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Weeds: Season 7 Episode 13: Do Her / Don’t Do Her – TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:49:25 +0000

This season “Weeds” started off with a three-year time jump. During that time Nancy was in jail serving a sentence for the murder of Pilar Zuazo, and the Botwin boys were keeping a low profile in Copenhagen, plus Doug. The family reunited in the Big Apple where chaos rapidly ensued. Nancy’s initial goal was to break out of the half-way house and get Stevie back from her sister Jill, but she got tangled in a lot of drama, like she normally does. Season 7 was transformational for Silas – he broke out of being a mama’s boy into a man of action. The tension between him and Nancy reached its peak during last week’s episode, and they started a family war. For the most part, this season felt like a transitional period for the Botwin family. A lot happened in last night’s season finale of “Weeds,” including the return of crazy Jill. But was this finale as gripping as other “Weeds” finales?

The Players:

Director: Eric Jewett
Writers: Jenji Kohan, Roberto Benabib, Matthew Salsberg
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon

Episode: “Do Her / Don’t Do Her”

In the seventh-season finale, Silas turns the tables on Nancy as Shane tries to keep her out of harm’s way and the clutches of Det. Ouellette. Meanwhile, Doug schemes to keep alive his hedge-fund scam.

The Good:

Silas’ Guilt: Silas knows he went too far and he feels extremely guilty. He’s conflicted and can’t decide what to do. It’s great to see him realize that he made a mistake. He’s turned into the best character to watch this season.
Nancy and Jill confrontation: This confrontation was 12 episodes in the making. Earlier in the season we got a taste of the Nancy and Jill drama, when the two argue through an intercom system. This time, we get the whole shebang. There’s a few great insults. Jill calls Nancy ‘bug eyes’ and Nancy calls Jill ‘mustache.’ You really get the feel that these two have a history together. Also Jill is honest with Nancy about why she wants to keep Stevie.

The So-So:

Cliffhanger (SPOILER!): Somehow, the entire Botwin family, plus Jill, her twin daughters, and Doug, managed to get out of NYC alive, and are all living in Connecticut. Everyone is gathered for a celebratory brunch, but there’s also a third party aiming a rifle at them from the bushes. The screen fades to black and then there’s the sound of a gun shot. It’s a very open-ended cliffhanger. It could be a good start to a final season, but “Weeds” has yet to be renewed for an eight season. Nancy has made a lot of enemies and it makes sense that someone would want her dead, but still this gunshot is a whole other ball game.
Time Jump (SPOILER!): Before the three-year time jump at the beginning of this season, there’s been just one other time jump – six months during season five. In the last few minutes of Season 7′s finale episode there’s another time jump of two months. The event that follow – the Botwin family is gathered for a peaceful brunch in a Connecticut home – patches things up so-so. This is a half-hour episode with a lot to cover, and not time to waste. The flash-forward cuts out unnecessary details, but at the same time leaves out a lot. It creates a bit of confusion. If there’s an eight season, it would be a good idea to detail how the Botwin family decided to move together to Connecticut.

The Bad

Emma is M.I.A: Emma was completely left out of the finale. She was an important character during the last few episodes. She’s one of the reasons behind the Silas and Nancy war, yet she’s mentioned once in the whole finale.
Dimitri’s Gang (SPOILER!): Dimitri got busted for who-knows-what, and his house is run over by a bunch off lookalike buffoons, all wearing crew neck T-Shirts and black rimmed glasses. When Nancy and Jill drop in for a visit, these ridiculous characters take turn rating Jill and Nancy with a ‘Do her/Don’t do her ‘ (hence the title of the episode). The whole thing is a waste of time, and the gang rape jokes are not funny.

Overall:

The season finale resonates with Season 7 as a whole, there were a lot of entertaining plot lines and some funny moments, but overall a lot of confusion. It would be a shame for “Weeds” to finish like this, even though it went out with a bang, literally.

Rating: 7/10

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 12: Qualitative Spatial Reasoning – TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:50:17 +0000

The penultimate episode of Season 7 opens with a split-screen of Silas and Nancy walking around the streets of NYC, competing for costumers and business associates. Before we know it, Nancy is winning the race and Silas, frustrated by the lack of progress on his end. Last night, “Weeds” also brushed on one of the most important storylines – Nancy’s custody battle for Stevie against her sister Jill. We were introduced to this storyline at the beginning of the season and it’s great to know that the writers haven’t forgotten about poor baby Stevie. There were many things going on in ‘Qualitative Spatial Reasoning’ (at one point there was a three-way split screen). This means next week’s finale is going to busy.

The Players:

Director: Eric Jewett
Writers: Jenji Kohan, Roberto Benabib, Matthew Salsberg
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon, Michelle Trachtenberg

Episode: “Qualitative Spatial Reasoning”

Andy turns mediator when Nancy and Silas clash over who’s in charge of the business. Meanwhile Shane tries to regain the trust of Detective Ouellette. Also, Nancy makes a presentation to the Vehement Capital Partners that’s too hard to resist. And, Heylia James and Dean Hodes run into some trouble on their way to the bike shop.

The Good:

Split-Screen: The opening split-screen was a great way for the audience to see how Silas and Nancy are using similar methods to try and win over their old costumers and drug dealers, while at the same time there’s a barrier between the two characters. It’s like a neat little diagram where we can see the similarities and differences between mother and son.
“I am not a secretary, I sell marijuana”: Last week Nancy figured out a way to effectively sell her MILF weed for a lot more money. Her method is to add exclusivity, because “nothing makes a rich person want something more than telling them they can’t have it.” So Ms. Botwin brings her business preposition to Vehement, and she brings along an attractive group of young girls (who could easily be mistaken as escorts). You got to hand it to Nancy, she knows how to deliver a sale’s pitch.
Shane’s Noble Deed: Shane helps out Detective Ouellette by bringing his estranged stepson to his office. Mind you, he does this for his own benefit (to distract the detective), but it turns out to be a very nice and sweet gesture. When the detective’s stepson is unwilling to be nice to his dad, Shane uses violence to scare him straight. The kid, afraid Shane might hit him with a police baton, agrees to play nice. It’s a nice thing for Shane to do, regardless of his methods. And it’s nice to see Detective Ouellette smiling.

The Bad

The Ending: Even though the opening split-screen was effective, it didn’t work so well at the end. There’s just too much going on at one time. It feels like they’re taking care of all the stuff they hadn’t finished earlier in the season. It’s all good, but it’s just too much, too fast, without enough time to savor all the great stuff they’re dishing up.

Overall:

It’s nice to hear that Stevie is still one of Nancy’s top priorities, and that helps justify some of the wacky things that she’s doing, like selling pot, sending the feds on Pouncy House and fighting against her own kid. Nancy’s dealing drugs because she wants Stevie back (and for that she needs stability) and she doesn’t want anyone or anything to stand in the way. There’s a lot of buildup for the season finale, and it just seems like so much to cover in a very short amount of time. It’ll be a busy ending.

Rating: 7/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 11: Une Mère Que J’aimerais Baiser – TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:59:32 +0000

Season 7 of “Weeds” started off a bit wobbly. The show focused too much of its attention on pointless story-lines like Andy’s polyamorous relationship and Nancy’s love triangle, when it should have been tackling the Andy-Nancy relationship and Nancy’s custody battle for Stevie. There have been a few pivotal moments, like in tonight’s episode when Silas stands up to his mother, but with two episodes away from the season finale, there isn’t enough time for what we really want. At this point, I think we have to come to terms with season 7 being a transitional season, and hope that the next will offer less senseless drama and more development in both the story and the characters.

The Players:

Director: Eric Jewett
Writers: Jenji Kohan, Roberto Benabib, Matthew Salsberg
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon, Michelle Trachtenberg

Episode: “Une Mère Que J’aimerais Baiser”

Nancy hopes to cash in on some new business opportunities when she tags along with Andy and Doug for a weekend in the East Hamptons. Silas hopes to reconcile with Emma; and Shane accompanies Det. Ouellette on a drug bust.

The Good:

Bill Sussman Returns: Andy hasn’t changed much this season. He’s had a few peaking moments – like in last week’s episode when he abandoned all reason and held Emma hostage at nail gun-point. Still, he’s a great character for entertainment purposes. This week saw the return of Bill Sussman (one of Andy’s alter-egos), a wealthy lawyer who enjoys Long Island Iced teas. Once again, we are fascinated by the way Andy can conjure up a whole biography without making it sound like a total lie. We ought to thank the writers who come up with these creative stories, but also Justin Kirk who happens to be a great bluffer. Bill Sussman also served as a reflection for Andy. That character gave him the ability to channel his inner macho-man and briefly stand up to Nancy, which leads me to…
Andy and Nancy: The relationship between Andy and Nancy is so complicated that it falls into multiple category (ex: family, lovers, friends). These past 11 episodes should have been dealing with them as lovers (we’ve seen everything else), but the story was buried, until last night. Bill Sussman brought out the rage in Andy. He reminds Nancy that he’s still obsessed with her, despite her being a ‘self-center heartless sociopath.’ It wasn’t much, but at least we know that the story line is still there.
Silas: Nancy’s eldest is also “Weeds” most valuable character, as of now. Silas has learned and grown up to be a character than can hold his own. Where he goes from here will be crucial to the whole story because he’s become as important as Nancy. He’s the male equivalent of Nancy, basically. I didn’t expect to see a battle between mother and son, because Silas always forgave Nancy for all the outrages things she did. But now, he’s done, and it’s exciting to see him go. As great a character as Nancy is, it was about time that someone stood up to her and said “I’m done.”

The So-So:

The Grey Goose of Weed: Nancy is trying to make loads of cash. Her reason is that she needs to pay Dimitri back for the weed, but that doesn’t make a lot of sense since she probably gets her product for less than the asking price. It isn’t about the money either because we’ve learned that Nancy doesn’t really care about money anymore. The truth is that she likes to deal. So why exactly does she want to be the Grey Goose of weed?

The Bad

The Bust: “Weeds” has had its fair share of busts. From Celia’s house in Agrestic to the underground tunnel in the maternity store, all of the drug busts have been major events (and sometimes highly emotional). But not this time. The Pouncy House bust was bland and blah. It was a disappointment.
Stevie: Wasn’t Nancy suppose to try and get Stevie back? Where is this storyline?

Overall:

There’s a lot going on in last night’s episode. Andy hides himself in Bill Sussman, hoping to distance himself from his feelings for Nancy. Silas finds out that his mother sent the feds to Pouncy House, and that pushes him to the edge. There’s two episodes left (less than one hour of footage) until the season finale. Everything points to a mother/son showdown, but is that what we signed up for?

Rating: 8/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

Gallery:

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 10: System Overhead – TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:40:31 +0000

The Botwin business is left upside down. Everything is gone – the pot, the brain, the Copenhagen wheel. Silas and Andy try to confront Emma, but when she doesn’t take Silas seriously, Andy steps in with a nail gun. Last night’s episode of “Weeds” saw a whole new side of Andy. He forgets no-violence Andy, and kidnaps Emma at nail-gun-point. Nancy is off doing her own thing, drinking coffee, picking up Shane from Jail, and not working as Doug’s secretary anymore. Where’s Doug? Pulling office pranks, whilst in the middle of a scandal, like always.

The Players:

Director: Scott Ellis
Writers: Jenji Kohan, Brendan Kelly
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon, Michelle Trachtenberg

Episode: “System Overhead”

Nancy, Andy and Silas plot revenge against Emma (Trachtenberg) after she steals all of their businesses. Meanwhile, Doug suffers a financial setback that makes it even more important to keep his hedge fund up and running; and Shane’s involvement with the law proves to be more complex than he expected.

The Good:

Andy stands up for his bike shop: All Andy wants is a legitimate bike shop (and his Copenhagen wheel to work out). So when Emma takes that away from him, he kidnaps her and threatens to shoot her in the face with a nail gun. Usually this would be the type of thing that Andy would shy away from, but turning his bike shop upside down was the last straw. Andy desperately tries to fix his ‘own problem.’ He’s sad and truly hurt, and ranting. But even in this vulnerable state of mind, Andy never loses his wit thanks to some solid writing. He just delivers great line after great line including, “Happy you got laid, but guess what, you slept with the devil,” and “It’s not a van, it’s a giant turd. I’m captaining a giant turd.”
Nancy works her charm: When Silas can’t seem to solve the problem he’s created for himself, Nancy steps in to save the day with her tried and true method of rude seduction. It’s always fun, and often her big eyes and long legs lead to results in all sorts of places.
Silas: Silas deserves a special shout-out for the way he confronted Emma. He gets off his giant van, and tells her, “First you fucked me, thanks. And then you fucked my business.” Ah, the perfect gentleman.

The So-So

Bombs:Demitri and Nancy are still (lovers and) friends, and he’s now her weedsupplier, but we’re all waiting for that story to really kick-odd. And were the explosives sold or are they coming back into play?

Overall:

Silas and Nancy are trying to solve the same problem, alone. Silas joins forces with Pouncy House. Nancy asks for a favor from the police department. Their paths are about to intercept, and things are about to get ugly.

Rating: 9/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 9: Cats! Cats! Cats! – TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:21:13 +0000

After last week’s loaded cliffhanger, Nancy Botwin was left with a mess on her hands. The SEC now knows that their pretty little informant is also a drug dealer with a pyromaniac girlfriend, and Nancy is faced with the worst – going back in the system. Meanwhile, Shane steals information from the police department; Silas continues to recruit; and Andy tries to get under Zoya’s skin. Halfway through the episode, things start to look up for the Botwins, but if we know “Weeds” we know that good things never last for this family.

The Players:

Director: Michael Trim
Writers: Jenji Kohan, Dave Holstein
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon, Michelle Trachtenberg

Episode: “Cats! Cats! Cats!”

Nancy and Andy try to put the brakes on Zoya’s attempt to take over the bike shop; Silas has an encounter with a local rival dealer; and Doug must do some business with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Good:

Doug Wilson Is The Man: Nancy is not the only one worried about bars. Just when the SEC threatens to send Nancy back into the system, in walks Doug Wilson who also gets threatened with jail time if he doesn’t fork up some information. Thankfully, Doug is a gifted accountant who can see numbers as colors and remembers that the SEC has some illegal federal pension plans with his company. A hilarious Doug makes it very clear that if they go down, so does the SEC.
Zoya and Andy: Zoya decides she wants in on Nancy’s business. She proclaims herself “a partner,” but this doesn’t sit well with Andy. Once Zoya starts messing around with his Copenhagen wheel, he threatens to ruin her plans of going away with Nancy.
Silas Learns a Lesson on Trust: Sometimes Silas gets carried away thinking he’s Mr. Know-It-All. But in Monday night’s episode he learns a valuable lesson after making a rookie mistake. Silas tries to recruit Emma (Trachtenberg) into his business, he shows her around and discloses information that should only be trusted to those he’s known for more than 10 minutes. In the end, Emma double-crosses him by stealing the “brains” of the operation.
Shane Learns a Lesson on Stealing: Shane is still trying to prove himself to Nancy. He feels that if he joins the police force, he can pull a Matt Damon in The Departed. He decides to act by printing out some information on Emma’s weed business Pouncy House, only to get caught and cuffed.

The Bad:

Free Townhouse: Nancy does some pillow talking with the CEO of her company. She fesses up to wearing a wire, and tells him he should leave town. Naturally, he’s outraged and kicks her out of his townhouse. But when she comes back to see how things are going, he begs her to come away with her. She declines, and so, he gives her his townhouse. It doesn’t make any sense how things just fall into her lap like that.

Overall:

This week we saw Nancy deal with the SEC. Now that Doug has cleared that up, Nancy has bigger problems. Hipster drug dealers! Thankfully, she won’t have to deal with psycho-Zoya anymore.

Rating: 8.5/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 8: Synthetics – TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:06:06 +0000

Nancy Botwin’s life just got a little more complicated. Last night “Weeds” picked up right where it left off. Nancy’s prison ex-girlfriend Zoya has been released from prison and she’s not happy to see Nancy, on top of her brother. Now, Nancy must juggle the Russians, the SEC and a CEO. She may be out of the half-way house, but she’s still on a tight, tight leash. In the end, every single one of Nancy’s problems accumulate and we’re left with a classic “Weeds” cliffhanger.

The Players:

Director: Michael Trim
Writers: Jenji Kohan, Victoria Morrow
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon, Michelle Trachtenberg

Episode: “Synthetics”

Nancy’s former cellmate shows up and complicates things between Nancy and her supplier; Silas and Andy bang heads over how to best utilize the bike shop; and Shane’s internship provides him with some surprising lessons.

The Good:

The Russians: Their names are Demetri and Zoya. They are brother and sister, and they are both sleeping with Nancy. Obviously, this creates some problems between the trio, and in the first few minutes of episode 8, we see Demetri and Zoya going at it like little kids. Demetri mocks Zoya by making donkey sounds at her (insinuating that she has donkey ears), and she bosses him around like an older sister. In the end, they both get Nancy, or rather yet, Nancy gets them.
Shane Plus Detective Plus Beer: Shane’s internship is turning out to be enlightening. Shane yearns for a father figure, and the detective seeks out the company of a son, since his is negligent towards him. Over beers, the two talk about their problems and give each other advice. For the first time, Shane is sincere about his past and shows real signs of maturity.

The So-So:

Shakedown: Silas gets a “friendly cease and desist notice” from a couple of drug-dealing hipsters. It’s suppose to be a shakedown, but it’s hard to take it seriously, especially because the whole thing is just a set-up (on behalf of the writers) to bring in Michelle Trachtenberg’s character into the story. It was a cheap shot.
The Cliffhanger: Already we’ve seen a couple of good cliffhangers this season. This is what “Weeds” is all about – the build up. At the end of Monday night’s episode, Nancy is stuck in a room with all of her problems, with exception of the SEC, who are listening in on everything via wire – the drugs, the cover up business, the shakedown. Nancy tries to drown out the conversations with classical music. The entire time Nancy’s struggling to keep the SEC from listening in, you’ll be wondering why she doesn’t just excuse herself, go to the restroom and get rid of the wire?

Overall:

Now that Zoya is out of prison, we know that she’ll be one of Nancy’s main problems and obstacles. It’ll be interesting to see how Nancy deals with a female lover. Has she met her match? Will she marry Zoya? Will Zoya die at the end of season 7? So many questions!

Rating: 7.5/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 7: Vehement v. Vigorous – TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:23:10 +0000

Time has really taken a toll on Nancy Botwin. Once upon a time, the suburban mom would have never admitted to being a drug dealer, but now, she seems to think it okay to out herself. In last night’s episode of “Weeds“, Nancy tells her boss that she’s the company’s dealer. In return, he makes her play the field… at a company baseball game. Nancy also spends some time with Andy, which was long overdue because the two are rarely seen together anymore. Maybe that’s just what Nancy needs, to spend some quality time with Andy because right now, she’s not being herself.

The Players:

Director: Michael Trim
Writers: Jenji Kohan, Stephen Falk
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon,

Episode: “Vehement v. Vigorous”

Nancy and Doug play in a company softball game; Silas comes back from Heylia’s and tries to hire male models as delivery men.

The Good:

Shane’s New Relationship: No matter how smart and charming Shane is, there’s one thing we’ll never forget (and forgive) — he’s a murderer. This week, Shane develops a new father-son relationship with a man from law enforcement. The man sees that Shane’s got the potential to become a high-level criminal and decides to take him under his wing by offering him an internship. I’m getting vibes from The Departed.
Sila’s Quoting Heylia: Silas comes back to New York after spending some time harvesting MILF weed for Heylia. He spends a good chunk of the show getting under Nancy’s skin by sharing some of the advice that Heylia has bestowed unto him. One of the highlights is when he asks, “Why do you hate Heylia so much?” You never know if what he’s doing is it to annoy Nancy or if Heylia has actually made an impact on him.
Doug: There’s not a lot of Doug during this episode, but this is worth mentioning: Doug runs into Nancy’s halfway house director (who’s a Black man) and he makes the hilarious mistake of calling him Marvin. In that short while, he manages to out Nancy, asking “Marvin” if he’s still dealing for her.

The Bad:

Silas’ Rocky Moment: Silas is eager to find delivery boys for the weed business. All he asks for is that they be good looking, so who does he go to? A model agent. The only thing is that he has to fight, in a ring, with another male model. Only then will she hook him up. The whole idea is ridiculous. He’s asked to throw the fight, for whatever reason, but when the other male model calls him a ‘sugar momma’s boy,’ Silas goes Rocky on him. The whole scenario is just unnecessary. All we see is that Silas’ on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but we already knew that.
Nancy’s Getting Sloppy: Nancy has been in worst situations than the ones in Season 7, but she’s getting sloppy. What is she trying to prove by outing herself, or by being an informant for the SEC? She’s still charming, but she’s approaching everything without thinking twice. There’s needs to be reasons for her actions and so far, we’re not getting any.

Overall:

Everyone is figuring stuff out on their own. It’s a slow process, but there’s fun surprises and those make the show worth while.

Rating: 7.5/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 6: Object Impermanence – TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:18:21 +0000

Leave it to Heylia James to greet someone with a shotgun. In last night’s episode, Nancy and Silas almost get their heads blown off by none other than their former enemy, one of “Weeds” primary characters from a couple of seasons ago. We quickly figure out that not much has changed – Heylia is still dealing and Nancy is still buying. We also get to witness another one of Heylia’s inspiring speeches (she was always a good speaker). And, Nancy gets a sweet surprise.

The Players:

Director: Michael Trim
Writers: Jenji Kohan, Stephen Falk
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon, Tonye Patano

Episode: “Object Impermanence”

Nancy has a run-in with an old acquaintance and Silas gets caught in the crossfire; Andy engages in a new business enterprise that requires Doug and Shane’s assistance.

The Good:

Heylia James: Some of my favorite lines come from this woman. When she left “Weeds” a little part of me died, because she was a great character. Heylia put Nancy in her place, something that no one else ever seemed to be able (or is still able) to do. She always has something meaningful to say and has welcome monologues. Plus, with all the shows forward momentum, no one expected us to go back, “Weeds” has managed to surprise me again and that’s always a good sign. And without spoiling anything, just know that you’ll be seeing Heylia again.
Shane Shines in School: Shane sits through his first lesson in Criminal Justice class, and gets recognition. He’s a smart kid and seeing him at his brightest is always good fun. He’s still a teen but his life experience makes it easy for him to converse with those older than him. We saw it last season when he befriended the Moms and we see it again last night.
Dean and Silas: Dean also comes back into the picture. The Jewish lawyer who loves to get high is living with Heylia, and apparently not so comfortably. Him and Silas get to talking about everything – girls, being young, drinking blood, taking dumps, MILF – everything. It’s a great scene. Also worth mentioning is when he first sees Nancy, Dean goes into panick mode and says, “Celia’s not with you right?” Funny!

The Bad:

Andy: We need more Andy. He almost feels like a secondary character now. He did recently have a storyline of his own (when he got involved with the polyamorous couple), but it wasn’t enough. At the end of last season, we were left wondering if Andy and Nancy would ever be, but the notion has been forgotten. We rarely see Andy and Nancy together now. Look, everyone has a card to play, and while Doug is silly and goofy and fun, “Weeds” still needs more Andy. He’s the wit. The smart-ass. More Andy would be great.

Overall:

It’s always a pleasure to see old friends, especially ones as vivid as Heylia.

Rating: 8/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 5: Fingers Only Meat Banquet – TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:07:50 +0000

Cliffhangers can be tricky, and often times quite annoying, but if there’s one thing “Weeds” does extremely well, it’s just that. Monday night’s episode ended with a bang! (I really don’t want to spoil it for you so if you didn’t see last night’s episode yet, do yourself a favor and do!) Nancy is still fighting with her irritating sister over Stevie, Jill wants custody and Nancy is summoned to appear in court for a custody hearing, but when things don’t go as planned, our lioness mother (Nancy) gets out her claws.

The Players:

Director: Scott Ellis
Writers: Brendan Kelly
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon

Episode: “Fingers Only Meat Banquet”

With help from her lawyer and Silas, Nancy returns to California to continue her custody battle against Jill; Andy’s relationship takes a bizarre turn; Shane gives college a try by enrolling in classes; back on Wall Street, Doug makes do without Nancy.

The Good:

Nancy & Silas: The relationship between Nancy and Silas is one of the reasons to love season 7. They have this love-and-hate relationship where they both try to do things on their own, but end up always having to work together. They’re their best when they work together. Last night, Silas wasn’t sure if he should help his mother out during her custody hearing. She’s no mother of the year, after all. However, when it came down to it, he backed her up. Their relationship feels real, and they have great chemistry as mother and son.
Jill: So we didn’t get to see Jill during this episode, but we got to hear her through an intercom. She’s such a spiteful character, but she’s good at it. The fights between her Nancy are some of the most entertaining moments because it feels like you’re listening to two young siblings fight over who gets to play with the barbie.
“Epilogue”: The ending of ‘Fingers Only Meat Banquet’ was the best! Nancy gets advice from the judge about her parenting. He tells her that she needs to go back to being the old Nancy and to not try and make a dramatic change. It was a heartfelt moment. Then we see Nancy and Silas driving down a beautiful road, surrounded by trees. I was expecting there to some sort of meaningful conversation between Nancy and Silas, but instead we see that the two are trying to score some weed! Then there’s one hell of a surprise. WATCH IT!

The Bad:

Massage Parlor Scene: What was that? Doug is usually a favorite of mine, but not this week. “Weeds” is not one to shy away from explicit sex scenes, but the whole “hand jobs” deal was a bit awkward. Didn’t work for me.

Overall:

“Weeds” is getting it’s groove back, and that will make fans very happy.

Rating: 9/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 4: A Hole in Her Niqab – TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:30:19 +0000

In Monday night’s episode of “Weeds,” Nancy and Silas work together to win over some drug territory, Botwin style. Nancy proves herself a fearless competitor, and gives “Weeds” the push its been needing since the season started. And it’s not that Season 7 has been bad, it’s just that it hasn’t been the kind of great (and exciting) that we fans are use to. But on Monday night, things took a turn. The episode kept me on my toes – it was entertaining from beginning to end, and easily the best episode thus far. ‘A Hole in Her Niqab’ was special alright, check out why.

The Players:

Director: Eric Jewett
Writers: David Holstein
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon,

Episode: “A Hole in Her Niqab”

Nancy attempts to land a job at Doug’s new office, while Shane sets up their new house without the help of an overwhelmed Andy. Also, Nancy and Silas work together to take down one of the town’s weed dealer.

The Good:

Jill’s twins: So you probably remember that Jill – Nancy’s overwhelming sister – has twin girls. Once they were featured as sweet little girls who said the same thing at the same time. Now they’re all grown up. The writers could have kept the twins as flat characters, but instead they gave them some color, which adds a nice touch. The twins are now polar opposites and although their appearance is brief, they are funny and enjoyable.
“Anti-drug Nancy”: Nancy is a very spontaneous character. It’s part of her charm. Lately her ‘charm’ has been too much, too wild, even for Nancy’s standards. But in last night’s episode, when Nancy took a drug dealer down by exposing him, Regina George style, her charm was spot on. It was a great moment.
Andy’s sexual antics: Oh Andy, the lengths he’ll go to keep things interesting. I commend him for his bravery. On Monday night, Andy reminded me of the rabbi Andy – ah Yael! He gets himself into a a poly-amorous relationship with an artsy chick and a 70-year old male cancer patient. It may sound weird on paper, but when you throw Andy into the mix, it makes for good fun. Odds are the relationship won’t last and this will be another one of Andy’s crazy sex adventures. It’s all good!
Shane’s surprise: This wasn’t funny. It was sweet. Awing kind of sweet. Shane takes out some college loans, but instead of sending a check towards higher education, he buys furniture (SPOILER) and puts together a room for his mother. Specifically he puts together Nancy’s Agrestic bedroom. It’s a sweet moment.

The Bad:

The hole in her Niqab situation: I didn’t question the title of this episode when I first saw it – until I saw a woman in a Niqab blow up. Yup, “Weeds” went there. Was it a political statement? Was it black comedy? Who knows. Out of nowhere, we find ourselves in a weed plantation in Afghanistan where a man confesses to his co-worker of cheating on his wife. The scene ends with a bang, literally. The whole story does have a (thin) connection to Nancy, but nothing that couldn’t have been replaced by something less, explosive. “Weeds” has ventured into some controversial issues in the past, like drugs, gang violence, drug trafficking, and immigration, but every issue has had a setup. We didn’t get introduced to an underground drug tunnel out of the blue, it slowly got to that point. So far, all we’ve seen is grenades in a suitcase, so the whole suicide bomber thing was premature.

Overall:

A lot was accomplished in “Weeds” Monday night. Nancy finally got a job in an office and the Botwin’s are back to dealing pot. It seems like a lot of this season is going to be dedicated to Nancy trying to get Stevie back into her custody and I’m excited about that. There’s nothing better than seeing momma Botwin fight for her boys.

Rating: 9/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 3: Game-Played -TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:24:48 +0000

“Weeds” has not been itself lately. I’d like to think it’s because New York is not an easy adjustment from well, the rest of the United States or Denmark. But the reason is probably because its lead, Nancy Botwin, who is so confused about who she is and what she’s doing, that the whole series feels confused. In last night’s episode, Nancy had a one-on-one with her son Silas and she clearly said, “There’s no plan.” And that’s exactly how “Weeds” feels right now, like there’s no plan.

The Players:

Director: Scott Ellis
Writers: Jenji Kohan
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon,

Episode: “Game-Played”

After testing positive for marijuana use, Ed arranges for Nancy to start anti-drug classes run by Ms. Keen. Jill tells Nancy that she intends to seek full custody of Stevie. At Nancy’s urging Shane obtains admission to City College of New York. Doug gets a job as a CPA from his college friend. Silas gets his first gig as an underwear model in New York City. Nancy trades Zoya’s weapons for pot from the Sarge and discovers an opening in the sales market.

The Good:

Mother Nancy: For brief moments last night, the real Nancy came out (not the careless pothead we saw last week). She was caring of her children, and when situation presented itself that she might lose one of her kids, she became the Nancy of past seasons. She also had a sexy rendezvous which wasn’t as candid as some we’ve seen in the past, but it proved that the Nancy we all know and love is in there somewhere.
Shane goes to school: Before becoming a psycho killer, Shane was the nerdy kid who got picked on. For so many seasons, Shane was the beacon of hope for the Botwin family. He was going to be the one to go to college and get a normal career, “as a doctor or lawyer,” Nancy would say. Well it’s happening. The kid is going to school and applying for loans. It’s going to be interesting seeing him in that environment once again.
Doug goes to Wall Street: Doug has always been a great character. Out of everyone in Agrestic, he’s the one who stuck around. He was too good to get rid of. And in season 7, he’s the one that keeps the laughs coming. He’s gone to Wall Street now, and gotten a job as a fancy accountant in a fancy office with a giant portrait of his young-self on the wall. Very Doug, if you ask me, and very hilarious.

The Not-So-Good:

Silas cons his mother: Not happening! How many times has Silas seen his mother suffer because of drug deals gone wrong? How many times has she been conned? Too many. Yet, in last night’s episode, Silas cons hit mother. He forces her to go halfsies with him, with the pot she got from her grenade deal. Hopefully he’s trying to teach her a lesson and not getting back at her for everything she’s done wrong. That wouldn’t be fair.

Overall:

Last night’s episode was surprisingly entertaining. It’s difficult to pin-point what was really good or bad because everything was so brief. Every Botwin, plus Doug, got to do their own little thing. The went out into the world, on with their own lives. Nancy tries to get a job (although there were some detours). Silas books a gig. Shane goes loan-hunting. Doug goes white collar on us. And Andy gets fed. It’s a whirlwind of situations, but overall entertaining.

Rating: 8/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Weeds: Season 7 Episode 2: From Trauma Cometh Something -TV Review

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:10:11 +0000

“Weeds” has taken us to many places – the Suburbs, Mexico, underground, off-the-grid and now New York. Things always went from bad to worse (sometimes unbelievably worse). And no matter the Botwin family destination, there’s always been good entertainment to go along. But “Weeds” might’ve made a wrong turn when it decided to take us to New York. It’s been three years since the big bust and there are a lot of missing details. Nancy is out of prison after being charged with murder, which is an unlikely situation in the real world (but we’ve learned that nothing is impossible for Mrs. Botwin). Let’s check out if New York is serving as a good destination for the Botwins.

The Players:

Director: Scott Ellis
Writers: Jenji Kohan
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon,

Episode: “From Trauma Cometh Something”

Struggling to create a new life for herself in New York, Nancy is thrown for a loop when Andy and Shane show up on her doorstep; Silas seeks to launch a state side modeling career; Doug looks up an old friend.

The Good:

Silas: Silas has come a long way since the days when he use to call his mom Nancy and come home high on Ecstasy. Even though he chose a somewhat phony career (modeling), he’s matured. Unlike his mother, Silas is a character who learns from his mistakes. It’s great to see a character actually evolve and learn from his mistakes. In last night’s episode, Silas goes to a job interview and somehow ends up pouring his heart out to a modeling agent. That episode was the best thing of the night.

The Bad:

Nancy the pothead: Nancy may have been the worse of things, but she was never a pothead. She stayed away from her product. Her reason for dealing drugs was because she needed to support her family and maintain her lifestyle. Now in Season 7, we’ve got Nancy smoking pot and trading bombs for pounds of weed. Things don’t make sense. Nancy isn’t with her family so she doesn’t need to slang drugs to make money, and why is she getting high? Yes, Nancy has always been a wild card, but not like this.
Slow pacing: Last night’s episode was nothing but a few meet n’ greets and subway rides. Three years have gone by, and we know practically nothing of what happened in that giant gap. In past seasons, we’ve always been there when situations are created and being developed. At the beginning of season 7, we are sort of lost. We don’t know what is going on or how Nancy has changed. Being out of the loop doesn’t feel so great. There needs to start being some flashbacks or something because things don’t make sense.

Overall:

So Shane is taller, Silas is a man, Nancy is someone other than the suburban mom/drug dealer/FBI informant we use to know, and Andy, well, he’s probably the same, but most of the Botwin’s have changed.”Weeds” still has a good sense of humor, but it’s going to take some time to get use to the fact that we’ve missed out on three years of the characters’ lives.

Rating: 7/10

“Weeds” airs on Showtime at 10pm (ET/PT) on Monday nights.

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Weeds: Season 7 Episode 13: Do Her / Don’t Do Her – TV Review

The Players:

Episode: “Do Her / Don’t Do Her”

The Good:

The So-So:

The Bad

Overall:

Rating: 7/10

What did you think of last night’s episode?

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Weeds: Season 7 Episode 12: Qualitative Spatial Reasoning – TV Review

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Episode: “Qualitative Spatial Reasoning”

The Good:

The Bad

Overall:

Rating: 7/10

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Weeds: Season 7 Episode 11: Une Mère Que J’aimerais Baiser – TV Review

The Players:

Episode: “Une Mère Que J’aimerais Baiser”

The Good:

The So-So:

The Bad

Overall:

Rating: 8/10

Gallery:

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Weeds: Season 7 Episode 10: System Overhead – TV Review

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Episode: “System Overhead”

The Good:

The So-So

Overall:

Rating: 9/10

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Weeds: Season 7 Episode 9: Cats! Cats! Cats! – TV Review

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Episode: “Cats! Cats! Cats!”

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 8.5/10

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Weeds: Season 7 Episode 8: Synthetics – TV Review

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Episode: “Synthetics”

The Good:

The So-So:

Overall:

Rating: 7.5/10

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Weeds: Season 7 Episode 7: Vehement v. Vigorous – TV Review

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Episode: “Vehement v. Vigorous”

The Good:

Overall:

Rating: 7.5/10

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Weeds: Season 7 Episode 6: Object Impermanence – TV Review

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Episode: “Object Impermanence”

The Good:

Overall:

Rating: 8/10

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Weeds: Season 7 Episode 5: Fingers Only Meat Banquet – TV Review

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Episode: “Fingers Only Meat Banquet”

The Good:

Overall:

Rating: 9/10