32 replies to this topic

[TWoP Mars]

From Sho.com:

With the embers of Majestic and Agrestic smoldering in their rearview mirror, Nancy and family flee southbound to the border town of Ren Mar, California. eanwhile, the DEA interrogates Doug, Dean and Isabelle, who all pin the entire grow operation on Ceila. Back in Ren Mar, Andy confronts his father and new landlord Lenny.

Edited by TWoP Mars, Jun 19, 2008 @ 1:10 AM.

[Last Time Lord]

The opening credits with the burning Majestic was simply glorious.

Kind of a slow episode, but given the fact it was more like a new pilot for the show's new direction, I think its forgivable.

[puppetmittens]

It's going to take some time to get back into Weeds and the first episode of Season 4 is pretty meh. I guess they mined all the comedy from Nancy being the upscale suburban mother trying to make ends meet and now they're going in a different direction. I just don't find much humor in using a sickly woman on her death bed getting her diaper and bags changed. Albert Brooks is an acquired flavor and I hope he doesn't become a major focus of the show. Shane sure has grown and now he's a teenage boy and there's lots of comedy gold just with that story arc.

Sorry to be critical about Weeds but I just reinstated Showtime to watch the show so I'm glad it's back on the air but I want my pithy witty show back.

[Last Time Lord]

Albert Brooks in only in the first four episodes. I loved Lenny. I'm a little nervous about the whole Traffic direction. That seems like a slippery slope to me.

[Sportschick]

Well, I was nervous after reading a tepid review (in the L.A. Times, I think), but I laughed my ass off. Albert Brooks was comic gold, and even though I missed the interaction between the Agresties and the Botwins -- and oh, how I missed Conrad! -- it was almost worth it for the scene where they all sold Celia down the river. Hey, I even liked Nancy's little soliloquy about the blond skateboarding kid and how he likes the Narnia series and komodo dragons.

Don't care much for the whole Nancy-moving-drugs-over-the-border storyline, but I don't care. It's good to have Weeds back.

[redbirds]

Yeah a little slow, when it was over I thought, that's it?

Only laugh at the Agresties scences. Hope this new direction works.

[from carfax]

I just don't find much humor in using a sickly woman on her death bed getting her diaper and bags changed.

Well said, puppetmittens. Producers should react to that kind of humor like we react to a red warning light on the dashboard of the car: an adjustment of some kind must be made - and fairy quickly.

[lanter]

it was almost worth it for the scene where they all sold Celia down the river.

Oh, I cannot wait to find out how Celia gets out of her current situation. She is a total bitch but much like Blair Waldorf she is a bitch that owns her attitude and that makes her fun to watch, at least it does for me.

I am not sure about the new setting but I understand why the show went in that direction. Actually the loss of Conrad is the biggest issue that I currently have with the new season. This episode wasn't their best but it was a decent setup.

Albert Brooks bothered me less than I thought that he would.

On a shallow note, Guillermo still looks pretty damn good. Not Conrad good but he does bring some eye candy.

[frostedglass]

I didn't take the grandmother and her diapers as a cheap attempt at humor. I saw it as a way to draw a parallel between Andy and his Dad. As much of a prick and swindler as the Dad was, he changed his mother's tubes and diapers. He even spoke to her with a different, kind voice when he did that. Andy is like him...a heart under all the schemes.

I missed Conrad and Helia, Lupita and the setting in Agrestic/Magestic at times, but I like the new possibilities. It did feel like a pilot episode, and I actually enjoyed it more than a lot of last season's episodes.

[Lila82]

I missed Conrad and Helia, Lupita and the setting in Agrestic/Magestic at times, but I like the new possibilities.

Much as it upset me to lose Lupita in season three -- her scenes with Andy/Doug in "The Punishment Light" are my favorite of the series -- I'm more heartbroken about Conrad's disappearance. I was never a 'shipper, but there was so much build up to Nancy/Conrad throughout the series and it went no where. I wasn't expecting the two of them to settle down into domestic bliss or anything like that, but three seasons of teasing and teasing and a little bit of consumation and he just disappears? I'm not feeling it. I hated season three so I'm glad the show is going in a different direction, but if Celia/Doug/Dean are hanging around, why not Conrad? I could do without Heylia and Vanita, but Conrad was a keeper.

Still, the show feels fresh and new again and I adore Guillermo so I'll stick around. I thought I was done mid-season three, but the retooled premise pulled me back in.

[Veruka]

Guillermo still looks pretty damn good.

It's funny but I thought the opposite! I remembered him as being hot last season but in this ep I just wasn't seeing it. Maybe I was just too distraught at the lack of Conrad. Yes, I had already heard but I still missed him.

[Senator X]

I'll echo people on the missing Conrad and Heliya. I'm not sure about the trafficking across the border direction. The show taking place in the pre-fab suburbs was such a special part of its charm. Not sure if this will be good, but we'll see.

As Isabelle gets older, she's losing her baby fat.

[Danie84]

It can't be good when you fall asleep 10 minutes to the premier of a show you use to adore. I need to watch this episode again to give a better review. The only thing I remeber was Nancy's constant eating.

[klalaw]

It can't be good when you fall asleep 10 minutes to the premier of a show you use to adore.

I fell asleep right after the credits - yikes. Then again, I was exhausted. On a more alert viewing this morning, I had no trouble staying interested, but I'm still not sure what I think of recent events. I just caught up on Season 3 on DVD, and found the season much darker than 1 and 2, and haven't fully come to grips with that. Now, with the switch to drug trafficking, I feel more and more like I'm watching a different show than I fell in love with, but I still feel the need to tune in for more. The humor is still there, there appears to be potential for old characters to stick around (although I'm curious as to how they'll make it past the first few episodes), and the concept still intrigues me, even though it has certainly taken a sharp turn from "suburban housewives sells pot to make ends meet after her husband dies." I'm not ready to give up on it yet.

[Nxd BSC]

I'm a huge fan of this show, but I was disappointed with this episode. I don't think I like the direction it seems to be taking. Hope i'm wrong, tho.

[JLHSmurf]

Wow. That's was a nothing of an episode. I hope that things pick up after everyone settles in to their new lives.

And I just wasn't by Albert Brooks. He seems (and looks) too young. But not in a good way. I know he's 60 and Justin Kirk is almost 40, so it's technically right...but it just didn't seem right.

We'll see.

[bill1410]

I'm not sure how to react to the episode. I agree with most of the commenters who questioned Season 3's darker and less enjoyable tone, so in a way it's a good thing that the show has moved into a new direction in season 4. BUT, I will definitely miss Heylia and Conrad and the entire suburban Agrestic setting that made seasons 1 & 2 so enjoyable. Plus, part of the reason for season 3's demise was the escalation in seriousness of Nancy's drug "business" into an ultra-violent endeavor (the biker gang, U-turn, Guillermo's crew) and I can't imagine trafficking into Mexico would be a safer business decision for her. I'm having trouble seeing the funny in that, and the first episode didn't give me a lot of humor.

That being said, I absolutely loved everyone ganging up on Celia in prison. That was hilarious. With Isabelle as the ringleader. I didn't care for Albert Brooks at all (but I've never been a fan), but there was some humor in his repartee with Nancy ("It's been 20 years, get over it.") and I liked the memories of Nancy's husband scene. It was good to at least see that part of the "old gang" back together and I do look forward to the season. Perhaps they will surprise me.

[BillHenrickson]

well ... I don't really know what to think.

On one hand I think it's good they're moving the show in a new direction. The beach setting has definitely some potential to it. On the other hand, I miss Agrestic. So we'll see how it plays out but I have to say, I'm pretty optimistic (but where was the cliffhanger this time?).

I don't really care that Conrad's gone. I always thought, that the whole Heylia thing was kind of a bad cliché and it never was what attracted me to the series. But I'm curious to see how they gonna play out the whole Nancy-has-left-Agrestic-but-still-has-business-partners-there thing and what direction the traffic storyline will take.

So all in all an ok episode, pretty slow but necessary from a writer's POV to set things straight for the new season.

[braggtastic]

Was Elizabeth Perkins pregnant while filming this season? She seemed puffy to me. Has Shane gotten taller than MLP? I know they had to continue the storyline on the same day, but it's so funny to see last season's finale and then this episode back-to-back. Puberty is a bitch on continuity.

[MustBeThursday]

I really, really miss Conrad. And Heylia.

I am interested to see this new direction and I'm willing to give them a chance. I saw an early showing of the next episode, and I found it more interesting. Poor Celia! I don't know if she really deserves to get all the crap thrusted on her. She's a bitch, but serving Nancy's jail time? A little much.

[klalaw]

Was Elizabeth Perkins pregnant while filming this season? She seemed puffy to me.

I was actually wondering the same thing... At first I thought maybe she had gained weight, then I noticed that most of it appeared to be in her chest. I have no idea though.

[CuppaSho]

Perkins certainly looked heavier even in her arms and was quickly "covered up" in a bulky sweater. Given that the previews show her in odd prison makeup and only head and shoulders, she certainly appears to be selectively photographed. She's still striking, pregnant or not, but "Weeds" is really at its best when Nancy and Celia are together.

Meanwhile, does anyone else find it odd how often Nancy is shown eating, given that MLP/Nancy is skinny, skinny, skinny?

[from carfax]

I'm glad Heylia is gone. I never liked her.

I was sorry to learn Conrad won't be back either. I liked him. He seemed cool.

[Prospero]

I liked the episode because I saw potential. I remember watching the S3 premiere and thinking that there is no way for S3 to stand up to the first two.

Here there is a chance for a good season if they manage to keep good balance between criminal drama and comedy and between Botwin storyline and Majestic storyline.

If Celia goes to jail after all, there is a chance that Nancy will come back and reunite with Doug, Dean, Sanjay and others at the end of this season. And Shane could reunite with Isabelle!

[esperanza]

I don't know if I can watch an entire season of them living in that house with the bags of urine and the "stains" on the wallpaper. The major premise of this show is that Nancy was dealing drugs so she could make a normal life for her children. How is taking them out of their home, their neighborhood and school system keeping their life normal. How can she justify this lifestyle anymore? Ok, now I know people will say that they don't have to live in a pre-fabed hell of a neighborhood to have a normal life but come on people, this is ridiculous.

Plus the loss of Conrad is huge and I will now call Guillermo Not-Conrad just like Nancy is Not-Francie.

[TaterTots0370]

A lot of this show has been about the characters and Lenny and Rad are not making me forget Heylia and Conrad, or the interactions Nancy had with Sanjay, Doug, Dean, etc. I guess the show was bound to end up here considering Nancy only seems to find herself happy when doing something dangerous recently, but still. It's a reach, in my opinion. I think a little more bitching from Silas, although incredibly annoying, would have been a lot more realistic.

[CaliforniaSun]

I enjoyed the episode. I need to watch it again because I was too distracted with how different it was, but I still liked it quite a bit. It was mostly set-up but that was necessary.

I know a lot of people wish the show would return to it's simpler roots, but I like that each season Nancy's situation in the drug world gets a little more fucked up. I think Weeds is hilarious, but I love it just as much as a drama, so I'm excited to see what kind of shit falls on Nancy this season.

[Rare Books]

braggtastic:

Puberty is a bitch on continuity.

Word. I couldn't get over seeing Shane and Isabel. They had clearly grown so much during the off-season. It made it very difficult to suspend disbelief while watching this episode. In the Weeds timeline, the difference between the S3 finale and the S4 premiere was, what, a day? Silas also looked older, while Guillermo was definitely fatter in the face.

If TV shows are going to cast pubescent kids, they really have to take into account these dramatic growth spurts in their writing.

So, Conrad is gone, but Andy remains? That doesn't strike me as fair.

[dwmarch]

How is taking them out of their home, their neighborhood and school system keeping their life normal.

Did you miss the part in season 3 where all these things burnt to the ground?

How can she justify this lifestyle anymore?

Her other choices being? She's found a somewhat stable environment and she's gainfully employed. I should be so lucky to do this well if my town ever burns to the ground.

[frostedglass]

I like that the show has portrayed the rapid change in life that drugs brought into Nancy's life. She was grieving, and she was naive to think she could just sell a little weed in her suburb, and everything would be "normal." She had a major void in her life and went along with everything that spun her life out of control without much hesitation. More weed, associates she knew for years were eclipsed by hardened criminals she barely knew. She married a Drug Enforcement agent, not out of love but out of protecting her business.

That rapid change, while grieving...adding murder, criminals and casual sexual encounters in the mix? How can that all be realistically sustained in a quaint little suburb, as a "normal" life for the kids?

While Weeds isn't a Sopranos' level of the anti-hero/protagonist, it definitely has that influence. To me, Nancy is a Tony-Soprano-like character in a sense.

Edited by frostedglass, Jun 20, 2008 @ 6:25 AM.