| Weeds | |
|---|---|
 Season One title card |
|
| Format | Comedy-drama |
| Created by | Jenji Kohan |
| Starring | Mary-Louise Parker Elizabeth Perkins Hunter Parrish Alexander Gould Allie Grant with Justin Kirk and Kevin Nealon |
| Opening theme | "Little Boxes" (episodes 1-38 and 57) |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 63 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 26 min. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Showtime |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original run | August 8, 2005 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Weeds is an American comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan, produced by Lionsgate Television for the Showtime network.
The plot revolves around a widowed housewife (Mary-Louise Parker) from an affluent California suburb who becomes her neighborhood's marijuana dealer to make ends meet. The title is a play on words, referring to both the slang term for marijuana and widow's weeds, it also refers to the tendency of American suburbs to grow quickly and pervasively, with the dwellings and their residents being almost as indistinguishable as weeds; this is mirrored in the show's theme song "Little Boxes" and opening credits, and is a recurring theme of the show itself. The theme song changes in the second season. The change consists of a different version every week.
Weeds currently comprises five seasons that began airing in August 2005. It was the highest rated series for Showtime its first year; its fourth-season premiere attracted 1.3 million viewers to Showtime, the channel's highest-ever viewership; the season as a whole averaged 962,000 viewers.[citation needed] Showtime announced on July 18, 2008 that two more seasons of thirteen episodes each will be produced.[1] Season 5 premiered to 1.2 million viewers, with a rerun on the same night adding another 500,000 viewers for a cumulative 1.7 million.
Mary-Louise Parker won a Golden Globe for her performance on the show, and Jenji Kohan won a WGA award for her screenplay for the pilot episode. The show was nominated for a notable 19 Emmy Awards and 10 Golden Globes.
A version of this Wikipedia page served as the opening for episode 57 (season 5 show 7) "Where the Sidewalk Ends".
The final episode of the show's fifth season aired on August 31, 2009 and attracted 1.3 million viewers, up from last year's numbers which averaged 1 million.[2]
The sixth season will premiere in 2010, according to Showtime.[3]
Contents |
Production
The exteriors for the show were shot almost exclusively in Stevenson Ranch, a suburban area of Santa Clarita Valley, California. The shot of the large fountain and Agrestic sign seen in the introduction of Seasons 1-3 was shot at the corner of Stevenson Ranch Parkway and Holmes Place. The name 'Stevenson Ranch' was digitally replaced with 'Agrestic' and with 'Majestic' in later episodes.
The overhead, satellite picture displayed at the beginning of the show's introduction (Seasons 1-3) is of "Calabasas Hills", a gated community in Calabasas, California.[4]
Episodes
As of September 2009, 63 original episodes of Weeds have been produced and broadcast. The first season began August 8, 2005 and consisted of 10 episodes. The 12 episodes of the second season began on August 14, 2006. The third season began on August 13, 2007 and at 15 episodes, was the longest. The fourth season began June 16, 2008, and the fifth season on June 8, 2009, both with 13 episodes. The sixth season, with 13 more episodes, is slated to air in 2010. Creator Jenji Kohan has written 15 of the episodes, including each season's premiere and finale.[citation needed]
Episode leaks
Weeds has something of a history of episodes leaking to the Internet. Creator Jenji Kohan has stated that she does not mind episodes being distributed on the internet in this way, saying, "Revenue aside, I don't expect to get rich on Weeds. I'm excited it's out there. Showtime is great, but it does have a limited audience."[5]
In 2006, before season 2 started airing on Showtime, the first few episodes were leaked online.[6]
The next year, before the third season began, the first two episodes appeared online on July 22, 2007 (nearly a month before the August 13 season premier date). The third episode appeared online on July 24, with the fourth appearing just three days later. The fourth episode was, however, an incomplete version–among other things, some dubbed lines were not complete (notably part of a voice mail message by U-Turn is spoken by a distinctly different actor, and a card simply reading "End Credits" was inserted instead of the actual credits. Due to the high quality of the leaked episodes, downloaders of the torrents speculated that the episodes were leaked intentionally to garner interest in the show and to create an Internet buzz.[7] Episode leaks of other Showtime programs such as Californication and Dexter suggest this may be true.[8]
No episodes have been leaked before the premiere date for the fourth and fifth seasons.
Characters
Main Characters
Nancy Botwin Mary-Louise Parker (S1-5)
Nancy Botwin was a loving, benevolent, all-American PTA soccer mom until her husband Judah suddenly dropped dead. To maintain the suburban lifestyle to which she was accustomed, Nancy entered the dangerous world of drug dealing. Her regular clients include her accountant, her lawyer, and fellow suburban friends. Nancy begins to expand her client base to different areas of Agrestic and is confronted with new challenges.
Celia Hodes Elizabeth Perkins (S1-5)
Celia is a suburban mother and Nancy's best "frienemy" (friend/enemy). She constantly criticizes her overweight daughter Isabelle, whom she occasionally nicknames "Isabelly", and is stuck in an unhappy marriage at the start of the series. She also has another daughter, Quinn, whom she sends to boarding school after the pilot episode. Celia's primary outlets are alcoholism and random verbal abuse of others, and she occasionally undertakes mean-spirited subversive actions against people, ostensibly to teach them lessons.
Andy Botwin Justin Kirk (S1-5)
Andy Botwin is Judah's brother, a fun-loving, irresponsible drifter. After Judah's death, Nancy reluctantly allows Andy to live at the house, and soon realizes his presence is needed for her business and as a father figure for the kids. He is also an archetypal Shakespearian 'fool', behaving like a child but occasionally has moments of great insight. Lately, Andy has become more responsible in response to Nancy's absence as a mother to her children. He recently discovered that he is in love with Nancy, who cannot reciprocate the feelings. When she moved in with Esteban, he sank into depression, grew a beard, and spent over $100,000 on video games and dive bar-style decorating. He bought a car that he claimed was The General Lee, but the veracity of this is disputable.
Silas Botwin Hunter Parrish (S1-5)
Birthdate: 1990. Silas, Nancy's oldest son, was traumatized by Judah's death, and takes it out on his mother and brother. Silas is impetuous and impulsive, and although always operating as though he knows everything, is extremely naïve. He is the stereotypical teenage male character, eager to participate in sports and sex, and having trouble with school work. During the series he has numerous bad break-ups with girlfriends and constantly harasses Nancy about her job. Eventually he decides that he too wants to be a drug dealer. He goes into business with Doug, opening a medicinal marijuana dispensary, but his growing business savvy is thwarted by Doug's abusive bargaining tactics.
Shane Botwin Alexander Gould (S1-5)
Birthdate: 6 February 1995. Shane is Nancy's middle son and was with Judah at the time of his death. Shane takes out his grief in bizarre emotional ways, such as talking to his father even though he isn't alive. Shane is also very smart, and is often called "Strange Botwin" by his fellow students. He is viewed as a freak at school, and is the frequent target of bullies. At home, he remains appropriately isolated and neglected by his family and their drug businesses, although he too starts selling pot in the fifth season. He also turns toward sex, and later, increasing violence and disregard for rules, laws, and other social conventions. Shane's transformation reflects Nancy's recent absence as a proper mother to her children.
Doug Wilson Kevin Nealon (S1-5)
Doug is the fun-loving accountant and friend of Nancy, who as a "wake and bake" smoker is also a steady weed buyer. Doug is a city councilman for Agrestic, but treats his position like a hobby and takes advantage of it for the perks. Doug has an unseen wife Dana who he loves very much but who won't have sex with him. Doug also has a gay teenaged son Josh (Justin Chatwin) who appeared only in the pilot episode. Doug has recently opened a medicinal marijuana dispensary with Silas, but his atrocious manners and abusive bargaining tactics have frustrated Silas.
Conrad Shepard Romany Malco (S1-3)
Conrad is Nancy's initial supplier, under supervision of his aunt. Nancy met him years earlier through Andy. Although Conrad is very knowledgeable about the intricacies of marijuana, his aunt never allowed him to grow plants, insisting that they keep their business small. Despite this, he has worked on developing his own signature genetic blend. Later, he becomes Nancy's business associate using this strain, and it is revealed that he has apparently held very strong feelings for Nancy for a long time. He is not seen again after Nancy flees Agrestic at the end of the third season.
Heylia James Tonye Patano (S1-3)
Heylia is Conrad's aunt and supplier for Nancy. When Conrad goes against Heylia's instructions and continues to see Nancy, and with Nancy's DEA "husband" constricting her business, she forms a grudge against her. Heylia and Nancy eventually become reluctant partners. She is not seen again after Nancy flees Agrestic at the end of the third season.
Isabelle Hodes Allie Grant (Guest S1-2, Regular S3-5)
Isabelle is Celia's younger daughter, who frustrates her mother with her proclaimed lesbianism and unwillingness to lose weight. She becomes close friends with Shane Botwin, who bond over their abnormal mothers. Isabelle resents her mother, but seems to enjoy her father's company. She is openly a lesbian, and a model for Huskaroo's clothes for overweight children.
Dean Hodes Andy Milder (Guest S1-2 and 4-5, Regular S3)
Dean is Isabelle and Quinn's father and Celia's husband, as well as Nancy's lawyer and Doug's poker buddy. Dean loves Isabelle, but has a constantly antagonistic relationship with Celia, which eventually leads to a divorce. Dean had a friendship with Doug until Doug slept with Celia. Dean recently performed a legal service for Silas and Doug, but not before slamming Doug's penis in a desk drawer.
Season summaries
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This plot summary may be too long or overly detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (August 2009) |
Season 1
The series takes place in the fictional Los Angeles, California suburb of Agrestic. It is home to Nancy Botwin, whose husband Judah suddenly died of a heart attack while jogging with his son Shane, prior to the start of the first season.[9] Nancy's children Silas and Shane both attend Agrestic's public school system.
Nancy has begun dealing marijuana to her affluent neighbors and friends to support her upper middle class lifestyle. She buys from Heylia James, a major distributor in Los Angeles' West Adams district whom she met through Heylia's nephew, Conrad.[10] When her best customers talk their way into a medical marijuana store with a variety of high-quality pot, Nancy's sales start to dry up, so she utilizes her baking skills and concocts pot-laced brownies and baked goods to sell off the low-quality product. Later, at the suggestion of her accountant, city councilman Doug Wilson, and with the aid of her attorney, her friend Celia Hodes' husband Dean, she opens a bakery as a front for her drug sales, buying the baked goods at Costco and putting them on her bakery's shelves as her own product. Silas begins dating Megan, an attractive deaf girl at his school. Shane, a witness to his father's death, is a more troubled child who has been known to act out. As a result, Shane has been given the nickname "Strange Botwin" at his school. In one instance, Shane bites the foot of another child in a martial-arts tournament.
Nancy has befriended the manic, image-obsessed, manipulative, and controlling Celia Hodes, who is the president of the Agrestic PTA and has a number of domestic problems. She does not get along with her cheating husband Dean; nor does she get along with her sexually active 15-year-old daughter, Quinn (Silas' previous girlfriend), whom she sends off to boarding school in Mexico after the pilot. Her younger daughter, 11-year-old Isabelle, is overweight, and it is revealed late in the season that she is a lesbian. Toward the end of the season, Celia is diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer, and before her surgery, she picks up Conrad and has sex with him. Conrad is long-time friends with Andy Botwin, the younger brother of Nancy's late husband and the black sheep of the family. Andy says he has moved into the Botwin household to help Nancy out, but actually seems to be there to free-load, and to disrupt Nancy's life. When he is notified to report immediately for his previously-agreed-upon military service (where he will be trained and then sent to Iraq), or be sentenced to a military prison, he announces that he is studying to become a rabbi as a dodge to avoid his military obligation.
Nancy expands her distribution to Valley College, and is then harassed by a rival drug dealer, with whom she then has a brief sexual encounter. At Valley College, her entire stash of product is stolen by a campus security cop during a fake arrest, threatening the survival of her lifestyle and family. Unbeknownst to her, Conrad and some of his friends go to Valley College and attack and severely beat the campus cop, who then (to Nancy's surprise) politely returns her marijuana to her, apologizing profusely and offering to assist her and her business in any way he can. She then has a mutual attraction with Peter Scottson, the single father of the kid bitten by Shane in a karate tournament. The season closes with Conrad convincing Nancy to expand by becoming a grower as well as a dealer. However, implementing this plan hits complications in the last minutes of the season when, because of her mounting frustration and stress, she gives in and decides to sleep with Peter. Immediately afterward, she walks into his bathroom and finds out that he's apparently an agent with the federal DEA.
Season 2
The second season, while still comedic, has a much darker tone, as Nancy becomes increasingly involved in the more dangerous aspects of the drug "underground". Ignoring Heylia's advice, Nancy and Conrad start their own small-scale growing operation and eventually rent a suburban grow-house. She welcomes other people into her business, including her brother-in-law Andy and Doug. During this season, Peter Scottson tells Nancy he knows she is a drug dealer, but considers her too small time to be worth busting, and the two are married as part of a deal to legally protect Nancy from Peter testifying in a court of law. While Nancy's drug activities increase, Celia runs for, and wins, Doug's spot on the town council: she launches a drug-free campaign across Agrestic complete with drug-free zone signs and surveillance cameras. Doug has a brief sexual affair with Celia.
Silas and Megan's relationship threatens to split apart once she leaves for college; he attempts to get her pregnant to circumvent this, but his success leads to an abortion and a violent confrontation with Megan's father, ending the relationship. Andy tries to develop a relationship with an attractive, sexually formidable instructor, Yael Hoffman, at his rabbinical school, which falls apart once he drops out due to an incident where a dog bites off two of his small toes, which he thinks will clear him from military duty.
As the season progresses, Nancy's children become more aware of her illegal activities, though the two sons deal with the issue in quite different ways. Shane continues to have problems fitting in at school, but ends up joining the debate team in order to get closer to Gretchen, who later ends up becoming Shane's girlfriend. Despite Shane's apparent interest in Gretchen, he breaks up with her because of his extreme interest in Andy's crazy ex-girlfriend, Kat. Silas, on the other hand, takes out his frustrations by committing acts of vandalism, most notably stealing Celia's drug-free zone signs and cameras.
Nancy and Conrad's drug business becomes a hit as Conrad's strain of plant (which Snoop Dogg dubs "MILFweed" during a happenstance meeting at a recording studio) pleases their customers; but their high profile causes trouble. Initially, Nancy's marriage to a DEA agent keeps her on top while her Armenian rivals are busted, but her marriage to Peter deteriorates as he pressures her to quit dealing. For Nancy, the final straw is when Peter comes over for dinner and manhandles Silas. Nancy calls Conrad and tells him that she doesn't love Peter but will string him along until the current harvest is done; Peter hears the conversation with wireless surveillance.
The season concludes with a complex series of betrayals, as Peter demands of Nancy and Conrad all of the cash from a quick sale of their crop. Secretly, Conrad hires Armenian mobsters to kill Peter in retaliation. Nancy's buyer, U-Turn (Page Kennedy), demands the entire crop of weed at gunpoint. Having just killed Peter, the Armenian mobsters arrive at the same time and expect the proceeds from the big sale to pay for their hit, but finding that U-Turn had decided to jack the weed and that there is no money, decide they will take the weed instead. Only then does Nancy discover that Silas has decided to force his way into the business by stealing the entire batch of weed and demanding to be part of the business. After hiding the batch in his car trunk, he is approached by Celia and a police officer for the theft of the drug-free zone signs and surveillance cameras, as Celia has footage of Silas stealing the last camera. This leaves Nancy at the grow house, in a Mexican standoff with both the gangsters and the mobsters pointing guns at her in a season-ending cliffhanger.
Season 3
The third season of Weeds begins with several subplots involving the fallout from the botched drug deal of the season two finale: Celia finds and destroys the entire harvest; U-Turn pays the mobsters to leave Nancy to him alone; Silas is arrested and sentenced to community service; in hiding, James realizes he is gay but is forced by U-Turn to have sex with a woman, who then becomes pregnant with his child.
The first half of the season sees Nancy under immense pressure as she works for U-Turn in order to pay off her debt, valued as the entire worth of the destroyed harvest. She gets a legitimate job working for Sullivan Groff (Matthew Modine), a crooked developer of rival neighboring community Majestic, and soon after begins a relationship with him, much to Celia's chagrin, as Groff had also started a relationship with her. Conrad and Heylia start their own new growing operation, initially at the behest of U-Turn.
The outlying Christian community of Majestic attempts a hostile takeover of Agrestic, with Doug leading the charge due to the large amount of money it will bring in. But Groff's gift to Celia leads to jealousy, and Doug begins sabotaging the Majestic city infrastructure, although it is already too late, as Celia brings it to a public referendum. Dean has a motorcycle accident, which forces Celia to take care of him against her will.
Silas begins selling pot for his mother using the alias Judah and meets Tara (Mary-Kate Olsen), a born-again Christian who enjoys smoking pot and helps him sell; Shane and Isabelle become outcasts at the heavily religious Majestic summer school and form a friendship, and Shane begins talking to his dead father as the stress on the family becomes too great.
As U-Turn begins training Nancy to become his drug runner, while simultaneously starting a war with rival Mexican dealers, his partner Marvin becomes jealous. When U-Turn has a heart attack, Marvin capitalizes on the situation by secretly suffocating him to death and becoming boss of their crew, but after Marvin botches an attempt to call a truce with the Mexicans Nancy takes advantage of the situation to clear all debts for her and Conrad and end the gang war.
Finally debt-free, Nancy begins to feel lonely, and attempts to befriend Peter's ex-wife Valerie. The friendship turns sour when Valerie demands the money from Peter's life-insurance payout. Nancy promises to give it to her, but has to first use most of it to replace money Doug "borrowed" from the Agrestic treasury to help Nancy get back in business. Despite giving her several smaller payments, Valerie believes that Nancy will never give her her full due and that Peter had an off-the-books stash of cash of which Nancy knows the location, so she hires a private investigator to trail Nancy. The investigator finds out Nancy is a drug dealer and blackmails her to not tell Valerie or the DEA for most of the remaining life-insurance money, which Nancy pays after ensuring the investigator won't come after her again by blackmailing him for blackmailing her. Nancy confronts Valerie by telling her that she would have gotten the money although Nancy has no obligation to give it to her, and that she no longer has it anyway thanks to Valerie's investigator.
Andy has a brief excursion into the pornographic film industry, and later befriends a group of bikers while trying to score with one of its members, who want him to start selling their weed.
Nancy turns to Guillermo (leader of the Mexican dealers) to get protection when the bikers threaten her family after she refuses to sell their low-quality ditch weed. Guillermo's drastic solution of burning down the biker's grow house causes a huge fire in Agrestic which results in a mandatory evacuation order. Nancy has to face the possibility that she may have to start over from scratch and has failed her family as she forgoes to the idea that her deceased husband Judah is a spirit in the house, proclaiming that "she tried". In the final scene, she pours gasoline throughout her house and lights it with a match, ensuring that she and her family will be moving on.
Season 4
On November 5, 2007, it was confirmed that Showtime would air a fourth season of Weeds, to contain at least 13 episodes.[11] The fourth season started airing on Monday, June 16, 2008 with the final episode airing on Monday, September 15, 2008.[12] The first episode of this season, entitled "Mother Thinks the Birds are After Her,"[13] was the last time "Little Boxes" was used during the opening credits. Thereafter, each episode began with an animated title card in a scenario relating to the episode. Major changes to the cast were made, owing largely to the family's move. Mary-Kate Olsen and Matthew Modine no longer appeared in the show, and Romany Malco and Tonye Patano, who had key roles in the first three seasons, were no longer part of the main cast, and remain unseen. Albert Brooks was added as Andy's father, Lenny Botwin, who was seen in the first four episodes of the season. Guillermo Diaz and Jack Stehlin, who played minor recurring roles previously, play larger roles.
Nancy relocates her family to the fictional town of Ren Mar, located on the San Diego/Tijuana border,[14] after having set fire to her house and burning it down. She begins drug trafficking across the border for Guillermo, and must deal with Celia, who has been sent to spy on her in hopes of getting herself out of jail after Celia takes the fall for Nancy and Conrad's grow house. Andy begins a coyote business with Doug, who has moved to town to evade questions about Agrestic's finances. Silas sets up his own weed business and begins dating a local gourmet cheese shop owner, who is almost old enough to be his mother. Isabelle moves in with Celia because they will live near the beach. Shane has difficulty adjusting to the new location and pushes away Isabelle and Nancy, making friends with two more "dangerous" girls at school.
As the season progresses, Nancy's role changes as Guillermo's boss sets her up as a money-laundering front in a maternity store and Celia works there as a cashier. Guillermo's men catch Celia spying on them and Nancy convinces them to spare Celia's life. The maternity store is the endpoint for a drug trafficking tunnel to Tijuana, Mexico. When Nancy realizes that the tunnel is also being used to smuggle guns and young girls for prostitution, she decides to inform DEA Captain Roy Till, despite having a sexual relationship with the corrupt Mayor of Tijuana, Guillermo's boss Esteban Reyes. The DEA raids the maternity shop, arresting most of the Mexican drug runners after a shootout.
During this time, Doug and Andy's coyote business becomes very successful. Andy is worshiped by the immigrants they smuggle while Doug even manages to fall in love with one of the immigrants he named "Mermex". To his chagrin, the illegal immigrant falls for Andy instead of Doug, as Doug's personality, genital warts and unapologetic nature turn her away.
Meanwhile, Celia begins to develop a drug addiction and it becomes bad enough to prompt Isabelle and Dean to stage an intervention. After some initial reluctance, Celia starts to attend rehab and apologizes to Isabelle and Dean. However, Dean rejects her apology and instead suggests she say she is sorry to Quinn, who is still in Mexico after Celia sent her to boarding school at the end of the pilot episode. Celia decides to do so in the season finale but upon her arrival she is drugged and kidnapped by Quinn for revenge.
In the season finale, Nancy is called into the DEA for questioning. Roy Till threatens to kill the person responsible for his partner's death. Esteban, the mayor, discovers Nancy is the person who told the DEA about the drug tunnel. Moments after being confronted, Nancy informs Esteban that she is pregnant with his child, and that she thinks it's a boy. Back at home, Shane steals Silas' weed and started selling it to other kids with the two girls he met. Doug alerts the police to Mermex's illegal immigration after she rejected him and believes that his life has hit rock bottom. Doug realizes that having nothing means the people that are after him will not gain anything from pursuing him, and writes a letter to his separated wife daring her to bring it on. Andy contemplates whether or not he is in love with Nancy and questions his reasons for staying with the family for so long.
Season 5
The Season 5 debut attracted 1.2 million viewers, with a rerun on the same night adding another 500,000 viewers for a cumulative 1.7 million.
After Nancy informs Esteban that she is pregnant, she is allowed to live. Nancy, panicking, sends Shane to live with her sister, Jill Price-Gray (Jennifer Jason Leigh), for his own safety. Esteban sends various bodyguards to follow Nancy. Silas draws up a new plan to start a legal medical marijuana business. When Andy receives $180,000 from Judah's bank accounts, he funds Silas's business. Celia is released from the hostage situation, and with no where to go, she ends up squatting in Nancy's garage. Andy suggests that they flee as the situation has become too dangerous, proposing Nancy leaves Esteban a note before leaving. Nancy instead leaves Andy a note informing him she has moved in with Esteban.
Six months later, Nancy is happily living with Esteban. Esteban proposes, and Nancy accepts. A woman visits Esteban and they have a heated debate about his political career being affected by Nancy, after which Esteban calls off the engagement but promises it is only postponed. Nancy sees Cesar arranging a "birthing room" in Esteban's house, and realizes that Esteban plans for her to have the child without any official records or birth certificates. Shane reminds Nancy that this means he could take the baby to Mexico, and even have her killed, and no one would know the baby was hers, or that it even exists. Nancy recruits Andy to help her escape Esteban's house, and he takes Nancy to her obstetrician, Dr. Audra Kitson (Alanis Morissette), who takes her to the hospital and delivers the baby.
Esteban goes to Nancy's house to ask her to marry him again. A gangster walks up the path outside the Botwin house and attempts an assassination, but misses his target and the bullet hits Shane. Nancy confronts Cesar, who admits he was involved in the assassination attempt at the house in Ren Mar, which was organized by Pilar. He confirms that she was the intended target. Esteban is replaced as candidate for governor, but on Nancy's encouragement he decides to run for election independently. Celia and Dean begin selling the marijuana recovered from the raid of Silas and Doug's shop in a money-making scheme to sell Celia's unwanted cosmetics. Celia freezes out Dean from her business venture. Meanwhile Andy begins a relationship with Audra. Silas moves into Esteban's house. Nancy and Esteban get married at the house. Nancy visits Guillermo in prison, requesting that he organize an assassination of Pilar. Esteban is arrested in Mexico for suspicion of conspiracy, racketeering and tax evasion. Nancy and Cesar go to get Esteban from jail, but they learn Esteban was released. They later see Esteban on television alongside Pilar running for governor. Andy announces that he is going to propose to Audra, with Nancy's ring.
Doug and Celia work out an agreement to make a team similar to Nancy's in previous seasons. Andy proposes marriage to Audra, but leaves her when her stalker confronts her. At a fundraiser, Pilar informs Nancy that she knows Nancy hired Guillermo to kill her and that Guillermo works for Pilar. Pilar threatens to kill Shane and Silas to enhance Esteban's campaign with a 'sympathy' vote. Shane then suddenly hits Pilar in the head with a croquet mallet. Pilar lands in the pool face-down, bleeding from the head.
The Weeds season 5 finale on Monday, August 31 averaged 1.3 million viewers, up versus last year’s finale that averaged 1 million.[2]
Season 6
"Showtime's "Weeds" has been picked up for a sixth season, and a seventh is expected"[15]
Cast and crew
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Main cast:
†Main cast as of season 1, episode 4. Main crew:
†Misiano also directed and produced episodes of The West Wing, a series in which Mary Louise Parker had a recurring role as Amy Gardner. |
Key recurring cast:
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Music
Opening music
"Little Boxes" is the opening song for the first three seasons of the show; the version recorded by Malvina Reynolds is used during the first season. In season two and three, the song is performed by various artists. In seasons 4 and 5, the original titles and music are replaced by a short clip, different for each episode, which bears relevance to the plot or some scene later in the episode.
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Season 1:[16] Season 2:[17] |
Season 3:[18]
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Soundtracks
Weeds: Music from the Original Series
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Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Volume 2
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Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Volume 3
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Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Volume 4
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DVD and Blu-ray releases
| DVD Name | # of Ep | Release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| Season One | 10 | July 11, 2006 | September 3, 2007 | July 18, 2007 |
| Season Two | 12 | July 24, 2007 | January 7, 2008 | May 28, 2008 |
| Season Three | 15 | June 3, 2008 | May 26, 2008 | July 8, 2009 |
| Season Four | 13 | June 2, 2009 | TBA | TBA |
| Season Five | 15 | January 19, 2010 | TBA | TBA |
The Region 1 Season One DVD is only available in 4:3 pan and scan format. The Region 2 and 4 releases are all in anamorphic widescreen.
Season One was released on Blu-ray on May 29, 2007, and Season Two was released on July 24, 2007. Both seasons include all episodes in 1080p widescreen with Dolby Digital EX sound and either DTS-HD (Season One) or LPCM (Season Two), as well as extras exclusive to the Blu-ray release. Season Three was released on Blu-ray on June 3, 2008.
The Season Two DVD was rejected by the British Board of Film Classification for an extra feature (not an episode of the series) which was regarded as "likely [...] to promote and encourage the use of illegal drugs".[20][21].
Books
On August 7, 2007, Simon Spotlight, a division of Simon and Schuster, published In the Weeds: The Official Guide to the Showtime Series by Kera Bolonik, which features interviews with the show's creator, its writers and crew, and the entire cast. It also features detailed character and plot descriptions, recipes, and lots of trivia and behind-the-scenes information.[22]
Impact
Critical response
Slate magazine named the character of Nancy Botwin as one of the best on television and one of the reasons they were looking forward to the return of the show in fall 2007.[23]
Time magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the Top 10 Returning Series of 2007, ranking it at #9.[24]
The New York Times opined the show is "transforming for Showtime."[25]
Awards and nominations
Won
| Award | Title | Credit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satellite Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Series- Comedy | Mary-Louise Parker | 2005 |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by a TV Actress in a Musical or Comedy | Mary-Louise Parker | 2006 |
| Satellite Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Series- Comedy | Justin Kirk | 2008 |
Nominated
- Golden Globe Awards
- Best TV Series-Comedy (2006, 2007, 2009)
- Best Performance by a TV Supporting Actress Elizabeth Perkins (2006, 2007)
- Best Performance by a TV Actress in a Musical or Comedy Mary-Louise Parker (2007, 2008, 2009)
- Best Performance by a TV Supporting Actor Justin Kirk (2007)
- Screen Actors Guild
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Mary-Louise Parker (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
- Ensemble In A Comedy Series (2007, 2009)
- Satellite Awards
- Outstanding Actress in a Series-Comedy Elizabeth Perkins (2005)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series, or TV Movie Elizabeth Perkins(2006)
- Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical Mary-Louise Parker (2006, 2008)
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie Justin Kirk (2007)
- Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical (2007, 2008)
- Emmy Awards
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Elizabeth Perkins (2006, 2007, 2009)
- Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Craig Zisk, for the episode Good Shit Lollipop (2006)
- Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series (2006, 2007)
- Outstanding Main Title Design (2006)
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, for the episode Good Shit Lollipop (2006)
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Mary-Louise Parker (2007, 2008, 2009)
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, for the episode Mrs. Botwin's Neighborhood (2007)
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, for the episode Crush Girl Love Panic (2007)
- Outstanding Comedy Series (2009)
References
- ^ Dos Santos, Kristin (July 18, 2008). "Weeds Gets Two More Seasons—and a Possible Andy-Nancy Romance?". http://uk.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b13599_weeds_gets_two_more_seasons8212and.html. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
- ^ a b http://tvbythenumbers.com/category/ratings/nielsen-top-cable-tv-show-ratings
- ^ "Weeds Season 6 Announced". TorrentFreak. October, 2009. http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/home.do. Retrieved October, 2009.
- ^ Calabasas Hill location: 34°08′12″N 118°39′21″W / 34.136655°N 118.655798°W
- ^ "Weeds creator loves illegal downloads of show". TVSquad.com. August 7, 2007. http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/08/07/weeds-creator-loves-illegal-downloads-of-show/. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ "Massive Leak of Pre-Air TV Shows: Piracy or Promotion?". TorrentFreak. July 24, 2007. http://torrentfreak.com/massive-leak-of-pre-air-tv-shows-piracy-or-promotion/. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
- ^ "Massive Leak of Pre-Air TV Shows: Piracy or Promotion?". TorrentFreak. http://torrentfreak.com/massive-leak-of-pre-air-tv-shows-piracy-or-promotion/. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ http://torrentfreak.com/massive-leak-of-pre-air-tv-shows-piracy-or-promotion/
- ^ "You Can't Miss the Bear". List of Weeds. Showtime. Transcript. “Vaneeta: Can you imagine though? Boy out, jogging with his Daddy, having a good time. Then boom, Daddy drops. That would fuck a kid up.”
- ^ Nancy: Give me a little respect. I'm the biggest game in the private community of Agrestic. Heylia: Drugs sell themselves, biscuit, you ain't shit. [...] Take that crap off my money. You not giving me a present, you're paying me for weed."You Can't Miss the Bear". List of Weeds. Showtime. Transcript.
- ^ Kimberly, Nordyke (November 24, 2007). "Showtime Deals 'Weeds' a Fourth Green Light". http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i00627c6566fe8f5f3a5cc6e7c5ac42de. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
- ^ "Showtime Cultivates 'Weeds' in June - Fourth season paired with 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl'". Zap2it.com. February 13, 2008. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-weedsseason4premieredate,0,7681948.story. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ "Showtime - Weeds Episodes". http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/previous_episodes.do?episodeid=132589. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
- ^ "Ausiello Scoop: Albert Brooks Joins Weeds - Ausiello Report | TVGuide.com". Community.tvguide.com. April 14, 2008. http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Ausiello-Scoop-Albert/800037445. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=111475
- ^ "Weeds 1st season music". Showtime. http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music_season1.do. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
- ^ "Weeds 2nd season music". Showtime. http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music_season2.do. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
- ^ "Weeds 3rd season music". Showtime. http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music_season3.do. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
- ^ "Weeds Season Three Soundtrack Set for Digital-Only Release June 3, 2008". Top 40 Charts.com. April 22, 2008. http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=39758.
- ^ Chris Summers (June 20, 2008). "What is obscene these days?". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7439740.stm. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
- ^ "Weeds - Season 2 - Cream of The Crop - DVD Extra Rejected by the BBFC". British Board of Film Classification. February 2, 2009. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/EA66C6247504B6CC802573020033AFF1. Retrieved 11 August, 2009.
- ^ Bolonik, Kera (2007). In the Weeds. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. p. 288. ISBN 1416938788.
- ^ Turner, Julia (September 21, 2007). "Oh, How We've Missed You!". Slate magazine. http://www.slate.com/id/2174389/nav/navoa/#TheWireHBO. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
- ^ Poniewozik, James. "Poniewozik, James; Top 10 New TV Series;". Time.com. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article/0,30583,1686204_1686244_1691411,00.html. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ Pope, Kyle (August 6, 2006). "For Showtime, Suburban Angst Is Fast Becoming a Ratings Delight". NYTimes.com (New York Times). http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/06/arts/television/06pope.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=weeds+showtime&st=nyt&oref=slogin. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
External links
- Official websites:
- Showtime (USA)
- Showcase (Canada)
- University of Andy - Weeds Webisodes
- Weeds at the Internet Movie Database
- Weeds at TV.com
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