'Weeds' a welcome change from TV drama

I remember thinking TV dramas were for lame adults not too long ago. Then again, “when I was a kid,” nobody ever put on “Weeds.”

The premise is relatively simple: Upscale suburban “MILF” sells pot to maintain family and lifestyle after her husband dies. However, it’s the little things that make this series as memorable as it is thought-provoking.

Said MILF, Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) has eyes so arresting, I don’t see how the actress can go anywhere without freezing men like deer in headlights. And in realistic fashion, the woman does some truly dumb things in her desperate bid to succeed as both a mother and a drug dealer. But she looks damn cute doing them.

Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon), is the most lovable dude ever. Every single thing he says or does elicits a dimpled grin at the very least. From chucking staplers to pulling one over on whomever he wants, he sticks it to every evil concept or character in the show. If anyone I know (fictional or otherwise) has the cahones to steal a 50-foot cross off of a church, it’s Councilman Doug. This role just makes me say “God, I love Kevin Nealon,” like six times per episode.

Andy Botwin (Justin Kirk), Nancy’s brother-in-law, can deliver a mean monologue. Check the introductory masturbation talk he delivers to Shane Botwin (Alexander Gould) in Season Two and tell me if you’ve heard a better put-together, more hilarious single-speaker scenario. The idiotic antics he puts out are second to none, and he gets some very nice, uh, tail, like all the time.

And, of course, the world’s most self-righteous bitty, Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins) will keep viewers squirming.

“Weeds’” general what-lies-beneath theme, which pervades each episode to some extent, applies principles of love and laughter to the general population that it commentaries on. It translucifies boundaries we all think exist in life applying to relationships, attitudes, and taboos — not to mention sex.

Its at-first seemingly static characters develop as they make stupid decisions and learn. Its gravity is offset by well-timed (sometimes surprise) humor, and its characters relate to anyone who has been through the public school system, let alone heard of drugs.

If only a few more shows made you feel like the writers and actors had actually been through the things they do on screen…

Jump to comments