(First off, did anybody else notice that you can watch this episode right now (a week before its official air date!) on "Showtime On-Demand"??? I thought that was really weird! Maybe Showtime made a mistake or something...)
Spoilers:
The thing about this episode that I liked the most was the symbolic nature of the ending.
In this episode's final moments, after Hank and Karen have a very deep, emotional break-up conversation in the backyard, Hank decides that he "can't stay" in the same house as Karen, because he loves Karen too much to be around her, now that he knows that Karen doesn't see him as "the one" anymore. Hank goes inside, kisses his daughter goodbye, and then walks out the front door. The whole while "Free Bird" is playing, which is the first big "symbolic gesture" of this scene. This symbolizes that Hank will no longer be held down to any moral bases by Karen. To take it a step further, Hank then sells his ring to a bum. This also symbolizes a release from Karen. In addition, this act infers a submission of responsibility by Hank! It should also be noted that in this scene Hank is wearing all dark clothes (As opposed to the white T-shirts he had been seen wearing a few times in the past few episodes). After giving up his ring, Hank lights his cigarette back up again, symbolizing a return to addiction and bad habits. Then in the final scene, which gave me chills, you see Hank drive away as he smokes his cigarette and "Free Bird" starts getting louder in the background. In my opinion, the writers made this ending the way it is in order to tell some of us aggravated fans that "Hank is back!" And I couldn't be happier about this!
Throughout the previous episodes of Season 2, we have seen what I like to call "the new Hank." I use this term due to the fact that after the rekindling of his relationship with Karen, Hank "Moody" changed into Hank "Non Moody". The Hank from Season 1 had many vices and few virtues. He was a depressed "free bird" who couldn't get through a single day without sex and cigarettes. In addition he was always seen wearing dark clothes (usually a dark green blazer, a dark blue or black shirt, and dark jeans) to symbolize this "Moody" side of Hank. This "old hank" was quite entertaining to watch, especially when he would flirt with girls, or speak in words of such beautiful, poetic despair (So many great one-liners). This "New Hank (aka "Married Hank"), however heartwarming it was to see him back with Karen, had turned into such a boring, one-dimensional character! He avoided sex (except for Karen) like the plague, quit cigarettes, landed a job, changed his wardrobe to include white t-shirts (symbolic of happiness), and he became overall happy! This totally sucks, because the best part about Hank Moody is the dark side of Hank Moody. Watching a happy, loyal Hank Moody is like not even watching Hank Moody at all. For the Hank that we all know and love is the Hank that gets involved in threesomes, who hooks up with hookers, who gets high and has sex on his ex-girlfriend's husband's bed, who smokes cigarette while sulking in his narcissistic despair. And guess what... he's back! And I think this ending was much needed for the future of this series. Especially in keeping up with the title of the show ("Fornication")!... and for the first time since last season's finale, I can't wait to see the next episode (Titled "Vaginatown").
Spoilers:
The thing about this episode that I liked the most was the symbolic nature of the ending.
In this episode's final moments, after Hank and Karen have a very deep, emotional break-up conversation in the backyard, Hank decides that he "can't stay" in the same house as Karen, because he loves Karen too much to be around her, now that he knows that Karen doesn't see him as "the one" anymore. Hank goes inside, kisses his daughter goodbye, and then walks out the front door. The whole while "Free Bird" is playing, which is the first big "symbolic gesture" of this scene. This symbolizes that Hank will no longer be held down to any moral bases by Karen. To take it a step further, Hank then sells his ring to a bum. This also symbolizes a release from Karen. In addition, this act infers a submission of responsibility by Hank! It should also be noted that in this scene Hank is wearing all dark clothes (As opposed to the white T-shirts he had been seen wearing a few times in the past few episodes). After giving up his ring, Hank lights his cigarette back up again, symbolizing a return to addiction and bad habits. Then in the final scene, which gave me chills, you see Hank drive away as he smokes his cigarette and "Free Bird" starts getting louder in the background. In my opinion, the writers made this ending the way it is in order to tell some of us aggravated fans that "Hank is back!" And I couldn't be happier about this!
Throughout the previous episodes of Season 2, we have seen what I like to call "the new Hank." I use this term due to the fact that after the rekindling of his relationship with Karen, Hank "Moody" changed into Hank "Non Moody". The Hank from Season 1 had many vices and few virtues. He was a depressed "free bird" who couldn't get through a single day without sex and cigarettes. In addition he was always seen wearing dark clothes (usually a dark green blazer, a dark blue or black shirt, and dark jeans) to symbolize this "Moody" side of Hank. This "old hank" was quite entertaining to watch, especially when he would flirt with girls, or speak in words of such beautiful, poetic despair (So many great one-liners). This "New Hank (aka "Married Hank"), however heartwarming it was to see him back with Karen, had turned into such a boring, one-dimensional character! He avoided sex (except for Karen) like the plague, quit cigarettes, landed a job, changed his wardrobe to include white t-shirts (symbolic of happiness), and he became overall happy! This totally sucks, because the best part about Hank Moody is the dark side of Hank Moody. Watching a happy, loyal Hank Moody is like not even watching Hank Moody at all. For the Hank that we all know and love is the Hank that gets involved in threesomes, who hooks up with hookers, who gets high and has sex on his ex-girlfriend's husband's bed, who smokes cigarette while sulking in his narcissistic despair. And guess what... he's back! And I think this ending was much needed for the future of this series. Especially in keeping up with the title of the show ("Fornication")!... and for the first time since last season's finale, I can't wait to see the next episode (Titled "Vaginatown").
