It’s been a while since I was this excited for a season premier. I was all ready to watch, crack up, then write about it in this space while I still had the opportunity, given that the Maven is still abroad and all. But instead, I was disappointed, didn’t know exactly what I wanted to write, and took so long to write it that the Maven already put up his Wednesday column, and now I’m going to post this on top of it and make a mess of the blog. Hopefully he won’t be too mad.
Season 2 of Weeds ended with an almost inescapable cliffhanger, and I couldn’t wait to see how the writers got out of the situation they ended season 2 with – Nancy with no weed and no money, two gangs of guys with guns pointed at her, and Silas, who had the weed in his trunk, about to be arrested. Unfortunately for me, as I was anxiously awaiting this denouement, Showtime let me know everything that was going to happen this episode (and some of next) two minutes before it even started. And my only question is WHY?!?!. WHY SHOWTIME? Was anyone watching your channel at 9:57 PM on monday night NOT getting ready to watch Weeds? I certainly didn’t sit through the credits of Aeon Flux to see who the best boy grip was. I was waiting for Weeds – they even had a little countdown going and everything. And then it just pops on – not a preview, not a recap of last season, but a spoiler-ridden group of scenes from the upcoming season. Before the opening song, I knew: 1. The bit about Nancy trying to make a phone call and not having any service. 2. that both Shane and Silas end up in Jail. 3. That Doug and Celia get back together but Doug still loves his wife and 4. That Celia throws all Nancy’s weed in her pool. So much for a surprise. So, while I present my 3 highlights and 3 lowlights (click “keep reading”) of Monday’s ep, know that I am a huge Weeds fan who watched and re-watched the first 2 seasons, but was surprisingly disappointed by the season 3 premier.
LOWLIGHTS:
Besides knowing everything that was going to happen, here are some things I wasn’t a big fan of in last night’s ep:
1. Too Much Nancy
Now that I think about it, the reason I liked season 2 so much is because the other characters really got expanded, especially Conrad and Uncle Andy, my two favorite characters on the show. This episode? Conrad stands in the background and Andy makes eskimo jokes for about 35 seconds. Meanwhile, we are treated to about 3 very long, very close shots of Nancy’s face. Maybe it was the 60 inch HD, but it was just way too much.
2. Shane’s driving sequence
Just way too long for me. I don’t need the same shot 10 times in a row of Shane saying “Whoa” and spinning the steering wheel. Although, the guy who played the convenience store clerk almost made up for the entire sequence. I have no idea what his name is, but he has come through every time i’ve seen him.
3. Not nearly enough Conrad and Andy
I know I mentioned this about 2 sentences ago, but it warrants mentioning again. Conrad carried last season – his drama with Helia, trying to sell his plant to U-turn, and saving Nancy’s ass because she can’t make it on her own. In fact, Conrad directly led to two of the funniest moments in the show’s history – his scene with U-turn when U-turn throws his knife into a member of his posse’s leg, and when Helia comes over to see Conrad’s new growhouse and Kevin Nealon looks through the peephole and says “I think its a Jehovah’s Witness”. Great stuff. Andy, on the other hand, has become a real part of the family, and I guess in this ep it was necessary to have him looking for Shane, but I hope he comes back to continue dispensing valuable life lessons very soon.
HIGHLIGHTS
Hopefully, this episode is merely setting up a run of hilarious ones in the near future. There are certainly a few promising things that I saw:
1. U-turn
U-turn (Page Donovan) is a great character, and I am incredibly happy that he’s getting a more significant part on the show. He’s a great, great drug dealer/gangster type, and I loved the shot of him pissing into the sink while still holding the gun on Conrad. Not to mention his hilarious posse member Marvin (Fatso-Fasano…yes, apparently thats his name), who was great. Hopefully we’ll see much more of them both.
2. Doug and Dean
Always a great pairing, last night Doug and Dean began repairing the rift created when Doug slept with Dean’s wife. If this leads to way more of these two together, and way less of Celia Hodes, consider me all for it.
3. Those scenes
Not a good sign when things that are going to happen next week are more interesting in things that happened this week, but with Silas finally getting a shot to help his mom with the business, one of the Olsen twins coming on board (Ashley…I think), and more from U-turn, Martin, Uncle Andy and Conrad, this season has to be better than the premier, and I’m definitely willing to stick with it. But, for being one of my least favorite eps of this show, and not doing justice to the intense season 2 ending, I give this episode of Weeds a slap-on-the-wrist C.
