What I’m Watching: Bored to Death (Season Premiere)

Bored to Death: Season 3, Episode 1 “The Blonde in the Woods” (B+)

It’s a pleasure to have this show back, a series that I had forgotten all about but found instantly enjoyable once again just moments into the premiere. Jonathan releasing his new book reminds of his semi-celebrity status, where he is an esteemed author but no one actually knows or cares who he is, save for his own parents, who are willing to stand on line to have him autograph their copy. Ray getting to see his kid once a week now that the sperm-stealing lesbians have divorced is a pleasant surprise, but the fact that he moved so quickly to breastfeed his son with whiskey was rather disturbing. Jonathan’s own discovery about being concerned about a sperm bank should lead to some interesting and eccentric soul-searching this show, but for the moment he’ll have to deal with having been framed for a murder and currently hanging in an extremely precarious position off a giant clock. I enjoyed many of George’s lines to Jonathan in this episode, particularly “I’m at a loss as to how to console you, so I’ll pay for lunch” and “Is that hat distinctive because it’s yellow?” The introduction of George’s daughter, played by Halley Feiffer from “Gentlemen Broncos” and “The Squid and the Whale”, should make for some new drama in George’s life, if her older boyfriend and would-be-fiancé played by David Rasche is any indication. George banning cell phones in the restaurant is an amusing move that has clearly backfired, and it’s just one example of how singularly terrific this show is.