Bored to Death ‘The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer’: I Like Insane

For the first time in Bored to Death‘s first season, ‘The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer’ integrate Ray and George into Jonathan’s case, instead of keeping them on the sideline for the detective work segments of the show. And while the case itself wasn’t all that interesting, everything else that surrounded it was great, its moment of comedy overshadowing some of the strange twists and turns revealed in the final minutes of the episode.

First of all, I’d watch an entire half-hour show of Ray and George sitting in a car and smoking pot. The quirkiness of Zach Galifinakis’s Ray, mixed with the wide-eyed jubilation of George was a fantastic conversation, and actually led to some great character moments for both of them. Ray finally had a listening ear to talk about his problems at home (Jonathan’s been pretty poor at caring about anything not involving himself or his case work), and for George, an inspiration of sorts – not just in drawing again, but possibly trying to reconnect with his daughter.

Not only were their interactions amusing with all the requisite pot smoking and personal revelations, but also helped propel them forward a little emotionally. George provides Ray an opportunity to draw after losing his chance at Esquire, and in return, George gets wicked stoned and realizes that all the professional accolades in the world can’t save someone from failing as a father. Plus, Ted Danson and Galifinakis are just great together, confined to the front seat of a Subaru, drawing each other and talking about the deeper issues in their lives.

Those scenes kind of save Jonathan’s case, which feature another sultry woman, and another awkward sexual situation for Jonathan to work his way out of. The reason the case doesn’t work is that the beginning and the ends of it both feel rushed: after a single scene in the beginning with the father being extorted for a night he’d like to forget, he’s gone for the rest of the episode, removed in favor of a poorly-described brother/sister blackmailing operation plot that falls flat on its face upon its reveal in the third act. Bored to Death can get away with being quirky and slightly theatrical (its noir stylings, Jonathan’s distinct ‘detective’ personality he’s been slowly developing), but when it falls into complete implausibility, it loses some of its appeal, trying to humanize a character supposed to be shrouded in mystery.

But outside of the case itself, seeing Jonathan, Ray and George bumbling through a case together was fun, and something I’d thought would’ve happened earlier on in the series. But it gave more time to establish how these guys would react in these situations; George’s repetitive, dull life is highlighted by these small moments of excitement, and for Ray, he’s looking for something stimulating himself, with a sexless relationship, where the children aren’t really his and none of his decisions are his own. They all have a lot to teach each other, something working together under the same roof might show us a little more. But ‘The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer’ does close with a poignant little quote from George as they sit handcuffed on the sidewalk:

“Sometimes one must embrace one’s place in society.”

Grade: B

Other thoughts/observations:

– George’s prancing in front of the security camera felt very Sam Malone-esque, with the handclap, the spin, and all the body movement. Ted Danson’s physical comedy was always subtle, but very distinguishable (if that makes any sense).

– Patton Oswalt makes a cameo as the guy who runs the spy equipment store. Not much for him to do, but he does get to mispronounce Afghanistan in an amusing way, I suppose.

– “Can I get a cheeseburger, no cheese?”

– did anyone ever publish a Ray comic to promote the show? I’d really love to read about the super-sperm and how a superhero impregnates lesbians.

what did you think of ‘The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer’? Leave your thoughts/comments below!