So I’m starting to feel good about this season of Weeds. Each episode thus far has been an improvement over the one before it, and as a whole, I feel the series is definitely moving in the right direction. Here’s why:
1. The beginning of Season 3 was marked by an inability to shake the demands of the aftermath of Season Two. Nancy B. was stuck under U-Turn’s tutelage for half the season, and could only move on once he was killed. This year, the focus has shifted immediately to the new narrative material, leaving Agrestic and most ties to Season 3 behind. Picking up and moving the whole series out of suburban Agrestic (er, Majestic) into the border town (Ridmar?) was just the reboot this series needed. It was a smart move by Jenji Kohan and Co. to cut their losses and try to reinvigorate the series with a change of scenery. And so far, it’s paying dividends…
2. Nancy vs. Celia — A fantastic element of the show that has gone underutilized time and again is the fireworks that explode when Celia and Nancy go up against each other. The psycho “BE MY FRIEND!” knife fight?! The initial bubbling hate from Season One? Things were so dull when they got along last year, so its awesome to see this incendiary pairing revving up once more. Celia is on the hunt now, and it’s only a matter of time before these two alpha females come face to face. By the way, Celia’s prison look is a lock for Top Five Most Ridiculous Things Ever in Weeds. (I’d put a. the destruction of the house by of Andy, Doug and a rat from Season One, b. the Season Two finale, c. Celia v. Nancy knife fight in Season 3, and d. Nancy screwing the drug dealer in the alley in Season One (?) as the other 4).
3. Doug is coming to Mexico! Thank the Lord. Where else would he go? He’s going down to Mexico to kick it with Nancy and the Botwin boys. Amazing. Almost as amazing as Doug’s final “Gay!” from the ground outside the window. Vintage Doug.
4. MLP looks SLAMMIN in J. Crew and La Coste. Daaaaaamn.
5. Andy’s “blah” speech, the one that Shane thought was “really good,” was perhaps the worst speech of the entire series. If the writers think they can get away with that kind of contrived emotional garbage, they’ve got another thing coming. ”Blah damn it” ?? That’s the worst use of the sound “blah” instead of the word “God” in a slang term since Diablo Cody used the phrase “Honest to blog” in Juno. Next thing you know, that ugly creepy girl on Californication is going to be asking her dad if he “believes in the power of Almighty Blob”. And we all know that girl sucks enough as it is without having horrible dialogue thrust upon her as well.
6. Most important indicator of future greatness in Season 4: Drug stuff is looking fairly calm and under control…which means its all going to shit real soon. Nancy Botwin’s life is never placid for more than a few hours, so you know some crazy hijinks are going down in the very near future. Combine this with Doug’s impending arrival, Celia’s desperate detective work, and the end of the completely useless and uninspiring Kill Bubbe storyline, and we’re in business.
So despite a somewhat rocky start, it appears we might be in for some very high times ahead.
Grade: B-
I like the “weeds at the beach” style the season is taking.
But the father isn’t good, the andy isn’t good, the drug dealer is not so funny (i had it with the mexican accent joke), most of the plot is a lame re-enact of previous stories.
All in all i think it looks good but is certainly not as brilliant as it once was.
Thanks for commenting, Greu. I definitely agree with you in that while this season may look good, its not close to its former glory. But I must say, I think Andy and Papa Botwin are getting a raw deal here– they’re both doing a great job with crummy, uninspiring, going-nowhere material. So let’s blame the writers and producers, not the actors.