I’m now four seasons through [b]Weeds[/b], and at this point I think it’s safe to say that this once dark and funny show has, as they say, jumped the shark.
The first two seasons walked the fine line in which our heroine, Nancy Botwin, sells marijuana to make ends meet after her husband died, leaving her with virtually no insurance money (or job) to supports her two sons, inquisitive, pubescent Shane, and good-looking, knucklehead teenager Silas. Nancy struggled to stay out of danger, and jail, as she both dealt and then grew her pot, while also trying (and failing) to be somewhat of a responsible mother, all things considered.
By season three, the plot threads were all over the place, and now, with season four, they’re just downright ridiculous, even for a show that stretches plausibility anyway.
Andy and Doug become touchy-feely ‘coyotes,’ smuggling illegals over the border? Come on. They’re stoners, not stupid, but this makes them seem like complete morons.
The fun and intrigue of the show was that the characters were reckless and naive, but not totally oblivious, always just a stone’s throw from real peril. And now Nancy is hooking up with the drug-dealing, gun-running Mayor of Tijuana, but doesn’t think it’ll come back to get her when she rats him out to the DEA? Uh. Hello?
The bright spot of season 4 is Albert Brooks as Nancy’s cheep, crusty gambler of a father-in-law, who brought a new energy to the show, but then left after only three or four episodes, and never returned. Bummer. Maybe he’ll be back for season 5.
I still hold out just a sliver of hope that [b]Weeds[/b] will make a creative comeback, although at this point, it doesn’t look good. [b]Weeds[/b] is still watchable, but it’s best days are long gone.
