"Californication" Season 6 Premiere Recap, Spoilers: Back From the Dead, What's in Store for Hank Moody Now?

Hank Moody lives! Of course. But not everyone is so lucky in the season 6 premiere of "Californication" on Showtime.

The David Duchovny vehicle has become a parody of its earlier, edgier, more exciting seasons, but it's just so hard to let Hank go.

After yet another brush with death just as he was about to finally truly reconcile with soulmate and baby momma Karen, Hank awakes in the hospital to find his ex-girlfriend Carrie has poisoned them both.

She's on life support, and he is unscathed, except for a bitter tongue-lashing by one of her friends. Last time I checked, it's not cool to blame the victim of an attempted murder-suicide. (Pro-tip: blaming the victim is never cool.) But Hank takes it personally, because everything's about him, and his cavalcade of codependent friends and family fall all over themselves trying to help him, giving themselves a convenient "rock-bottom" with which to optimistically compare their own shambled lives and relationships.

Perhaps that's some of the appeal of "Californication."

"Hey, I may hate my job and my kids and my empty bed, but at least I'm not as bad off as Hank Moody."

While the formerly sharp writing has dulled against the demands of 60-some original episodes, the quips and sexually suggestive metaphors continue to fly, fast-paced and filthy. The old gang is back, after a housecleaning. Marcy divorced Stu, Charlie plays babysitter, Karen is single and still pining, Becca ditches both Tyler and college, and Hank eventually says yes, yes, yes to rehab.

Maybe that will push both the character and Duchovny himself into more interesting territory.

Hank used to wallow in self-pity before surfacing with poignant prose and a naked woman. Now he just stumbles around and drinks his own piss -- no writing, and the wrong kind of ladykilling.

The show used to be smart and funny, but now it's descended into emotional slapstick. Still, some things bode well for the new season. A hopefully sober Hank has an opportunity to write again, paired with this season's imaginary celebrity, a hedonistic Brit-pop songwriter who hopes to turn one of Hank's novels into a rock opera.

We'll see if future episodes end up like "Hedwig" or "Rock of Ages."