We’re on a roll now, baby! The death of U-Turn has truly had the rejuvenating effect I hoped it would, allowing the show to breath and find its new flow for the rest of the season. The show has by no means hit its stride, but I can feel things moving in the right direction, and I have a feeling we’ll be picking up some real speed in the next 2-3 episodes. The balance between over-the-top drama and absurd humor is moving towards the center. Instead of everything being ludicrously heightened, we’re realistic and genuine emotional moments, as well as organic and ingeniously written laughs. Right now, Weeds is a dramedy in the truest sense of the word, in a very good way.
Stop. Breakdown time.
1. Looks like Jenji Kohan and crew took some of my advice and toned down the whole incredibly precocious thing that Shane and Isabelle had going on. It was refreshing to see them acting like young teens, albeit very intelligent ones, who are new to sex, drugs and all that great stuff. In fact, I really loved this pairing. They both feel very three-dimensional, and both do the whole Weeds drama/humor thing very well. We’ve never really heard Shane or Isabelle express their inner thoughts before because, as they pointed out, they’ve never spent any time together. This scene made me feel very melancholy– I loved that they found a kindred spirit in one another and realized how very much alike they are, but I felt so sad for the crappy lives they have to endure because of their mothers. Great emotional scene, without feeling sappy or forced. Well done, kids.
2. Still not enough Doug, Andy or Dean. Dean? Absent. Doug? One funny scene where he described half the cast in hilarious fashion (Mary-Kate was the “blonde one with no tits,” or something to that effect, and Shane was the “creepy one with the big eyes”). Andy? While he did get the hilarious “Foot Fuckers” montage (my personal fav was the ridiculous elevator technician with those silly bifocals) and the nice porn business rant, he’s too isolated. I need to see him interacting with Nancy or Shane or Doug, hell anybody! He’s just so completely uninvolved in the story right now and it’s a shame because he’s so darn funny. Hopefully the writers will find a way to bring him back into the fold soon because they’ve already wasted half the season with him in the army or on the porn set and away from Nancy and the important plot stuff.
3. Silas? Conrad? Where my boys at?
4. This episode featured a lot of poignant moments. The Shane/Isabelle chat, the Nancy/Valerie meeting with the Matthew Modine voice-over, and most centrally, the Celia/Sullivan pairing. Seeing Celia’s embarrassment and shame while looking herself in the mirror was a really “Whoa. We just got serious here” kind of moment, in a really good way. The shockingly honest scene between her and Sullivan in bed was very well written, very well acted (Elizabeth Perkins is just a terrific actress. Seriously.), and very touching. It’s what I always say– real emotion comes from character. If we have three-dimensional characters with motivations and thought-processes and secrets and flaws, we are guaranteed to be more invested in them, care more about them, and feel more for them. Other series, take note.
5. The aforementioned Nancy/Valerie meeting was terrific! I loved how fascinated Nancy was by Valerie and I loved the Modine “I just want to know you” voice-over as they met, though it was a bit beat-you-over-the-head-with-this-cool-parallel. I think this pairing is going to be terrific– we’ve seen plenty of people who are the exact opposite of Nancy, but we’ve never met anyone like her. It’s sure to be an intriguing dynamic (and an important one, as the episode’s title indicates) and I’m very excited to see how it plays out over the rest of the season.
A very strong episode here. More drama than humor, but that’s fine with me. We had plenty of wacky comedy with U-Turn and I’m happy to take this tone shift into the more adult-themed, serious stuff. As long as we still get ridiculous moments like watching Andy ram his foot into a girl’s vajayjay, I’ll gladly embrace and cherish all the dramatic moments this show has to offer me.
Grade: A-
