Yes, I know the season finale was last week. But it’s a testament to the show that I waited until now to write this glowing mash note to the show mostly because I was hoping beyond hope that a new episode would in fact air this week. Those hopes evaporated.
But Weeds still rocks. Sure an Inuit bounty hunter built like a wrestler might seem like a stretch on most shows, but on Weeds he’s just part of the magnificent stew that tastes great on a weekly basis and leaves you craving for more.
I loved the first season of Weeds. It was one of those rare shows that actually lived up the hype (much like The Wire). And the season finale with Nancy sleeping with a DEA agent left me salivating for more. It was one of the best cliffhangers in recent memory. It wasn’t like Lost where there were a huge amount of questions raised. Rather on Weeds it was a cliffhanger that left you dumbfounded. It was great.
Speaking of DEA agents, the writers deserve credit for managing turn Peter into a character from a character that you liked and had sympathy for to a character that you rooted for his (inevitable) death. When he was eavesdropping on Nancy it was a heartbreaking scene and I really felt for him. However in the next episode he drops an N bomb (a cardinal sin in my book) making him unlikable. And finally in the finale he uses a vicious choice of words to attack Nancy placing him firmly in the column of irredeemable antagonist. So when his death came, I didn’t really feel too bad about it.
I also loved how Heylia proved that she could handle her own business. She orchestrated the Peter’s death in a moved that would make Oz’s Ryan O’reilly give a standing ovation.
Sure the season wasn’t perfect. With Peter effectively the muscle, the actual muscle introduced in the first season had to be written off. We never saw Silas get his comeuppance for poking holes in the condom and the whole Rabbinical School storyline ended on a flat note. And sure the writers could have been more clear explaining Heylia’s motivation for getting rid of Peter (I know she was doing it for herself and to a degree Conrad, but placing the scene with her visit to the jailed Armenian after a scene with her listening to Nancy’s plight kind of blurred things.)
But back to that finale, it was beautiful. It actually topped the previous season’s finale. This one left me tense with anticipation. How is Nancy going to get out of her grow-house alive? Will Silas get busted with Nancy’s product? Will Andy get to Pittsburgh? And what about Celia’s fractured family, will it get repaired? Does Nancy inherit Peter’s kids now that he’s dead?
Man, I can’t wait until next season. And when they say 2007, I hope they mean 1/1/07.
