Weeds: The Whole Blah Damn Thing
By fred | July 1, 2008
(S04E03) A new episode of Weeds went by, another one of those new ones which come with no more credits, no more singing, and I have to admit I do miss my “Little Boxes“. I know it may sound a little silly, and it is true that more shows every season go that way and do not use opening credits anymore, or very brief ones, and I don’t have any problem with that.
But here’s the thing : Weeds used to have one, and when a show has a theme song associated with it, removing it is like removing a huge part of the show’s soul. Call me crazy, but while the first scene before is usually great and hilarious, I just feel happy and all excited as soon as I hear the first notes of the them song for The Office, whenever I watch an episode. Right away it sets me right in the mood, and I just feel better, and I sometimes start singing along… but I shouldn’t mentioned that last part.
And just like I don’t think The Office or Psych would be the same without their opening credit sequence, and the song associated with it, now Weeds feels quite different without its Little Boxes around. Not to help was this week’s “card”, as it’s been referred to, which right away showed us what we would be dealing with mostly this week, and it wasn’t for the best.
So Bubbie is dying, and they will decide to pull the plug. Alright, so there was one “blah blah” discussion in the van that was nice, but overall this whole plot isn’t really one of the best writers ever come up with - though I’m glad we can now put this whole less behind us - and it also doesn’t do well for the tone of the episode, because dealing with a dying relative and deciding whether or not to kill her, trying to make it sound not so much like killing her, doesn’t do well for the laughs.
In fact, I had a real problem with this episode, that plot, and the comedic aspect of it. Because while it wasn’t funny, by the end it seemed like writers decided to bring back some laughs, that’s why they added the scene where Nancy tries to shut it down, but has to go through a few misses, turning down the kitchen and other rooms before finding the right button. That was, to me, a lame attempt at bringing in humor into this whole messy situation.
More than that, however, what I really did not like, to say the least, were the very last words. It goes like this : Nancy shut down the power, the machines go off, and Bubbie… is still breathe a little her own. Then :
“
Shane: She’s still breathing !
Nancy: Shane, get mommy a pillow.
”
Now that was obviously thought to be funny, but I find it quite wrong, to remain polite. Because while it is something to “pull the plug”, to help someone stop feeling pain and calmly pass away, while it is one thing to help someone find peace, it is another thing to murder them. And the idea of taking a pillow isn’t “pulling the plug”, it isn’t releasing her from constant pain, it isn’t letting her go, it is actively killing her. I’m sure they meant it as a joke, but it isn’t one, it isn’t even funny, and all I can say - besides this being a good illustration of all the misses Weeds is going through this season already - is that I’m really happy we can put this mess behind us, because it really wasn’t a good idea, at all.
In other news, everyone reviewed the tape and Nancy had to realize she was really, really bad last week crossing the border. Then she got another assignment, and two things were shocking to me : One, they actually get her a real thing, with lots of things to snuggle in - I mean she really did a poor job the first time; Two, it looked like Nancy actually learned from her mistakes. Although I’ll put that more in the category of “she did what she was told to do”, like when back in the days she was told to get cell phones for business only for instance…
Also, for some unexplainable reason, Celia was allowed to walk free. I’m not sure exactly how this whole thing works, to did that cop just let her go free, without any kind of surveillance or anything ? Couldn’t she just head to Mexico and never come back to the States, leaving all that mess behind her ? How did she managed to find Nancy that fast, with only a town’s name ? Is is really that small ?
But Celia isn’t the only new known face in town, at least she won’t be for long : Doug’s past came back to bite him in the ass, totally predictable, and just as predictable was his reaction : he sneaks out by the back window and runs away. Now this episode didn’t had much Doug in it, but hopefully by next week he’ll be back with Nancy and things will get better.
Yes, hopefully things will get better next week, because so far I fail to see a new birth in this season. Moving away was supposed to allow a fresh start from the show, so that writers could let their creativity explode and reinvent the show, and we have yet to see any sign of that.
This season really sucks.
I was very skeptical about axing Conrad and Heylia and moving everyone but I had some hope that they would be able to pull it off. From the first few episodes, it doesn’t seem like they are.
Its completely ridiculous that almost all the other characters will somehow, eventually, find their way to meet up with the gang, while Conrad and Heylia are never to be heard from again….