Episode Title: "Object Impermanence"
Writer: Stephen Falk
Director: Michael Trim
What happens when the cast of zany characters that make up an ensemble show strike out on their own? This season of "Weeds" is a prime example. We loved the Botwin/Hodes/Wilson clan when they functioned as one very dysfunctional unit. But now that Andy, Doug and Dean are off forging their own paths, the question that comes to mind is "do we care?"
I've been griping for a while about Andy's (Justin Kirk) storyline, this season, and how his callous attitude towards the Botwin boys and the terminally ill, Charles has felt quite out of character for the all-round good guy. We saw more of the same this week as Andy talked young Shane (Alexander Gould) into fronting him the capital for a very ill-conceived bicycle business. Meanwhile, Shane's attempting to learn about the criminal justice system from the other side. Again, it all begs the same question; what is the end game for these two? Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) has always been the common denominator but the ties that bind all these characters to the Hemptress are weakening and becoming increasingly ridiculous.
"Weeds" is a tale of survival. Everyone is just trying to get by, financially and personally. And Nancy's magnetic pull has always been more than apparent. Her kids need her, her screwball friends have no one else to run to and Andy…well, we know what Andy's motivation is. But all of that has fallen to the wayside, this season.
Silas (Hunter Parrish) is a more than competent black market businessman. Perhaps his only rationale for staying close to Nancy is to work out his daddy issues. As for Dean (Andy Milder), his shacking up with Heylia (Tonye Patano) was a poor excuse to keep this washed up supporting character in the mix. Dean, Doug and Celia are a great comedic trio but on their own, they simply flounder around, inserting themselves into forced punchlines. I'm a big fan of all three actors but the two remaining cast members haven't been put to good use this season.
Last week, I was super optimistic about the return of Heylia and I enjoyed every moment of screen time she was given in this episode. The idea of her and pretty boy, Silas working together is a good place to start but overall, "Weeds" is starting to feel very fractured.
We've spent six plus seasons with this cast and I have love for each every one of these characters but I'm just not sure there's enough there to hold my interest without Nancy playing the straight woman. Besides being a story of survival, "Weeds" has always been a family drama. Granted that family included Nancy's bat-sh*t crazy friends and their husbands but it there was always some sort of family unit at the center of this drama.
Even Heylia doesn't pack the same punch without Conrad and Vaneeta there to back her up. Still, I'm thrilled to have her back in the mix. Things didn't quite gel the way I'd hoped, this week, but it's definitely a step in the right direction for a show that lost its way. New York is not the place for Nancy's devil-may-care freewheelin' pot dealin'. All I can hope for is that her renewed business partnership with Heylia takes her out of the Big Apple and back to the Cali burbs, where she belongs.
Crave Online Rating: 7 out of 10.
