Posted Jun 30th 2009 5:35AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Weeds, Reality-Free
(S05E04) "They were going to sell my gallbladder to the Japanese. Fortunately, my body is a toxic pit." - Celia to Nancy, trying to convince her to let her move inI know
some of you will disagree with me, but I thought this was a really great episode. Maybe Jenji Kohan is listening to us, because it brought back the unique blend of fun and drama that I loved about the early seasons of
Weeds. And oh, the quotes! Like this one, when Esteban meets Nancy and clan at the house, after they've been on the run:
Silas: "So you're the mayor of Mexico or something?"
Esteban: "Or something, yes."
Shane: "And you stuck your penis inside my mother at least once."
Nancy: "Ok, then. Good night, Shane. Go upstairs."
Continue reading Weeds: Super Lucky Happy
Posted Jun 28th 2009 10:17AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: TV on DVD, OpEd, Weeds, Reality-Free, Jane After Dark
This week in
Jane After Dark, I took a short break from
The Wire, but don't worry, devoted
Wire fans! I'm watching season three right now, and already writing next week's column in my head.
Since I'm covering season five of
Weeds for
TV Squad, I thought I'd better get caught up on season four. I'd watched episodes here and there, but not the entire season from start to finish. I just finished the last episode and have to say the series certainly took a turn in a different direction.
Continue reading Jane After Dark: Weeds, season 4 - Nancy goes to the dark side (of Mexico)
Posted Jun 23rd 2009 4:53AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Weeds, Reality-Free
First of all, I really like the little vignettes at the beginning of
Weeds episodes now (and last season). They're always related to whatever the episode is about, and this one featured a bar of soap. Nancy got her stinky "bodyguard" Sucio to take a shower in her outdoor shower, but then he disappeared, leaving blood stains in his wake. Much as I loved the "Little Boxes" theme song, it didn't really fit once the gang migrated south, and the new openers are very cool.
And much as I love Jennifer Jason Leigh as an actress, I'm not sure I'm loving her character of Nancy's sister, Jill. Maybe because I'd really like Andy and Nancy to get together, and with Andy and Jill doing it, that's just not going to happen -- at least not right now. Andy and Nancy are sort of perfect for each other.
Continue reading Weeds: Su-Su-Sucio
Posted Jun 16th 2009 3:39AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Weeds, Reality-Free
(S05E02) I learn something new every time I watch
Weeds. Last week,
I learned about flash mobs. This week, I learned that fish are used in the pedicure process and guys in prison get specific tattoos on their backs. You know the ones I mean. Yes, I lead a sheltered life.
Ok, so the fact is I found this episode really dark -- on my first time through, that is. I watched it again and decided it had lots of subtle funny moments.
The first one occurred when Esteban's goon was tasked with keeping Nancy company, and then got sucked into getting a pedicure. Big mistake because Nancy ended up ditching him on the guise of getting a bikini wax.
Continue reading Weeds: Machetes Up Top
Posted Jun 9th 2009 3:32AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Weeds, Reality-Free
(S05E01) "Just because you've been a slutty, irresponsible, slutty slut and had unprotected sex with a Mexican doesn't mean we can't be friends." - Andy to NancyOne of the things I love about
Weeds is the show's ability to mix humor and drama in every episode. It leaned more towards the drama in season four, but hopefully, we'll get back to more humor in season five. It sure seems that way so far, even though I'm wondering how the heck Nancy is going to get out from under the Mexican mafia (literally), especially with Esteban's baby on board.
You have to wonder how many people watch
Weeds as a Pot 101 primer. We've gotten some really good tips on what -- and what not -- to do in the pot-growing business. Now with Andy, Silas and Doug growing pot in a national forest, maybe our national forests will be covered with pot. I see lots of funny storylines ahead for these three.
Continue reading Weeds: Wonderful Wonderful (season premiere)
Posted Dec 23rd 2008 8:34AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Programming, OpEd, Weeds, Reality-Free
It's about time
Maria Bello got her own series, because it seems like she's always playing the wife of someone. She hasn't done a lot of TV lately, not since
ER in the 1990s. But at the movies, she's played the wife of Viggo Mortensen (
A History of Violence), Nicolas Cage (
World Trade Center), Tim McGraw (
Flicka), and Brendan Fraser (
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor), to name a few.
Maybe Bello finally realized that in order to front a series, she'd have to do it herself! She's
signed a deal with HBO to executive produce and star in a new series, according to
Variety.
The untitled hour-long project follows a woman who's forced into a life of crime to support her three teenage sons after her husband is killed (so, no husband whatsoever in
this series).
Continue reading Maria Bello gets an HBO show
Posted Dec 11th 2008 10:33AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, 24, House, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, Dexter, Awards, Weeds, Reality-Free, Mad Men
One of the biggest victims in last year's Writers Guild strike was the Golden Globe awards. Fortunately, the SAG threats of a strike remain just that -- threats -- so the Globes are on and the nominations were announced this morning.
Unfortunately, there were few surprises among the TV noms. In fact, it's kind of worrisome that these nominations are way too similar to the Emmy nominations. Among the new network shows from this season, and last, very little.
NBC will broadcast the Golden Globes on January 11. For the complete list of the Globe noms, click
here, and for some instant impressions on said noms, read on after the jump:
Continue reading Reflecting on the Golden Globe TV noms
Posted Sep 16th 2008 10:12AM by Erin Martell
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Weeds, Reality-Free
(S04E13) The final shocking revelation of the season--which wasn't so shocking, if you heard the rumors--made me want to write off the
Weeds season finale as unimaginative. To offer up such a commonplace TV twist, and to do it in the last moments of the episode, was definitely not original.
As season finales go, this episode wasn't legendary (I'll never regard that word the same way again, thanks to Doug). However, there were a few scenes that gave us the
Weeds we've always loved, and I'd like to believe that the show's distinct, dark humor will have a stronger presence next season.
Continue reading Weeds: If You Work for a Living, Why Do You Kill Yourself Working? (season finale)
Posted Sep 9th 2008 7:44AM by Erin Martell
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Weeds, Reality-Free
(S04E12) A lot can happen in two weeks!
Weeds took a short break and returned in the form of an action-packed drama. If this episode set the tone for next week, we can expect the finale to be a departure from the flaky, in-over-her-head Nancy from seasons past. Things have gotten serious on our little drug comedy.
Fortunately, there were some lighter moments. Naked Andy always mellows things out, and Celia gave us some laughs as well. Naturally, her rehab breakthrough came from a selfish place, which led to some hilarious backhanded apologies. Will there be any time for humor in next week's season finale?
Continue reading Weeds: Till We Meet Again
Posted Aug 26th 2008 8:37AM by Erin Martell
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Weeds, Reality-Free
(S04E11) The truth hurt almost everyone this week. The stress of having both a deflowered son and knowledge of the tunnel's other uses took its toll on Nancy. Harsh reality set in for the others as well. Doug's faults weren't lost on Maria, Celia's lack of insurance affected her recovery, and Bob Odenkirk made me lose confidence in commercial airline pilots. Where's Jimmy Jam when you need him?
Continue reading Weeds: Head Cheese
Posted Aug 19th 2008 8:21AM by Erin Martell
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Weeds, Reality-Free
(S04E10) Season four of
Weeds has been a season of breakthroughs. Ever since Nancy left Agrestic and started over, she's been re-examining her life and coming to terms with her personal failures. The big question is: Will she ever truly change her behavior?
Her self-awareness has yielded some positive results, like her dinner table apology and her throwdown with Lisa, but we've yet to see any significant changes. Will this week's discovery make a difference?
Continue reading Weeds: The Love Circle Overlap
Posted Aug 12th 2008 1:32AM by Erin Martell
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Weeds, Reality-Free
(S04E09) It appears that Nancy is growing up, and it only took four seasons for it to happen. She dealt with mature relationship issues and had a calm, romantic moment with Esteban. I was thrilled that she finally made good on her promise to be more available to her family, going MILF-a-MILF with Lisa and dealing with Shane's kinky flea-scratching. Her responsible behavior also made up for Celia's descent into coke-fiendom.
Continue reading Weeds: Little Boats
Posted Aug 8th 2008 3:25PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Weeds, Reality-Free, Mad Men
Would you like to see more nudity and profanity on network television?
It's no secret that the networks are losing ground to the cable channels when it comes to original scripted programming, especially dramas. Just take a look at the
Emmy nominations for Best Drama this year and you see that three of the six nominated are from cable:
Mad Men,
Damages, and
Dexter). And the three that
are from the networks are shows that have been a while and are (arguably) on the back nine when it comes to their life:
Boston Legal,
Lost, and
House. While the network shows obviously get more viewers than cable, cable (and online) is the place to go for more creative content and buzz.
Wired's Epicenter blog has a piece about how the more free world of cable television is hurting network TV.
Continue reading Network viewership dropping? Nudity and swearing to the rescue!
Posted Aug 5th 2008 7:33AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, TV on DVD, OpEd, Weeds, Reaper, Reality-Free, Mad Men
Hey, let's all mark our calendars, because it's a big day in the TV world. Now all the people who aren't watching
According to Jim on TV can
not watch it on DVD.
Season one of the
ABC comedy (it's a comedy, right?) will be released on Oct. 21, 2008. It's part of a deal ABC Studios inked with Lionsgate Home Entertainment to distribute select titles on DVD. Season one of
Reaper is next on Nov. 4, followed by
Boy Meets World (which was
discontinued in 2006),
Hope and Faith, and
8 Simple Rules.
That's interesting, because I've got Season one of
8 Simple Rules here (no, I didn't buy it, a publicist sent it to me), and it's from Buena Vista Home Entertainment. So Lionsgate must be taking over distribution.
Continue reading According to Jim on DVD. Yippee.
Posted Aug 5th 2008 2:21AM by Erin Martell
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Weeds, Reality-Free
(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!
Continue reading Weeds: I Am the Table
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