Creators:
Jenji Kohan
Cast:
Mary-Louise Parker ………. Nancy Botwin
Elizabeth Perkins ………. Celia Hodes
Kevin Nealon ………. Doug Wilson
Justin Kirk ………. Andy Botwin
Romany Malco ………. Conrad Shepard
Alexander Gould ………. Shane Botwin
Hunter Parrish ………. Silas Botwin
The Show:
Unquestionably one of the most original shows on TV and credited with breathing new life into the Showtime network, Weeds revolves around the idea of a suburban mother selling marijuana to her neighbours while trying to make ends meet for her two sons. In one sentence and on paper, that just about covers it.
In reality, the show is has a much deeper plot.
Nancy Botwin, played brilliantly by the smart and sassy Mary-Louise Parker loses her husband and with little experience in the workforce, decides to become a pot salesperson to her neighbours in the fictional town of Agrestic.
The show is incredibly progressive and combines the prejudices that society has about the people that smoke marijuana while also offering a satirical look at life for somebody who is definitely not the image that you get when you think about the typical definition for a drug dealer.
Undoubtedly, the cast of the show adds to its charm. Kevin Nealon is brilliant as Nancy’s bumbling accountant, who is also her best customer. Elizabeth Perkins is phenomenal as the best friend who is in a failing relationship and constantly strugging with the rigour of daily life. The Botwin children (Alexander Gould and Hunter Parrish) are particularly strong as they struggle with their father’s death and being in a complete state of ignorance about what their mother does for a living.
The first season of Weeds consists of 10 episodes at half an hour each. The show moves incredibly quick and the weed storylines are rolled together perfectly.
The DVD:
The Video:
The DVD is presented in 4:3 and offers full screen presentation (the same way that it was originally broadcast on Showtime) as a bonus feature. The result is clean and crisp. The show definitely comes across on-screen as suburbia, and a comparison can be made to Desperate Housewives in terms of its presentation.
The Audio:
Audio is available in English 5.1 and 2.0. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish.
Special Features:
Six of the ten episodes have an audio commentary available. These include a pair of commentaries from series creator Jenji Kohan, one from Romany Melco (Conrad), one from Kevin Nealon (Doug), one from Tonye Patano (Heylia) and one from Craig X.
One of the cooler special features is “Agrestic Herbal Recipes.” Using the remote control, you can find your own special marijuana recipe, perfect for any occasion.
A featurette called “Smoke & Mirrors” is also included. Running just over 13 minutes, it is hosted by Romany Malco and includes interviews with many experts about what smoking weed really does to a person’s body. It also explores why marijuana is illegal and the definition of medical marijuana.
There is also a music video available in the features. It’s by All Too Much and the song is called “More Than A Friend.”
The rest of the features are primarily geared toward hyping the show and are called “Showtime Shorts. None of these are worth your time.
| Inside Pulse’s Ratings for Weeds – Season 1 | |
