives Charlie a reassuring pat on the arm.  Karen needlessly reminds Marcy that this is going to be rough and it's just her first week of rehab.  Hank throws in the Hemingway reference.  Marcy says she doesn't know what she'd do without Karen and Hank, and Karen says she'll never have to find out. 

 

Karen suggests she and Hank go, give the Runkles some space.  Hank can't wait to get out of there, obviously, so he rushes to Cokie Smurf (he's still calling her) to give her a hug and tell her she looks a lot better without the monkey on her back.  The hug's not enough, she tells Hank.  "What?  You want tongue?" he asks and mim snorts.  No, she wants a group hug.  Everyone complies, Marcy's feeling the love, Hank is, too, and takes advantage, fondling Karen's private parts, Charlie says he feels something sticking in his left side, and Hank says he has a broner, which considering Charlie felt it on his left, means the broner was uncharacteristically to the right, mostly.  I feel a lot better that Hank and Marcy finally had another scene together.  Cute.

 

Post opening credits, first for all the hormonal males, we see babes in bikinis, lounging around Lew's pool, then for the drooly females, we're shown Hank and Lew, standing on a kind of a bluff above Lew's house, taking turns hitting golf balls at Lew's across-the-canyon cliffsided neighbors.  Lew's wearing a kilt and he looks almost a good as Hank would in one.  Too bad Hank wasn't wearing matching apparel.  That would've been sweet.  I kept wondering whose idea it was for Lew to wear a kilt, and wondered if maybe even the kilt was one of David's, loaned to CK for the scene.  Maybe one doesn't loan their kilt to anybody.  Even if it was a loaner, David's bound to have access to more than one kilt, so it's a shame he opted for jeans, oh well.  But Hank-in-jeans is as good as Hank-in-kilt this time, because it's a sweet scene, regardless of how either of them is dressed.  I barely noticed, once I'd established who had on what.

 

They hit golf balls and comment on the results, they curse, they poke each other verbally.  Lew's apparently driving for some Janie info out of Hank, and Hank says he doesn't interview and tell.  Lew says it's his life and Hank counters that no, it isn't anymore, it's Hank's book.  Lew persists, cluing Hank in that he hasn't seen Mia in a long time, that she's promoting a book she wrote, a memoir or something?  Hank comments, that yeah, or something.  Lew insists he get a Janie crumb for his good behavior, and Hank finally tells him he can't say how he knows, but that Janie's husband is definitely cheating on her.  Lew's like 'seriously?' and Hank again tells him he'll know more after he sees her later. 

 

A running theme starts when Hank tells Lew he's seeing Janie that night.  Lew says it's uncomfortably close to a date, Hank asks if two people of the opposite gender can't rendezvous after 7PM without it being considered a date.  Lew says no, they can't.  After 7PM, it's a date.  Hank thinks that's bull.  The scene ends with Hank poking at Lew's kilted crotch with his golf club, and Lew liking it.  The bromance continues.

 

Daisy's talking on the phone at Hot Lips, Charlie comes in the front door all warm-hearted smilie.  Daisy looks so cute, sitting behind a desk, talking on the phone, obviously.  Daisy's telling the caller that no, Marcy is still out of town, but Daisy can squeeze her in with Oxsana, and the caller apparently agrees to that.  Phone call complete, she asks Charlie how the patient (Marcy) is, and Charlie complains, "Requiring all my patience."  Let me get out my violin, not.  From our short perspective of their lives together, Charlie's the one who's gone off the rails, was the first offender to the Runkle relationship, and has merely deepened and solidified his proclivity for bad behavior since.  He's no less a child than Hank or Lew is.  But maybe that's just me.

 

Rather than dwell on Marcy, Charlie tells Daisy how he really appreciates all her hard work, taking over in Marcy's absence, talking to angry clients of Marcy's, and she says it more fun than getting a cum shot in the eye and pretending to like it.  Touché.  I can't argue with that and neither than Charlie.  Conversely, Daisy thinks it's kind of cool, being a girl in an office, like in the movies, like "Devil Wears Prada" or something.  So Daisy apparently has Truman Syndrome.  I knew she was weird.  ;-P  Charlie mentions that those girls generally get paid though, and Daisy argues she isn't doing it for money, she's doing it because they took her in and made her part of the family.  I'm starting to like Daisy better. 

 

Then she tells Charlie she realizes what happened between them wouldn't happen again, and Charlie's all like, 'it won't?' with his 'bummer!' look on his face.  Daisy informs him that, sure, she's already looking for her own place.  I like Daisy even more.  Charlie suggests she can stay in the guest room for as long as she wants, just as the phone rings and Daisy decides the glamorous and important task of answering the phone is more important than answering to Charlie, so she heads for the phone, and Charlie looks at her like a proud father or something, all warm-hearted smilie and horny mixed together kind of look.  Remember, she looks really cute sitting behind a desk, talking on the phone.  Whatever.  I guess you had to be there. 

 

Hey, there's Karen!  She's home and walking across the street with her career tools, (a large portfolio case, an over-the-shoulder blueprint tube and a purse) to her home.  She's not as Hank-lucky with parking, I'll have to assume.  Sam, Lew's driver, steps out of the Rolls parked in front of her house, which is probably why Karen had to park across the street.  She asks if Karen is Karen, Karen wants to know who's asking, and Sam tells Karen 'I work for Lew Ashby', Karen asserts Sam's a long way from Laurel Canyon.  Sam deflects the comment and hands Karen an envelope.  Karen pulls out the card and remarks that all it says in 'get in the car'.  Sam claims Lew isn't one for words. 

 

Sam takes Karen's work-stuff from her hands and shoulders, informing Karen they'll have her home by eleven.  Karen wants to know where they're going.  Home from where?  Sam says she can't say exactly, but she can say it's supremely awesome, as she opens the car door and puts Karen's stuff inside.  Karen asks if Sam really expects Karen to get in that car with her?  Hey, it's Friday night, Sam says, then asks does Karen have anything better to do?  Guess not, because Karen says okay and hops in the car. 

 

There's Hank and Janie, walking through a Venice art gallery/book store, looking at paintings on the wall, while they discuss pre-date promises, what constitutes cheap dates, and significant others, namely Janie's.  Hank's in his usual attire, jeans and black dress shirt, open collar, sports coat, no tie.  He looks totally hot.  Janie looks hot, too.  I love her dress.  Looks good on her, too.  Madchen is lovely, and very reminiscent of Karen.  I can see why she almost got the role, too.  She has the same kind of exotic beauty, the same demeanor and comic timing as the straight 'man' to Hank's funny guy that Natascha does.  I'd still not be comfortable with Janie and Hank as a romantic couple, but I like her anyway.

 

Hank must've been complaining about coming to an art gallery for a date, because he tells Janie they could lift a case of the gallery's best chardonnay and go drink it at the bus stop.  Janie tells him he'd promised her they could go anywhere she wanted.  Yeah, but Hank was thinking of maybe burgers at the Apple Pan.  Ah, cheap date, is he?  Hank again reiterates that just because two people of the opposite gender meet up after 7Pm, it doesn't make it a date, trying out the theory on another test subject. 

 

Janie says Lew would beg to differ, Hank says he already has.  Janie wants confirmation that Lew knows they're out together this evening, and Hank chides her for giving a damn, as she'd previously claimed not to, instead of answering her question.  Playing Cupid again, is he?  And Lew knew, yes.  It's why he kidnapped Karen for the evening, in my opinion. 

 

Hank wants to know where Janie's betrothed thinks she is this evening, and she tells Hank he took the kids to Legoland for the weekend, finally answering that question I had about Janie having kids.  She later reaffirms it when she tells Julian she's experienced giving birth.  I would guess more than once, and I have to wonder if any of them are Lew's.  Kinda doubt it, but I still wondered.  She further suggests that Mr. Jones doesn't like Venice, feels it's dangerous, and Hank tells her where Janie's concerned, he's probably right.   

 

Hank and Janie stop at some paintings by an artist Hank recognizes, calling attention to this 'monstrosity'.  There are several paintings by a recurring artist on the wall in front of them, one who painted the picture Hank puked on in season one, early on, and the same artist of the painting Hank stole from Meredith's boyfriend and gave to Bill.  The name on the wall at the end says 'Ramiro Favre', I believe.  Google search turned up no painter references, however.  I see this same work and bizarre theme pop up all over, from time to time, and in fact, the same paintings Hank barfed on and later stole are both hanging on the wall, the stolen one hanging vertically, rather than horizontally, if I'm not mistaken.  Hank and Janie stop to peruse them more carefully. 

                                                                                                                                                    

Janie says she likes the paintings (!) and what the paintings make her feel.  Hank asks, 'alienated, nauseous, culturally dispossessed?'  Janie says, no, horny, causing Hank to cough up his cheese cube onto another of this artist's paintings.  He coughs and chokes, as Janie rushes to aid his cough and clatter, and Sonja appears out of nowhere to see what's the matter.  I made a deliberate, holiday-themed rhyme, yeah.  Hank says it was the cheese cube, Janie tells Sonja something went down the wrong pipe, then Hank gives Sonja a big hug, still coughing and sputtering.  Janie looks on, a little confused, I believe. 

 

Hug complete, Hanks tells Sonja this time that it was 'cheese cube' causing the problem and Janie introduces herself to Sonja, and Sonja reciprocates.  She asks when Sonja is due and she answers with 'six weeks'.  Janie tells her she looks great with that inner-tube around her waist.  Not really.  She doesn't mention the inner-tube.  That was me embellishing what Janie said, which is that Sonja looked great. 

 

She then asks how Hank and Sonja know each other.  Sonja hesitates, looks to Hank for guidance, but Hank points to the paintings, makes a barfing gesture and Sonja gets the little inside joke.  Voice and normal breathing recovered, Hank dives in to declare he and Sonja have no secrets, so Sonja spills the beans, tells Janie that Hank's the father of her baby.  Hank corrects that to the *alleged* father of Sonja's bump, still to be determined, as he gives the bump a little pat or three.  Janie's surprised again, two out of her next three words being 'wow'. 

 

Sonja says she's surprised to see Hank, and informs him he's walked right into a big ol' Julian trap.  This is Julian's gallery, she tells him, then laments telling him, because he'll never come there again, right?  Mos def, is the impression I got from Hank.  Sonja remarks to Janie that Hank's a slippery one, and Janie agrees wholeheartedly.   

 

Janie wants to know who Julian is, and Sonja refers to the Artist Within, and Hank spots Julian over sniffing of a waifish but lovely young woman across the room.  She must be pregnant.  Hank tells Janie that that's 'Salvador Dali' aka Julian.  Janie remains unimpressed. 

 

Hank says they're gallery hopping this evening and he and Janie need to get on to the next hop.  Janie acts like she doesn't want to leave, doesn't know what Hank's talking about, Sonja says they can't leave until they've said hello to Julian, and Hank says, well, yeah, actually, they could and mim laughs.  Janie reminds Hank he'd said they could do whatever she wanted on their date, Hank says that doesn't sound like him, mim laughs again.  But Janie wins out, she wants to stay, and she follows Sonja's lead to Julian.  Hank tells Janie she doesn't know him well enough to punish him in this fashion.

 

Charlie's sitting at the Hot Lips front desk, mourning over Marcy spending all the petty cash, too, from the looks of the books he's pouring over, several months too late.  A spacey, but clean-cut young man walks in the door and Charlie assumes he's there to get his pubes plucked, and rushes to turn him away.  But he's come for Daisy.  They're going on a date.  Charlie's instantly jealous.  Daisy comes out, everybody thinks she looks hot, except me, Charlie puts on the concerned father act, questioning the guy about his private business, and we find out his name is Steve and he works at the Sharper Image across the street. 

 

The young man eventually goes outside to wait for Daisy, while Daisy tells Charlie she just wants to be normal and do normal things.  Charlie fakes liking the idea and being happy for her, but she offers to blow it off to stay and help Charlie.  No, she should go be normal.  Charlie's seething with sexual jealousy when she leaves. 

 

Karen's alone and on foot now, coming up over the darkened Hollywood Bowl at dusk, a large hill and a sparse few trees atop it and the sun below it behind her.  She's looking all around in wonder, when the stage lights up in sunset colors and Lili Haydn fires up her "Saddest Sunset".  Lew appears about this time.  Karen has a ticket that says the concert starts at 8:30 and she had no idea they could be so prompt.  Karen assumes Lew doesn’t like crowds and he confirms he has 'issues', something Karen responds like, 'you don't say?' sarcastically to.  Lew asks if she intends to stay and she's like, why not?  Beautiful evening.  Lew's happy.  Karen asks where they'll sitting in the totally empty venue.  Lew says they can probably squeeze up front, he knows people.  Off they go to their seats.

 

Hank and Janie are still at the gallery, talking to Sonja and Julian.  Hank asks Julian what he uses on his moustache; flavored or surfboard wax, perhaps?  Janie asks what hospital Sonja's using for the birth and oh my, no hospitals!  They're doing a home water birth.  Julian says it's much easier on the child and more sensual for the woman, facilitates the birth orgasm.  Hanks interjects, asking for confirmation the child will be born in a pool, which they confirm, so he assumes that boy or girl doesn't matter, Sonja's expecting a sea monkey?  Sonja scolds him and informs Hank it's a boy. 

 

Julian gets Janie's attention by touching her hand across the bar.  Janie looks taken aback, but doesn't appear to recoil exactly.  Sonja tells Hank she and Julian have a home ultrasound and check things frequently, and seems to think she'd already informed Hank of that.  No, she hasn't, Hank says, but well, everybody has a home ultrasound, don't they?  Sonja tells Janie Hank hasn't always been this involved with the pregnancy, something she has no trouble believing, and Julian claims Hank will live to regret his negligence. 

 

Julian asks Janie if she's experienced birth.  Yes, she has.  But she's never had a birth orgasm?  No, she hasn't.  Janie's clearly bewildered at Julian's probing personal questions and touchiness already, but Hank suggests Janie let Julian get a reading on her, he can gauge Janie's negativity!  She tries to object, she and Hank need to go do that next thing now, but too late.  Julian has hold of her hand, feeling and sniffing.  Hank asks Janie if she's sure she doesn't want to stay and hear about the birth orgasm, just yanking her chain for getting them both into this unpleasantness. 

 

Julian interrupts and tells Janie she has beautiful eyes, and that whatever sorrow she's experienced in life, she's obviously transcended.  Then out of the blue, he asks if she's menstruating.  'Menstruating?' Janie repeats.  Hank's had enough fun, and physically removes Janie from Julian's grasp.

 

Sonja insists Julian was just being funny, he didn't mean it to be sexual, but Julian claims he DID mean it sexually, as he grabs Hank's face in both hands, eventually fondling Hank's right breast through his jacket.  I was about to fall out of my seat laughing at Hank's reaction to Julian's physical assault.  There's nothing wrong with a healthy interest in the sexuality of others, according to Julian!  Janie says Julian's suggesting group sex, isn't he, and she's married!  "Oh, now you're married?" Hank asks, and I laughed again.  Julian confirms that of course, he's suggesting group sex!  The four of them have this wonderful pansexual chemistry! 

 

Janie's already headed for the door, but Hank tells her to remove herself from the premises, he's going to take a bullet for her.  He invites Julian for a hug, tells him he really wants it bad, but he's just not ready.  He books for Janie and the door and Sonja asks Julian what the Hell that was supposed to be.  Julian confesses he likes Hank, that's all.  Don't blame him a bit for giving it a shot, either.  Funny scene.  I loved it.   

 

Charlie's still at Hot Lips, preparing to indulge in his Chinese food, all alone.  Sniff.  But in walks Daisy.  She's blown off her date, rather than blow him, I guess, and Charlie pretends like he's disappointed she didn't go through with her normal date normally, yeah right.  Daisy's all like, 'yeah, I know, totally dysfunctional,' but tells Charlie she forgot something.  She whips a Blockbuster DVD case out of her purse and reminds Charlie how much she loves Dirty Dancing.  Besides, friends don't let friend wallow alone.  Is Charlie ready for the time of his life, Daisy asks like an actor from Dirty Dancing.  Charlie pulls two little plastic packages out of his Chinese food bag, and I still have no idea what they are.  Chopsticks, maybe?  And since he had two sets, he was sorta kinda expecting Daisy to blow off her date and join him for dinner?  Not sure, but Daisy kind of gasps when he pulls them out of the bag, whatever they are. 

 

There's Hank and Janie, walking down the sidewalk toward us.  Janie laughs and claims it's not everyday you meet a man who's impregnated a cult member.  Hank finds it necessary to let Janie know there were a lot of inebriating substances involved and that it was only the once.  We all know once (and one sperm guy) is all it takes ...well, everyone but Hank knows that, apparently.  Janie comments on Hank's palpable potency, and he just has to tell her he used to be very potent, but he's since been snipped, so he isn't anymore.  Oooh ...Janie finds that excellent foreplay.  Hank says that's his 'A' material, that later he would've come right out and announced his infertility.  Total turn-on to Janie, and Hank's pleased she likes that.

 

For some reason, that reminds Janie she has the notebook Hank left at her house.  She gets it out of the car, and Hank says he hopes she filled in all the blanks for him.  No, but Janie figures Hank can do that, maybe follow her back to her place.  'For the proverbial nightcap?' Hank wants to know.  Oh yeah, Janie affirms.  Hank says he'll have to turn down her very tempting offer.

 

"Wow ...rejected!" Janie and mim exclaim near-simultaneously.

 

That pig flies over, while Hank suggests Janie not look at it that way.  Pretend Hank's gay, why don't we?  Yeah, he's a big fat gay, he tells Janie to her merriment.  But she asks quickly if Hank's refusal is because she's married.  Yeah, because she's married, because she's Lew's girl, and because he has this strange feeling about Janie.  He can't believe he's saying it aloud, but he feels like he doesn't want to have sex with her just the once, although he's sure she'd "enjoy the shit out of it." 

 

Well duh.  But there he goes again, bragging.  Only okay, this time it's to somebody he hasn't already bequeathed the gift of his lovemaking, and has to let her know he's awesome in bed and it isn't bedroom insecurity causing the problem, I suppose.  But really, why make it crueler?  'I can't do it for you, and boy should you be sorry, or what?!'  Hank, Hank, Hanky.  Talk about mean, mean, mean... 

 

And yeah, it was a achingly romantic thing to say to a beautiful woman he just turned down for sex, but I couldn't help wonder what the implications of that emotion might be.  Because if he'd said that to me, first I'd faint dead away (but not really because I wouldn't want to miss anything), but next I'd have it in my head that Hank was telling me, in his adorable roundabout way, that he was afraid I might be someone he could very easily fall in love with, given the opportunity and the sex to help him along, and wasn't sure he wanted to find out.  He's a man on a mission, after all; to get back with Karen and make it stick, this time, and get Lew and Janie back together.  If he had sex and fell in love with Janie, that would totally mess everything up.  No can do, but still a sweet thought for her to keep in her head, when she thinks about the night Hank turned her down and pigs grew wings. 

 

Janie's not ready to give up yet, probably because of what Hank just said to her, and tells him she doesn't expect Hank to get this chance again, grabs his face in both hands and really lays one on him.  Love the "Uh ...oh..." when she kisses him like she means it.  She turns him around and backs him into her car, chowing down on Hank's lips.  He breaks free momentarily to tell her she's mean, but she shuts him up again, he says, 'uh.  Oh,' again, Janie shuts him up again.  Hank hums as he backs up, finally moving his humming lips out of Janie's reach.  Mean, mean, mean, mean.  Janie's just mean.  And Hank's still going to have to say no.  Somebody lasso that winged pig!  We need evidence!

 

Now Janie's pretty incensed that her seductiveness isn't doing it for Hank.  So she's just like a story for Hank's book?! Janie asks pissily.  Hank gives her this killer look, shit-eating grin on his face, and tells her she ain't baiting him into changing his mind, Janie Jones, and he does the cutest, weirdest little move with his head as he pushes himself away from the car and past Janie.  I've watched it in slow motion a few times and I still can't figure out what he does, exactly.  Looks almost like he kisses her shoulder as he whizzes by, but I guess maybe it's just more teasing; acting like he's going to kiss her, but flying right on by.  Anyway, it's kind of cute.  Just wish I could actually see if he connected or not.

 

He asks Janie what's so sexy about vasectomies.  Janie slithers toward Hank as she says it means he can commit, give his whole heart to someone, go above and beyond to please a woman.  Oh, so a woman, a castrating female made him do it, eh?  Whatever, but Janie knows Hank's not just some stray dog.  He belongs to somebody.  Hanks asserts that it takes one to know one.  Janie grows an impish grin, whirls around and walks away.  Hank tells Janie about how Lew throws these big parties and people come and drink his booze and pretend to be his friends.  Janie says she's heard.  Hank adds, 'the guest of honor never shows.'  Janie smiles again, a kind of sad look on her face, anyway, and gets in her car.  Hank heads for his, puffing on his cig.

 

Daisy and Charlie are coming up on the end of the movie, Charlie tells her he's had enough, she says it's pretty much over once Baby comes out of the corner, anyway, and Charlie pauses the movie.  They have an enlightening discussion about Charlie's past and future, where he whines about the big Marcy circle he's been around several times now, and is about to embark on again, where he's always miserable and ends up right back where he started.  Boo-hoo. 

 

Daisy says it doesn't sound entirely bad to her.  Go, Daisy.  Charlie reluctantly agrees that you choose your partner for the dance and you can't just sit out the dance, right, but you can tell he doesn't mean it for a second.  Speaking of dance, Daisy wants to dance the last dance of the season with Charlie.  Charlie doesn't think it's such a great idea, but Daisy insists it's nothing carnal.  Just a simple box step.  Charlie finally takes her hand and they dance, Daisy throwing in one Dirty Dancing move, just to make it interesting.

 

We see Lew walking around to let Karen out of his Rolls.  He helps her out and she thanks him for the great evening, and he comments on how it's not the music, but when and where you hear it, and Karen agrees.  He remembers her work stuff in the car, reaches in to get it for her, and tells her as he hands it all to her that he doesn't have a lot of girls working the Jumbo's Clown Room that have briefcases and shit, which makes Karen laugh.   

 

Karen says something like, 'Lew, it's been real,' sticking out her hand for a shake.  Lew's not happy they're going to shake hands, but Karen says it's her date and her rules, right, so Lew accepts her offer and takes her hand.  So it's a date, Lew asks.  Yes, anytime two people meet after seven it's a date, according to Karen.  Lew's so glad to meet someone willing to admit it, because nobody else has the balls to call a date a date, Lew complains, meaning Hank. 

 

Lew can't seem to let go of Karen's hand, tells her she reminds him of someone he used to know.  Karen says he should take her to the Hollywood Bowl, because it was a great date.  Lew says he used to all the time.  They'd sit in the cheap seats, he claims.  He says if he had the chance to do it again...  Karen tells him he thinks he'd do it different, he's kidding himself.  People always say that, but they always do the same thing again.  No, Lew learns from his mistakes.  Karen am becomes skeptical.  Lew tries to kiss Karen.  She recoils, she laughs!  Lew's insane!  Okay, he admits, he is, but life's too boring not to try.  Karen will give him that.  He's right. 

 

She thanks him again for a great evening, and gives him a kiss on the cheek.  He takes advantage, grabs her and tries to kiss her again.  She gets away by laughing, not believing he's trying it again!  Truce!  Lew wants a truce as he backs off.  Karen likes that, a truce, shoots him the peace sign and suggests they end on a peaceful note.  Lew throws a fake punch at the car window that Sam's sitting behind, waiting to do her job, gets in his car laughing at his antics, and off he goes.

 

Karen starts across the street and can't find her keys.  Hank pulls up, music blasting, and stops in Lew's vacated parking space, scolding Karen all the way from his car to her side about how dangerous it is for her to be loitering around her doorway in the dark without her keys in her hand.  She looks like a victim from one of those self-defense videos, he teases.  Anybody could jump out and grab her, a stranger could be waiting for her.  Karen claims a strange guy *was* waiting for her, meaning Hank, asks if he stalking her.  Hank's like. 'what?!' and says if he was stalking her, he wouldn't have to ask where's she's been tonight.  Is he asking her, she asks?  She doesn't have to tell him, Hank acquiesces.  Good, because she won't, Karen answers.

 

Oh, but Hank just has to tell her where he's been, even if she doesn't want to know.  She doesn't want to know.  No, no, he's got to tell her what he *didn't* do.  He tells Karen he went out on a date (after spending the entire day denying his rendezvous with Janie was a date, I noticed, it's suddenly a date), with a beautiful, amazing woman, Karen starts to object, but Hank spits out that he did *NOT* have sex with her!  Karen's jaw drops and her eyes widen.  Seriously, he cock-blocked himself, he remained chaste, he kept his eye on the big picture, he exercised some impulse control!  I love the way he says, 'impulse control!' for some reason.  He looks and sounds so adorable. 

 

Karen says, yeah he had impulse control right up to the time he got in his car and drove over to tell Karen about it.  Okay, Ms. Snarky, maybe he couldn't help but want to tell you.  He was excited and proud of himself and wanted to share that with her, so she shouldn't be so mean.  Beast.  At least she thanks him for telling her, but says she's gonna go on inside now, expecting Hank to leave.  But then he gets all boyishly cute again, and he stops her with this anxious look and a 'well...'  Karen's like, why is he looking at her like that?  Hank wants to know how he's looking at her.  Like he wants a reward or something.  Does she have something, Hank wants to know?  She has a biscuit, a cookie, she teases. 

 

Hank leans in for a kiss.  She acts like she's going to accept, but backs away with a scolding, "Hank...", but he persists, yum, and she can't refuse him again.  She instantly melts, grabs on for the long haul.  Hank backs through the door and up the steps backwards, Karen attached to his lips.  Ahhh...

 

"That was very rewarding," Hank says, as we look down from the ceiling at Nekkid!Hank, snuggling in bed with Karen.  Karen says she had to find out if she could still break through that famous impulse control of Hank's.  Apparently she can, Hank says.  They smooch and talk at the same time, Hank asking if Becca's really at a friend's and not with Damien.  Karen's all indignant.  Of course she's not with Damien!  Is Hank insane?  No, but Hank knows Karen is, and clicks his tongue.  She can be a wildcat in the sack, remember.  :clicks tongue:  Karen says she doesn't want to talk about that and Hank asks what she wants to talk about. 

 

She gets all propped up on his bare chest and admits she wants to know about his date.  He really just shut that poor woman down?  Yeah, he shut her down, he was the boss.  He admits he kissed her (when actually, she kissed him, and I wish he'd clarified that part), which Karen thinks is gross, but he's just sayin' ... he refrained.  He refrained from tapping that ass?  He refrained from tapping that ass.  Karen asks if that was a first, and thank God Hank finally gets to tell her that no, it wasn't, while he kisses her again.  Yay for Hank and I hope Karen remembers that.  I have to admit, she looks like she's really thinking about it, 'He's turned down women before?  When?!  Hmmm ...maybe he really does love me best!' 

 

Hank reminds her that they still don't know why she was so late returning home.  Wild evening at the book club, OD on estrogen and had to come home for a little...?  Karen lies and says yes, at first, then admits she was on a date.  Hank thinks *that's* gross, but she insists it was quite fun.  Oh, now she's disgusting and Hank doesn't want to hear that, turning over on his side and away from her.  Well, he's going to hear it anyway, unless he can stop her, she taunts, rolling over and melding herself to his backside, reaching under the sheets for his most sensitive area.  Can he stop her, hmmm?    

 

During her conversation-stopping exploration, Karen finds something in the area she's not used to finding and asks Hank what it is.  That's a male member he thought she'd met, he tells her.  No, *that* she emphasizes by touching what's obviously a sore spot, because Hank jumps and says, 'ow!', this time.  What is that, she asks again?  It's his groin, and yeah, he lets go of a really crisp 'gr' sound that comes out sounding a little like 'coin'.  But I had bionic hearing help when I watched it the first time, and he says 'groin'.  Second viewing, with captioning, it reads 'groin', as well.  Regardless, our couple is obviously freaked.  Karen asks Hank if he's always had that, and Hank shakes his head, looking rightfully concerned in close-up, and Karen says Hank's name again, as we cut to black.

 

Ack!  Way to spoil the sweetest love scene we've had all season, Gina [Fattore]!  <g>  No really, I loved the whole episode, well, except maybe all the Daisy and Charlie schmoopiness, and even that had me liking Daisy better, but Charlie less, so not a total loss.  Charlie's regressing into childhood.  He strikes me as the epitome of mid-life crisis, but he's an idiot for chasing after a youngster like Daisy and is old enough to know better, thinking they actually have some kind of beautiful future together.  Bleh. 

 

But every scene with Hank in it was wonderful, typically hilarious or heartbreaking or both, compelling and thought-provoking, as usual, and I hate that we ended the ep with me all worried again, moisture sloshing around in my eyes.  Figures something horrible would happen to Hank, just when it looks like he's finally making some legitimate progress.  But I also see the potential good which could come out of such a circumstance, since everything happens for a reason, and one can only hope such a potential threat to one's healthy existence could really open some eyes...  Hopefully, at least four of them.  Still, I'm left hoping it’s nothing to worry about and that it'll merely bring Hank and Karen closer in their mutual concern, in the meantime.  Fingers crossed.

 

Random thoughts. 

 

- I remain baffled by the building Hank and now Karen lives in, and always have been.  There's a 'front door' at street level that locks, but when they have company, everyone who's visited, expected or otherwise, shows up at Door Number Two, the actual door to the apartment, itself, rather than the stairway.  So I'm having to assume that Hank/Karen's apartment is the only one in the building, or perhaps any neighbors have a separate street-level entryway to their place.  In other words, you can't get to the neighbors apartment from Hank's place.  You'd have to go back down to the street and enter through a second door.  We've never had any mention of neighbors that I remember, but I still have to wonder if there's a Door Number One somewhere.  Nevertheless, I suppose when they're home and/or expecting company, the street-level door remains unlocked and open to allow visitors to reach their front door, and that would almost have to mean there's no one else living there who might not want the street level door left open or unlocked.

 

-I've always been curious about the lushness of the vegetation outside both the double glass doors, leading outside from the kitchen and master bedroom.  I'm having to guess the building has some sort of hillside immediately behind it, perhaps is even built into the hillside, otherwise, I have no idea how they could have the patio and fabulous garden-like vegetation on the second level of the building.  It's almost like a backyard, with trees and hedges behind a wall around the patio, but the apartment's not on ground level.  The outdoor part of the apartment has played quite prominently into several episodes now (and I'm thinking of the mermaid-counting scene, the after-dinner-with-Dad California Son argument between Hank and Karen, and the marriage proposal scene, as I speak), and I've always wondered how the building would be situated to allow for even the small backyard, trees and bushes and generous patio area they seem to have.  Maybe it's a rooftop patio and the trees around the building are just really tall?  I realize all the indoor scenes are shot in the studio, but I've never been able to entirely dismiss the apparent configuration of the building it's supposed to be in.  Very quirky, like the family who lives there.  

 

- Also, the graffiti on the outside of the building; I've noticed all the graffiti doesn't appear to be painted directly onto the brick building, but rather painted onto a panel of some kind, and just attached in some way to the wall.  Took me until this ep to start wondering if maybe the graffiti is painted onto removable panels, so they can put it on the building, just for the time they'll be shooting any outside scenes, to make the building funkier and more distinctive, but then it's taken down when shooting's done, to make the building more aesthetically pleasing to the neighbors and make it slightly harder for curious Cali fans to identify the building without the identifying graffiti.  You know, fans who might annoy the neighborhood by driving by and stopping to take their pictures in front of it ...knocking on the door and breaking in and stuff.  <g>  Curious fans like me.  No, I wouldn't be breaking in or purposely annoying the neighbors, but I'd love to see the building sometime, mostly just to find out if the graffiti's a real part of the building or put there by the Cali crew.  Anybody know the building personally?  I'd love to hear from somebody who knows the area and the building to clarify the graffiti-ness of the building in its natural, non-Moody residential state.

 

Enough obsessing over trivialities.  In closing, I have to say again how much I loved this episode.  Hank turning Janie down and Karen so obviously taken with the idea that Hank actually turned someone down for sex sort of vindicates my position on Hank's previous total lack of impulse control.  I said before that Hank needed to show Karen that he's always thinking of her and trying to respect her as his one-and-only once in a while, because I always figured that's the Hank she was hoping to see.  She needed proof he wasn't just a hopeless pleasure seeker, some sign that sex with loose women isn't all Hank thinks about when he's not with Karen, that he can actually be tempted and rise above the temptation, let his love for Karen outweigh that weightiness in his jeans, for a change. 

 

You see how she reacts, when Hank merely relays he avoided temptation?  I know the problems are a lot more complicated between them than Hank constantly thinking with his dick, his inability to say no to a beautiful woman, begging him for sex, since that really isn't what caused their first break-up, but it's still a great start on the road to relationship recovery and I was so proud of Hank, I was ready to bust.  Very cool that Karen was, too, that she gave him his reward for good behavior, giving him a reason to do it again and again in the future.  Or one can hope he will.  He'll remember how rewarding it turned out for him, denying himself the thrill of the strange, and maybe won't be so quick to go inside the next willing female.  Works both ways, and I loved how this one turned out, even with the scariness at the end.

 

Wow, only three more eps, and my heart's breaking already.  Still no word or even a hint as to whether there will be a Season Three.  No idea which way it'll go from here, but let me just confirm again how much I hope this season doesn't have to be all there is.  If it is all there is, if it has to be that way, then so be it.  I can accept it as necessary, and again, my sincerest gratitude to Showtime and everyone involved for the funnest two seasons of Duchovny TV I can remember this century, anyway.  They have my forever reverence and thanks for the mimories.  :tugs left earlobe 3 times:  Thanks for reading and see you next week, lord willin'.        

 

 

 

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