Episode Title: 'Do Her/Don't Do Her'
Writer: Jenji Kohan
Director: Michael Trim
Oh "Weeds," why you'd have to go and get so damn good in the last two episodes of the season?
After a sluggish start to a seventh run that felt all over the place at times, Jenji Kohan and company finally started slingin' the good stuff again and now I find myself saying the words I never though I'd utter after the last two seasons: "Showtime, please give 'Weeds' an eighth season!"
Frankly, if you're feeling the same way, I wouldn't be worried about Showtime delivering an eighth, and possibly, final season of "Weeds." In this age of Twitter, Facebook and grassroots fan uprisings that reach the highest level of network exec, can Showtime really get away with cutting "Weeds" off after a season finisher like that? Well played, Jenji Kohan.
As for the finale itself, it delivered everything I've ever loved about this show: Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) talking her way out of being held at gunpoint, in this case by our beloved Heylia (Tonye Patano) and new muscle, Pierre (LOL). Nancy trading insults with a family member, in this case her epic fight with Jill on the subway, the stuff of YouTube greatness, Nancy showing her soft side, in this case, forgiving Silas and setting him up in fancy new Connecticut digs, and of course, the rest of the Botwin clan, caught up in their own insanity: Andy (Justin Kirk) attending Charles' funeral/interpretive dance performance and Shane's (Alexander Gould) "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach to his little police problem.
Yup, somehow, someway, "Weeds" has turned itself around and not just earned, but demanded an eighth season, a feat few shows can accomplish. The question remains, will it include anti-heroine turned heroine, Nancy Botwin? I'd say "yes." C'mon guys, we've seen this sort of fakeout before. Even if the shooter, who may have been taken out himself, managed to hit Nancy, I'd say she's down but not out.
As much as we've come to love "Weeds" fantastic ensemble cast, Nancy Botwin is the heart of this show. And while that was one nasty cliffhanger, I don't think it was quite that nasty. But wouldn't it just be a hoot if after tangling with a DEA agent, bikers, a crazed lesbian lover, murderous convicts, a Mexican drug lord and an Olsen twin, to name just a few, Nancy gets taken out over a family dinner in a quaint Connecticut 'burb? Yea, I don't like that idea, either.
Nope, I wouldn't worry guys, we haven't seen the last of ole "Bug Eyes," or "Mustache" either, I'll bet.
Crave Online Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
