TVSquad

(S01E05) "Is vodka really made from potatoes?" - Jonathan

Bored to Death isn't boring me, but after last night's extremely slow episode, it's close. The premise of the show coupled with a really great cast speaks to the potential Bored to Death has, but save for last week's episode (the one with Parker Posey and still the best so far), there haven't been many high points. Last night's installment had some of those moments, but for the most part, I didn't give a crap about the white dove or why she was lonely.

While Jonathan's latest case (trying to find a Russian mobster's one night stand) had potential, the constant parallels to his non-relationship with Suzanne that Jonathan tries to draw from each case are becoming annoying.

The fact that Suzanne was even in this episode was bothersome - we haven't seen her since the series premiere and there really is no connection between her and Jonathan. I don't care if they get back together and more importantly, I don't think I want them to. The "private detective for hire" premise of the show is hanging by a thread as it is and bringing Suzanne back into the fold could easily kill it completely.

A few more thoughts --

• As much as I love Ted Danson's role as George Christopher, my complaint about him this week is the same one I had about Ray last week - why was George even in this episode? His plan to revitalize the magazine's image by getting in touch with his feminine side by having sex with a man had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the episode. The only highlight was Romany Malco's guest bit as George's male escort. The scene where he essentially seduced George by making tons of obscure, but wry, literary references was very funny.
• As for Ray this week, still not much involvement, but at least he and Lea ended up on the double date with Jonathan and Suzanne. His ginormous super-hero penis sketch and seeing him pour the Stoli while encased in the brick of ice were both funny moments though.
• Also, speaking of Ray, we got one tiny bit of pretty serious backstory on him - he used to illustrate X-Men comics for Marvel. I'd love to know more about this and find out why he lost that job.

As for the twist ending where all the Russians worked in concert to dupe Jonathan? Well, anyone with half a brain saw coming a mile away, but it was sort of worth it if only to see Dimitri fail and have Jonathan realize that true love isn't always reciprocated. Here's to hoping he takes that epiphany and gives up on Suzanne. It's her or the job and if this show is going to work for the long haul, the job needs to win.