Episode Title: 'Cats! Cats! Cats!'
Writer: David Holstein
Director: Michael Trim
Could it be that "Weeds" has finally found its footing in New York? After floundering around with ghosts of season's past and a gaggle of extraneous new characters that made the already over-crowded cast feel bloated, 'Cats! Cats! Cats' sewed up the loose ends and set the course for what could be an excellent season seven finish.
Gone are Zoya (Olga Sosnovska), Nancy's (Mary-Louise Parker) lesbian prison lover, Chuck (Aidan Quinn), her philandering boss-for-five-minutes and her problems with a number of three-letter acronym government agencies.
Now the stage is set for a showdown between Nancy and NYC pot-peddling up and comer, Emma (Michelle Trachtenberg) of Pouncy House. With so many balls in the air, (there's a lame joke about Nancy's sex life in there that I'm just going to leave alone), it's no wonder the competition found a way in via Silas (Hunter Parrish).
The "Nancy versus…." storylines are where "Weeds" tends to hit the most high notes, bringing the Botwin clan together to form a united front against the competition. The inevitable showdown in the Big Apple looks to deliver the same.
As for Nancy, it's great to see the rest of the Botwins take pot shots (sorry) at her, left and right. In particular, the dynamic between Andy (Justin Kirk) and Nancy is back to form, with Andy, once again, attempting to draw the line where his interests end and her's begin.
Meanwhile, Nancy remains delusional about what exactly those interests are. She tells Chuck she can't take off for the Islands because she's got children who depend on her. Yet, when she confronts Shane (Alexander Gould) about his police gig, her understanding is that he's doing it all for her attention, flippantly offering to give him whatever he wants.
Yup, Nancy still doesn't get it, which is why "Weeds" is able to enjoy a seventh season – and so are we, when Jenji Kohan delivers an episode like this one.
Crave Online Rating: 8 out of 10.
