Bored to Death — Life’s Finest
Bored to death, cut, mad and lonely
As a 25 years old living in a metropolis, you kinda begin expecting things from Life. You no longer grab everything happening to you to find some pleasure in it. Now you start reflecting on the how and the why of these flawless events.
Which, by the way, stop being cool but start giving you the right amount of complicated problems any adult deserves. Surprisingly enough, we human beings don’t cope with this cruel destiny of ours. Before accepting our fate -which, by the way, tends to occur on our death bed (for those lucky enough to have one)- we spend an insane amount of time trying to ESCAPE it. Strategies are being developed, studies, worklabs, tons of money spent in order to help us suffer less. But should we just accept life as it is, wouldn’t we just be happier (and working a bit less to forget that fact) ? Of course we would. But are we willing to ? Better to die !
Modern Times. Or what’s left of them.
So here it is, the most accurate TV series ever made on that topic. Bored to Death follows a bunch of variously aged New Yorkers trying their best to dodge every aspect of life that would make them actual adults. You’ve got Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman), the depressed wanna be writer ending up private detective. Primordial skills include smoking pot, drinking white wine and awkwardly chasing after girls. He’s also blessed with a hint of charming, old fashioned darkness. Then comes George (Ted Danson), famous and decadent publishing director whose talent has been fading away in a spiral of women, drugs and paranoia. Struggling with his egocentric personality, he seeks redemption with his daughter. The trio ends up with Ray (Zach Galifianakis), the eternal loser and third wheel of his very own couple. Primordial skill consists in drawing unexpectedly well. Nothing ties them with each other, yet they are bound by the cruel links of Destiny. Together they will live up the dream — and fail.
That’s all, folks !
The show really kicks off when Jonathan gets his first absurd mission. In a way, it’s like watching a very nice, Teddy Bear-likeJames Bond getting bullied by his James Bond Girls. Hopes up, he goes fighting the bad guys who always end up being a figure of a long lost family member. A modern Brooklyn Don Quichotte. Giddy up folks, because he often finds himself teaming up with his friends Ray and George for some legendary dandyesque action scenes. Like succeeding in a small talk about the meaning of life while risking their life. What makes this show truly great is the phlegm the characters develop for the most irrelevant event. Which often becomes a chance to analyze their personal issues with life in general; and how they just can’t take responsibilty for their true-self, as it’s out of their hands. And that damn Fate keeps reminding them of their failures and crushed dreams. <to the question «Where does life end and what’s next ?» the show’s answer seems to be «you just keep on finding excitement until you don’t find any and then you die». Meanwhile we watch these three self-disappointed guys running after something they already got -a daughter, a wife, a passion- but don’t want to embrace. For accepting the way things are sometimes is the hardest choice. Fortunately, we enjoy the cartoonesque anti-heroes of this show and wonder if laughing to death wouldn’t be better after all.
