HBO's "Bored to Death" has kept me coming back for a few reasons this season, despite having getting off to an imbalanced start. For the unfamiliar, the show follows Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman), a New Yorker struggling with his second novel and a recent breakup due to his weed and white wine dependency. Jonathan places an ad on Craigslist offering his services as an unlicensed private detective on a whim, and starts accepting cases based entirely on "skills" he's hacked from ancient crime novels he's read.
More than the strange tales of a neurotic pothead in a trenchcoat, "Bored To Death" has widely expanded its focus in the span of just one season. Jonathan's George's scandalous episode with Priscilla, Ray's budding love life with Lea and the question of whether Richard will find out what his wife did are the biggest unresolved plot threads heading into season two - a far cry from the linear process of the first episode.
The season finale climaxed with the big fight between George Christopher and Richard Antrem, and the momentum and energy was like nothing we've seen before in the season. Hell, they're pre-fight interview was probably the best batch of dialogue in the entire season, and the warm-up montage was brilliant. Additionally, Jonathan's creative streak is stuttered and then invigorated by Stella the stoner temptress to shift his focus to writing about his double life as a private investigator, adding fuel to an interesting plot fire. Bonus points for seeing to it that Jonathan's detective skills are actually improving as well.
The build-up to the fight was ridiculous to begin with, culminating with George's scathing editorial, but there wasn't any sensible motive behind the way the fight snowballed. When Jonathan outwits a blackmailer (Todd Barry) trying to force George to take a dive in the match (hence the episode title) and Ray's opponent turned out to be Francis Hamm, Ray's doppleganger, it was hilarity in motion. George takes a dive anyway, and it'll be a blast to see how the publishing world reacts when they find out exactly why. Jonathan wins the fight against Lewis, fueled by the discovery that the acclaimed critic doesn't even read book reviews.
The question remains as to whether this is even a detective show at all, or if it's about a trio of friends trying to make their way in the publishing world. I'm not even sure HBO knows at this point. But just as I decide not to care anymore, another episode comes along that's both captivating and a change of pace from the last one, pulling me back in. Scwartzman and Galifianakis are brilliant, and without them there would be no show, but the peripheral characters are developing more color and gravity, and that's an essential component in keeping the show fresh. Hell, the gorgeously-shot New York backdrop should be enough for some.
