(S04E08) This episode definitely belongs in the "mixed bag" category. Some things worked for me and others didn't. Nancy's extended lunch date with Esteban and Shane's prison-style lunch confrontation were both enjoyable. On the down side, Celia's drugged-out craziness and Silas' scenes with Lisa didn't entertain me. I expected something more at this point in the season, but it looks like things are set up for a better episode next week. Don't give up, Weeds fans!
Shane gave the incest fantasies a break this week and returned to his former awesomeness. Since he views school as a prison, it made sense to behave like an inmate on his first day inside. I'm much more comfortable with this version of Shane--mouthing off to his Mom, commiserating with Isabelle, demonstrating his intellectual superiority, etc. Last week's flea-scratching was too much for me, and I'm glad that the writers gave us a week off. Isabelle and Shane have never had a bad scene together, and I'm glad that they've finally reunited in Ren Mar. Don't mess with the classics.
Although Elizabeth Perkins did an admirable job with what she was given, I didn't find her soccer-shoe stupor all that funny. It's like watching someone get drunk when you're sober; it does nothing for you, and it's a little annoying. Celia hasn't fit into the Ren Mar world as well as the other Agrestic characters have. Her only good scenes this season have been with Till, Nancy, and Doug. I'd rather see her interact with the core group than catch more glimpses of her retail career. The new Ren Mar and Tijuana characters, on the other hand, are delightful. Cesar has had some funny moments lately, and I was a bit sad to say goodbye to Davenport.
Lisa's plan to store Silas' pot at Cheese Gotta Have It destroyed any good will that I had for her. What a terrible idea! On the surface it's no worse than the notion of a tunnel between a Tijuana garage and a San Ysidro Maternity World, but we're talking about varying levels of intelligence here. One venture involves the mayor of Tijuana, and the other involves a woman who named her son Rad and smokes the Cheez Whiz of marijuana. I wonder which group will be more successful?
What did you think of El Andy and Doug's first border crossing? It was funny in the usual Doug-and-Andy way, but I wish more time had been given to Nancy and Esteban's growing relationship. I keep reading that Esteban is meant to be more of a serious love interest, not a fling. Nancy's candor with Esteban during lunch was the first indication that the mayor is more than just a hot disciplinarian. There's always a chance that this is simply another aspect of her addiction to danger, though. In a refreshing moment of self-awareness, she admitted that she hates it when things are calm. Perhaps she can only handle relationships that are filled with drama. If that's the case, then a goat-killing drug kingpin is a perfect match for her. Still, I have to believe that the scratch marks on her back are a bad sign for the future.
My favorite lines of the night:
- "You're allowing criminals into our business!" --Ignacio, to Celia
- "Sometimes you eat the bear; sometimes the bear eats you." Cesar, in a shout-out to season one's "You Can't Miss the Bear."
- "If only life were a Judd Apatow movie where geeks ruled the world. But it's not, so let's just suck it up." --Isabelle
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-05-2008 @ 3:49AM
Tommy said...
Did you catch Nancy's reference back to the old theme song? She said she wanted Shane to grow up to be a "doctor, lawyer, or business executive" =)
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8-05-2008 @ 9:32AM
Erin Martell said...
Tommy--I didn't notice that. Good catch!
8-05-2008 @ 12:42PM
Dan said...
Totally, I loved that! I think this was an AWESOME episode. You forgot to mention how Doug and Andy DIDN'T get any money for their venture and how the coyote is going to come searching for Andy. The blood in the bed part was pretty crazy, and I liked seeing Celia all coked up. Silas' MILF is seriously hot, and the fact that she's also a stoner makes her the sexiest woman on TV right now. But I totally agree that the best part of the episode was when Shane just decked that guy in the cafeteria, it was hilarious and unexpected. I think it was a great episode because when it finished I looked at the clock to check if it had really already been 30 minutes because the time had flown by. That's a sign of great entertainment!
8-05-2008 @ 8:10AM
willy the impeached said...
Dear God, these "writers" need to stop smoking the Weed and do some writing. This shit is getting worse by the episode. Its become like a car wreck, I can't avert my eyes not matter how the stomach lurches ...
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8-05-2008 @ 8:30AM
GL said...
I dug most of this episode, but the Silas and Lisa segments are painful to watch. Not because I find the MILF thing overly creepy, just because they are that boring.
I do wish they would deal with Esteban a bit more. He doesn't feel like a real character.
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8-05-2008 @ 8:37AM
NYC Strong said...
I don't know if it was said before this, but the quote "Sometimes you eat the bear; sometimes the bear eats you." is very familiar to the Big Lebowski's quote "Sometimes you eat the bar, sometimes the bar eats you."
Also, I think the calm quote is her way of not having to think about her dead husband and the life she had with him. The calm periods in your life are when you have time to reflect, and I don't blame her for not wanting to think about all the things she's done post husband (original husband, not the DEA agent).
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8-06-2008 @ 12:55AM
Mel said...
Its "don't miss the bear" from like one of the very first episodes.
8-05-2008 @ 9:23AM
phooky said...
Was this episode the first time Nancy got nude on the show?
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8-05-2008 @ 10:38AM
BobbyBuz said...
I think she's been nude before, but not with her boobs totally exposed.
8-05-2008 @ 10:00AM
Grover said...
I'd like to see Helyia, Conrad, and Lupeda come back... those characters always have some fire and life to them. Better yet, dig up U-turn
and... Celia is just annoying right now
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8-05-2008 @ 10:53AM
Curious said...
does anyone know the name of the song in last night's episode with the lyrics...teach me baby how to keep from loving you...I have searched and searched and no luck!
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8-05-2008 @ 2:56PM
Erin Martell said...
Curious--Showtime's Weeds site has a list of the music used in each episode. It takes a few days to update, but I'm sure the song will be listed later in the week.
http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music.do
8-06-2008 @ 3:19PM
stefano said...
the song is "how to see the sun rise" by ben sollee. you can actually hear it in his official website.
8-05-2008 @ 11:22AM
Carissa said...
I forgot it was on last night. I'm sure it's recorded, but still. I went from barely contained excitement at an impending episode to forgetting it's on. That does not bode well for me.
It doesn't even feel like the same characters. Part of what I loved about the show was that she was a housewife trying to fit into her old world while being this big-time drug dealer. Now she's on the border of Mexico. Now she's just a skanky drug dealer.
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8-05-2008 @ 2:33PM
BobbyBuz said...
Shit happens and things change. No one's life remains static forever. How many different scenarios can be written about a single Mom who choose to sell pot in order to support a family which now has their own ideas about life and living (albeit not the very best choices by any of them)?
8-05-2008 @ 4:10PM
collin said...
I'm not going to say much about this season other than the changes in the storyline and the loss of its charismatic characters have really ruined this show for me.
It was a downhill slide from Season 1, but this season has really shown that writers don't always have the best interests of the show when they make dramatic changes that scare away fans.
Most of the comments posted here have either blasted the show's direction or defended it poorly. We are talking about a show that used to be clever and entertaining, and that was only obtained by using its characters in a clever and entertaining way. There is no way that anyone can say that the writers are using what's left of the characters in the best way:
- Nancy. She's now a drug kingpin's mistress. Whatever independence she once had is now gone, and she never seemed to notice.
- Doug/Andy. They're now COYOTE'S with a heart? Come on. These were some of the best characters on the show. What's going on?
- Shane. Now lost in his adolescence and having very weird thoughts about his Mom. The writers should be shot.
- Celia. A wasted character. Elizabeth Perkins just shows up for the paycheck.
- Isabelle. Now that her defiant Mom is now simply pathetic, she has no purpose or fight left in her. Sad.
- Silas. Boring.
- Heylia/Conrad. The two funniest characters on the show. Written off.
What I should also mention is that this show ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE. I can't remember a single time where I even laughed this entire season. Look at the posts here: the most positive posts were written about a single spoken line that Nancy said that was reminiscent of the original theme song. That was the best part of this episode worth mentioning?
Defend it all you want, but this show is more than pathetic... it's now tragic. If Jenji Kohan and the rest of the writers/producers haven't gotten the hint, they are destroying whatever magic they once had in the first two seasons.
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8-06-2008 @ 2:39AM
paul said...
dude nobody is forcing you to watch it. if you dont like it so much then dont watch it and stop complaining about it. its not worse its just different. how boring would it be if every season was exactly the same?
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8-06-2008 @ 3:48AM
collin said...
I love it when people say "Don't watch it." Why? So I can deny myself the chance of being correct as every poor episode is shown?
Ha!
And how boring would every season of Weeds be if it were like, oh... the first season?
To answer your question, it would be fantastic! Unlike this crap that we're being subjected to.
8-06-2008 @ 3:04AM
jaerisk said...
Mary Louise Parker's boobies ftw!!
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8-11-2008 @ 1:16PM
matt-SA said...
I think the current plot arcs (w/a few exceptions) are the natural trans for Nancy's character. anyone who's had any experience in her shoe's would know that. you either burn out, get busted, or get big. last season's finale just sped up the time frame. if the writers get their act together and write up Esteban more, then I can see Nancy turning into a "sandra avila beltran reina del pacifico" type instead of just a slut adrenaline junkie. One thing is for sure, Celia needs to die, and it should be Nancy's first taste of real blood.
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