What I’m Watching: Bored to Death

Bored to Death: Season 2, Episode 3 “The Gowanas Canal Has Gonorrhea!” (B+)

Jonathan always does get himself in sticky situations. This week’s mess, of course, is a leftover problem from two week’s ago when Jonathan escaped from the dungeon. This show has a marvelous sardonic tone that really works well, and all of its characters, especially the guest ones in this episode, conform to it excellently. It’s no surprise that Jonathan’s kidnappers don’t have their business together, and that Jonathan doesn’t exactly take them seriously, evidenced by how he responds to all of their questions and demands. I like the fact that George and Ray come to his rescue, and that George was so stoned that he didn’t realize that his surprise assault should take place at a time the kidnappers didn’t expect. His notes taken in the air were also quite impressive, and I like that he’s bonding with Ray, even if the bearded guy isn’t terribly receptive to his friendship. George shooting Ray in the head probably won’t help them, but I do love that it didn’t even really faze Ray, at least physically. George’s discovery of his cancer is a sad turn of events, though I’m sure this show will manage to turn in into a wacky emotional journey even more peculiar than that of Cathy on “The Big C.” Jonathan now once again finds himself single, and his breakup wasn’t all that pleasant this time around either. It might be some comfort to him, however, that in this case, it really wasn’t him or his love for wine - it was someone else.