Customer Reviews

Weeds: Season Five

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Showtime's series Weeds is one of the best shows on television. Each season is consistently strong- with engaging, inventive stories, complex charecters and wonderful dark comedy. Mary-Louise Parker is absolutely phenomenal as Nancy Botwin, one of the most complex and uncompromising charecters to ever appear on television. Parker is backed by an always reliable supporting cast who bring humor and heart to the at times, very dark proceedings. Weeds' Fifth Season is the slowest one but that does not mean it's bad. It is the most character driven season, we get to see the true colors of these charecters and what they really want, and at times, its not pretty. Nancy continues her downward spiral and drags her youngest son Shane down with her. Silas becomes the emotional center of this extremely dysfunctional family, and at 18 has become the real father figure. Andy strives to get out of Nancy's grasp and start his own life while Celia tries her hardest to be a different person and at times actually tries to BE Nancy. This season is all about coming to terms with the inevitable and face the consequences. There is plenty here to reward long time fans of the show and viewers interested in the psychological make-up of these crazy charecters. The season finale promises to set up more of the themes established in this season. I cant wait to see what happens next. Weeds is still my personal favorite show on TV, layered, funny, deep and always surprising.

This Season Five DVD set includes the episodes:
- Wonderful, Wonderful
- Machetes Up Top
- Su-Su-Sucio
- Super Lucky Happy
- Van Nuys
- A Modest Proposal
- Where the Sidewalk Ends
- A Distinctive Horn
- Suck 'n' Spit
- Perro Insano
- Ducks and Tigers
- Glue
- All About My Mom

I suggest if you like this show or have just discovered it buy the set of 1st 5 seasons. Well drawn characters, actors very appropriate for their roles. This show is pervertedly funny. Comedy equivalent to Seinfield. Good dvd's with no technical glitches.

Elizabeth Perkins (as Celia Hodes) is quickly taking over the lead role in Weeds while Mary-Louise Parker's Nancy character is becoming trite and quite frankly, annoying. You almost wish that Nancy Botwin would get killed off so that the show could drop all of the accumulated baggage of five seasons and start over fresh.

Season Five is the "Baby Season," where we watch Nancy Botwin struggle to have her new baby, support her family and keep herself alive all at the same time. Unfortunately the show quickly devolves into a generic drama that could be found on any number of network television stations. This season truly feels like the weed and drug trade are thrown in simply in order to keep the name of the show "Weeds," and I believe it was the drug dynamic that made this show as interesting as it was in the first place. While Nancy is off playing Mrs. Mexican Mafia, Silas and Doug partner up in order to attempt a legal Medicinal Marijuana storefront while Celia (after escaping from her daughter's kidnapping plot) attempts to capture the same success that Nancy had in seasons 1 and 2 by becoming the neighborhood "connection."

There are two bright spots in this season and they came out of left field for me: Shane and Dr. Audra Kitson (Alanis Morissette). Andy is still Andy - fantasizing about Nancy, hoping to replace Judah, but never quite living up to her expectations. He attempts to have a new relationship with Nancy's "on the side" ObGyn played remarkably well by Alanis Morissette. While you could pretty much cut and paste Andy's character from all the other seasons of Weeds, Morissette actually plays an interesting and quirky counterpart who attempts to make Andy "grow up" in order to have a real relationship with her.

Shane meanwhile, becomes broken. The poor kid has a busy season - he becomes a drug dealer, gets robbed by his teacher, befriends one of the Mexican thugs, gets a STD from his two "girlfriends," and gets shot. The last of the "pure" Botwins becomes truly corrupted and he relishes his new found freedom, unencumbered by morals. Without dropping any spoilers, lets just say that Shane is the cause of the cliffhanger at the end of Season Five (and no, he's not dying because he got shot).

The eye candy for this season for the women is brought to you by Silas and Esteban - unfortunately they don't add much more depth to their characters other than just sitting on the screen looking pretty. Doug and the Hodes play their normal comedic interludes, not bringing much to the storyline, but not really slowing it down either; pure, unadulterated filler.

All in all it was a pretty disappointing season. If you're a die hard Weeds fan you won't be very impressed by season five. If you're new to the Weeds show, watch seasons 1-3 instead. Cross your fingers that season six will redeem.

Each season sees the characters especially the hemptress falling further into the darkness. The series is losing some of the funnier scenes of the earlier series - I still recall the laugh out loud lines created by the idea of a hybrid Prius being a perfect gang banger car because you could sneak up on the victims rather than using a flashy a gas-driven Escalade. It will be interesting to see how the writers pull back from the Mexican drug king pin and make Mary Louise Parker's character more likable. Weeds is still worth watching but it makes the viewer a voyeur at a train wreck.

Showtime's hit series "Weeds" sure has changed since its inception in 2005. Created by Jenji Kohan, the series originally followed a widowed mother, Nancy (Mary Louise Parker), whom in an effort to support herself and her children, is thrust into the drug-selling business. Making money off of selling pot was easy at first, but it proved to be a dangerous game, with Nancy inadvertantly burning all of her bridges and connections to the past and fleeing to the border of Mexico, always with somebody on her tail.

Season Five of the show strays even farther from its roots, but unlike the underwhelming fourth season, this one manages to keep in the tradition of being as addictive as an actual drug, with each episode leaving you laughing and on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what they come up with next. Everyone's favorite pot-peddling soccer mom is now pregnant, and takes her relationship with a powerful and dangerous Mexican politician to the next level. Meanwhile, her children are put in danger on more than one occasion while Uncle Andy (the always entertaining and reliable Justin Kirk) falls in love with a doctor, played by Alanis Morissette, who challenges him to finally grow up. Celia (Elizabeth Perkins) and Doug (Kevin Nealon) pop up in heavy doses to deliver the seasons biggest laughs, however, and prove that "Weeds" is at its finest when it focuses on humor over melodrama.

Many will malign this season for the same reason they condemned Season Four, but alas, if you can get past the fact that this isn't the same show it was when it first aired, you're likely in for a good show. Sure, Nancy's not selling pot, but in essence, she is still "in the weeds" and Season Five is as entertaining and engaging as the show has ever been. Yes, it has a tendency to feel like a Spanish soap opera at times, but once you are done with the season's thirteen episodes, you'll be dying to see where Season Six goes. "Weeds" sure has changed a lot, but with an open mind and a sense of humor, it's still worth the -- ahem -- green.

I love this show! Especially this season and the last, every season just gets better and better. The seasons in Agrestic were great, but Ren Mar or wherever they move in the middle of the season are soooo much better. I love how Nancy get deal with things and acts less mature than her 14 year old son. Also this season gave Justin Kirk (Andy) a real acting job, he was hysterical and serious at the same time (I LOVE IT WHEN HE GROWS HIS BEARD). I also liked the guy who plays Estaban Reyes, he can't decide who to listen to, his wife or his boss. Kate de Castillo gives a performance that is great, you love her and you hate her at the same. Elizabeth Perkin's acting ability in the couple of seasons have been criminally overlooked, but hopefully this year she'll be recognized again at the awards, she's hysterical. Constant paranoia, trying to out-Nancy Nancy, how could she be so cruelly overlooked. Alexander Gould (Shane) gives another award worthy performance, from losing his virginity last season, to STDs, gunshot wounds, and alcoholism this season, that's a lot to deal with! This is season probably isn't the best season, but it had the best finale of all the seasons (well its tied with season 2, but that left too many questions). I can't wait until season 6 premieres next summer!

This was a great series when it started. Interesting plot and characters that you wouldn't normally see on TV. Then it went downhill BIG TIME. Happy to say this season has somewhat redeemed things and is a big improvement on the last. Funny but also interesting with plots and characters not totally out of the question. Definitely something you won't see on broadcast television. Fans of Showtime or HBO comedies will like this. If you've liked the show in the past, give this season a shot. Good stuff.

Season Five is totally unpredictable. Just when I think that Nancy has no more moves to make, she finds a way to wriggle out of each disastrous situation and actually come out ahead.

The character of Estaban has been a great addition to the cast. He keeps things exciting in the show by adding a much more dangerous element than merely selling drugs. Nancy finds herself between a rock and a really hard place. She is in danger of losing her home, her family, her sanity, and her life.

The most exciting season yet, must see t.v.

Beginning to lose appeal...both in story lines and the way they worked it more into drama and less comic relief. Hope they get back to more humorous base line for season 6. I can wish can't I...no pay for TV here in these rural woods so waiting each year for next DVD release. It works for us:))) Loved this series from 1-4 and have not given up on it as always the optimist.

After watching Season 1 & 2 and possibly Season 3, I thought this show offered a undemanding but well-written comedy with just the right touches of humanity. It actually bothered me that its simplicity kept me wanting more. But half way through Season 3, I realized this series was spiraling into just another hypnotic search for humor and the show really needed to end. Weeds, perferably would have ended on a good accord and not accede into a slow death. Season 5 is that slow death. As long as viewers habitually watch, whether good or bad, writers will dig for material, sadly it's not the characters but the script that's terminal. This series is far removed from it's original content. Lay this down in the graveyard of over-run shows starting with Season 4 and death with 5. Don't expect resurrection on 6. Mary-Louise Parker is still awesomely adorable!