Almost ‘Bored to Death’

btdEpisode Commentary:The Alanon Case

It has been said then when watching a movie, you will know in the first 10 minutes if you will enjoy it. That hook to the movie is present in that time, and with television shows we often allow two episodes to get the look and feel of that particular show. If this is the case, then “Bored to Death” has put the final nail in the coffin with the second episode, “The Alanon Case.”

The potential that was present in the pilot has seemed to sadly disappear, and the show is left with nothing to interest an audience on Sunday night. Your best bet is to head to bed early or tune into Fox’s “American Dad.” It is obvious that the show aimed high, and that gives the show a self-worth that it doesn’t deserve and is present in the supposed attempts at comedy made throughout the episode.

For starters, the case in “The Alanon Case” was boring, and the usual missing-person case with a twist that seemed farfetched and a little hard to believe considering the characters live in New York. Sometimes in New York it could be a year before you see your own neighbor, let alone the randomness of this entire episode. But even with an extended imagination, there were more mistakes then that.

The supporting cast of Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis is unfunny, and that causes a major problem for a comedy series. George Christopher (Danson) needs to hide the fact he has herpes because he is giving a major speech, so naturally he wants our protagonist to punch him in the face. This scenario provides an unlikable and boring character to most people and a reminder of the comic strips in The New Yorker, which often leaves one wondering if that should be funny. Then Ray Hueston (Galifianakis) has bowel trouble on the train, which is supposed to be semi-funny but just comes off annoying, and later on he is seen wearing a cape while drawing for his comic-book character, leaving one to wonder what any of this means. The headache-educing stupidity of these supporting characters doesn’t help the already failing show, which should be called “Annoyed to Death.”

Jason Schwartzman does what he can to keep the main character of Jonathan Ames afloat, but he is not a miracle worker. This character is so self-involved it makes Carrie Bradshaw from “Sex and the City” seem witty and interesting.

This is a rare miss for HBO, and the old saying “time will tell” has told us that “Bored to Death” is itself a waste of time.

About Anthony Benedetto 153 Articles
I have always had a tremendous passion for the cinema. For me, movies provide a great escape. When done right, the characters and stories are something that I am instantly drawn into. Over the years, I’ve unintentionally become a movie encyclopedia that I often find myself the recipient of late night phone calls from my friends while at Blockbuster [One such conversation between the Editor of this site and the film “Redbelt” immediately comes to mind.] As far as my preferences go however, I love both the cult cinema and the classics. My love of film ranges from features such as “Amadeus” to “Sorority Babes in the Slime Ball Bowl-A- Rama.” I have a long range of film heroes as well that include, Michael J. Fox, Lloyd Kaufman, Robby Benson, Michael Caine and Jeff Bridges. On this site, I hope to teach people about cult cinema and have them rent films that they normally would not, turning you into the monster that I have become. Someday, I hope to be the star and director of my cult film, employing the old stop motion techniques used in films like “Flesh Gordon.”

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