TV Review: Showtime’s ‘Weeds’ Still Has Nice Buzz, But High is Wearing Off

CHICAGO – Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) returns to clean up the mess left at the end of season four of Showtime’s “Weeds,” one of most acclaimed comedies of last several years.

Television Rating: 3.0/5.0

The year ended with a Nancy pregnant by a vengeful drug lord and facing possible execution, Celia stuck in Mexico with long-lost (and angry) daughter Quinn, and Andy realizing he loves Nancy. It was a mess that needed cleaning up, but season five seems to only be getting messier.

Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin (Season 5: episode 1)
Photo credit: Sonja Flemming/Showtime

“Weeds” creator Jenji Kohan took a gigantic risk last year by blowing up her entire concept - taking the Botwins from the ‘burbs to the border and complicating their character’s lives significantly with increasingly over-the-top plotlines. A show that always had only a slight grasp on realism appeared to lose it entirely as Nancy slept with an infamous drug lord and Andy had to deal with getting illegal immigrants across the border.

Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin (Season 5) Photo credit: Showtime

The messy and unfocused plotlines have not gone away in season five. As a kidnapped Celia (Elizabeth Perkins) says before the credits have even finished rolling, “What the HELL is going on here?” Nancy is allowed to live, Celia is being held hostage, Andy is acting out against his true love, and Silas and Shane start to get in on the family business. Jennifer Jason Leigh begins a guest arc in episode two.

Before I get critical, “Weeds” is still one of the damn funniest shows on television. Each episode produces laughs. Justin Kirk and Mary-Louise Parker continue to give two of the most entertaining performances on television and the dialogue is still clever, witty, and brilliantly timed.

The acting and the direction can’t be faulted, but I’m more lost than ever with the overall tone and direction of “Weeds”. The show worked best in seasons one and two when it almost miraculously found a way to balance the insanity of Nancy and Celia’s life with something relatable. Most of season four of “Weeds” and the beginning of season five have completely tossed realism out the window. I miss the moments that came from Nancy trying to figure out how to raise her children or Celia dealing realistically with her cancer. Now Nancy is trying to figure out how to escape the clutches of a Mexican drug lord and Celia is being held for ransom? Things have gotten out of control.

If I’m overly critical of “Weeds” it’s only because I’ve seen how great this show can be. The first few seasons were must-see television with some of the best writing and acting out there. All of the elements of a great show are still there but I feel like “Weeds” is in mid-jump over a deadly, pot-addicted shark and I hope it turns around in time to return to its glory before it gets the munchies.

Season five debuts this week, but if you need to catch up with season four, Lionsgate has released a spectacular Blu-Ray edition. The studio continues to excel in the video and audio department, as anyone who has seen the gorgeous “Mad Men: Season One” release will testify. These episodes look as good as they did in HD on Showtime, arguably better, and come accompanied by fantastic DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio tracks.

Special features on the Blu-Ray release of “Weeds” include “Gags,” Cast and Crew Commentaries, “BonusView” Special “Coyote Commentaries” with Kevin Nealon and Justin Kirk, “Little Titles by Jenji Kohan,” “Burbs to the Beach,” “I’m a Big Kid Now,” “The Weed Wranglers,” “Moving Weight,” “Tour of Bubble’s House,” “One Stop Chop Shop,” and “The Real Hunter Parrish”.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com