What I’m Watching: Bored to Death

Bored to Death: Season 1, Episode 7 “The Case of the Stolen Sperm” (B+)

It seems like the first season of this show has flown by, with only one episode left, and must when it was starting to get really good, it’s off the air. The same thing happened with “Hung,” but that at least had ten episodes instead of the mere eight this show has. Luckily, both are coming back, and hopefully the time off should allow the creative team behind this show ample time to prepare a new slate of cases and misadventures for Jonathan, Ray, and George. The direct involvement of Ray in this case was fun, especially since it was never explicitly stated that he was acting as a client of Jonathan’s, as opposed to a show like “Burn Notice” where even the best of friends are considered clients in times of good need. Jonathan’s willingness to drop everything and help his bud out is part of what makes him a great friend, and it’s a good thing because he’s only really got two friends. His chance encounter with Suzanne was a fun touch, and a signal that perhaps she’ll be back in the future as a result of Jonathan’s effortless, happenstance encounters with her in the midst of all his cases. The fact that Ray’s lesbian friends were selling his sperm was a bit of a shock, but his reaction was pretty hilarious, and their interview process was terrific. Jonathan’s fear of the cops being called is very amusing, and there’s something about the desperate way he says it that just makes it funnier. George and Jonathan challenging their nemeses to a physical fight certainly won’t work out well for them, but it’s entertaining to see them bite off more than they can chew, and Oliver Platt and John Hodgman (the PC from the I’m a Mac/I’m a PC commercial) make for great, preposterous challengers. I like that the episode ended on a “To be continued” note since it’s such a wondrous over-dramatization of a comic situation. Looking forward to next week!