Hey folks, no recap today, sorry -- but feel free to use this space to comment on last night's episode. Poor Bubbie! — Mickey O'Connor
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Another week, and another fine installment of the rebooted Weeds. Let's get on to the recap!Guillermo sent his burgeoning apprentice, Nancy, to Tijuana to test her skills as a drug smuggler. Nancy does not realize the extent of the Guillermo's manipulation, as she is blinded by the $10,000 that he's seductively waving in front of her wagging eyes. In a mysterious moment, Guillermo gives Nancy a seemingly harmless Jesus bobblehead for display in her car. Nancy's instructions involve getting her car's tail-light fixed (an accident which Guillermo caused) as a cover for a "drug pick-up" from Guillermo's cousin on the other side of the border. After an awkward encounter with the "mechanic", Nancy is stuck in traffic for re-entry to the United States. During this humorous sequence Nancy:• Buys $50 worth of cheap merchandise solely for the purpose of getting her favorite iced coffees.• Offends a mother in a neighboring car when attempting to offer a chunky child spare food....
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The Fourth-Season Premiere of Weeds represented a successful reinvention of its original formula. Season-Three's episodes were chaotic, often appearing directionless as its cast walked through countless absurd storylines. Characters such as Conrad, Heylia, and Vaneeta grew stale as their actions became increasingly forced. In response to its mundane Third-Season plotlines, the brilliant creators of Weeds puff-puff-passed on rehashing the old by taking the bold move of entering the creative unknown. Tonight's program picked up shortly after last season's finale as Agrestic (the show's previous setting) was burning to the ground. Nancy, Shane, Silas, and Andy were deliberating where they should move now that their town was burning. Nancy admitted to her family that she poured gasoline in their former house to ensure that it would be ablaze along with the rest of Agrestic. She needed assurance that any evidence of her drug dealings wouldn't be left for others to find. In desperation, ...
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Otherwise known as "Up in Smoke"?At the start of this season, Weeds creator Jenji Kohan told us the theme for the show would be Nancy learning how to be a gangster. Toward that end, we have seen her roll with rough crowds, shake her booty for a brick, all but wish U-turn dead, bring her sons into the biz, and now practically rubber-stamp the burning of Majestic.Where previous seasons made our jaws drop — Peter's a DEA agent, a half-dozen guns at Nance's temple — I appreciated how this one was a bit more "real." The pace of the episode was more leisurely, almost dreamlike (with Doug as our ersatz Greek chorus), and yet so much — or at least enough — happened.Mainly, Nancy realized that she wanted to be free of this excuse for a life, and for good. She saw the one rare chance she has had in all these years to actually own her destiny. That light went off the moment Guillermo said that if her house didn’t burn down, it'd be the status quo. That’s when she ...
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First off, my apologies for the recent "high-atus" from the blog. Now on with the show! I see that a lot has been going on in quiet Agrestic. Celia caught Sullivan diddling Nancy, and this week took out her anger with a few destructive swings of a baseball bat. (What did people do before The Untouchables?) Cowering in the corner of his office, Sully sought refuge in some herb, and even made a clumsy (if veiled) play for Mary-Kate. Um, eww. I'm a bit steamed that I missed Nancy and Conrad's long-in-the-coming coupling, but that's what the eventual Season 3 DVD set is for. Besides, we got some further flirty interplay, first as Nancy hinted at "another fill," then later when she got Conrad all jelly belly with her U-turn tattoo. "Now taste this," indeed. [Swoon] The biker gang? Too much greasy goon, not enough Sprague Grayden (the Jericho actress playing his sis). I love it when Andy homes in on a gal and goofily tries to play in her world. We saw that with the rabbinical school boss,...
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For a second just now, as I typed the above title, I was like, "What is that line in reference to...?" And then it hit me — that first scene, and Nancy's mammogram. Ha!OK, this was an "up" week in Weeds' Season 3 roller coaster. Dean's horrific/pathetic motorcycle crash seems like it will move some story along in that he looks destined for recuperation at Celia's new manse — and just as his ex is cozying up to Sullivan. Speaking of Modine's character, I have a very bad feeling he is purely playing Celia. Totally using her. And maybe, just maybe, Dean and Belly will be there to catch her when she falls. ("God protects the stupid," right, C?)Conrad's back! It was just one scene, but I hope we get to finish out the season (four more episodes to go...) by seeing him work Silas like his b--ch. Loved Conrad negotiating his "babysitting" fee based on the suburbs' going rate. (Note: My wife and I only pay $10/hour but are pretty good about "rounding up").I never thought these word...
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Hmmph. Given the title and in light of what Weeds creator Jenji Kohan teased preseason, I had "high" expectations for this face-off between Peter's pair of widows... but I guess I will have to wait for next week. But to (ex-wife) Mrs. Scottson's point, why the eff was Nancy stalking her?! Very odd. Now Mrs. S is in quite a position to put the "big squeeze" on Nance. Ouch! (PS: Good to see Peter's son is still a class-A brat. Man, I hated that punk.)This week confirmed what I lamented a few blogs ago: This season's Weeds is terribly uneven and utterly lacking in an overarching narrative. Plus, was anyone but me missing Mary Kate Olsen and Silas this week? I love Silas' romances, and MKO's character is a hoot of contradictions.Shane and Isabella were "cute," dabbling in Mama Botwin's bud, but to little effect. Just a gag or two about Shane's new BFF not being into penises, instead preferring beer. Ha. I like the "idea" of Sullivan, but what game is he playing and on whom? Celia is a h...
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OK, Weeds, you've got me back blogging, at least until this new DVD with Episodes 5-9 runs dry. Now speaking of dry, and by association wet... Be still my Mary-Louise Parker-lusting heart. That last scene? Forgetting for a moment that it came out of nowhere... Thud! Jeffrey Dean Morgan, if you were out there, watching... reminiscing... My condolences to you. That MLP — such a trouper!Yes, Nancy has much reason to celebrate. Though U-turn's sudden (and assisted) death did not clear her debt, Marvin's utter ineptitude as da new boss, coupled with Guillermo's need for his H, his smack, his heroin, finally put her in the clear. She's done with that nasty side of the bud biz... right?Then again, her other boss isn't 100 percent squeaky-clean either, with the illegal construction crew, under-the-table bribes and whatnot. I liked how he told party-planner Nancy to make her $5,000 look like 10, then she in turn tells caterer Andy to make $1,000 look like 5. At least Andy seemed to fare...
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Has Nancy gone from heroine to heroin? Hmm, the hands don't seem so steady anymore.I privately chuckled when Weeds creator Jenji Kohan told me that the theme of Season 3 was Nance learning to be a "gangster." And yet, look, here she is telling Andy — I mean, "Bill" — how she "rolls." What does get blood stains out of a car seat?Speaking of the car, what must Prius be thinking about their hybrid being touted as ideal for drive-bys due to its whisper-quiet engine? Ha!Too little Sullivan this week; just him sucking up to Celia and Doug. Wouldn't it have been better for Celia to solve her "housing crisis" by boarding with cash-strapped Nancy? What does putting her up in a new house gain us, story-wise?Funniest exchange out of nowhere:Religious mom: "Did [your Jewish husband] pass?"Nancy: "Most people thought he was Italian."Also liked "Bill" seeking sanctuary at Sanjay's house, thinking the lad's dad was engaging in conversation when he actually was bemoaning his kid's sexuali...
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What. Was. That ?! I'm talking, of course, about one of the most odd TV deaths I have seen in recent years. One second Andy's "battle buddy" is trying to light and fart and then... buzzzzzz-thwap! Impaled by a wayward drone. So very, very bizarre. Took me a moment to understand what the heck had happened.Does this mean we have seen the last of boot camp, and so soon? I suppose the drill sergeant was bound to run out of homophobic imagery sooner or later.Silas' B-story was rather lame, obviously just a means to set up his proposal that he unload Mom's "light" bags while doing his thoroughly unsupervised community service.Welcome to the neighborhood, Sullivan! I will admit I met the news of Matthew Modine's casting on Weeds with an "eh," but his character seems interesting in his duality: touting a belief-based development one moment, dismissing it as so much fal-de-rah the next (and using cuss words). He should be a nice bridge between our two grande dames, Nancy and Celia.Speaking o...
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