CIty girls are usually impressed by helicopters , as they become ex wives generally less so. One has to wonder if an amorous or some other kind of bravado fog contributed to this event.
Another angle being; he was as comfortable with IMC and bad weather as the deceased Russian fellow featured on YouTube smoking a cigarette and covering the AI with a sticky note.
The weather is bad but not unworkable. A perfect cover for "stunting". I am sure the coffee in the pilots lounge was strong but I have trouble believing it was completely panic inducing to the point of losing all ability to tell the difference between the river and surrounding built up area. Being trapped in featureless foothills with a low ceiling between passes is another story.
Unconsciousness typically occurs before a vfr rated pilot decides to climb back into IMC conditions after soiling himself from having the luck to survive the first encounter. Landing in the low rise district might have its share of questions and paperwork, but to find oneself again at the top of the high rise district? I question if the weather was as formidable mental barrier as we'd like to believe for this pilot.