By Dylan Fair
Staff Writer
The plot of Showtime’s “Weeds” has sunken to the believability of daytime soap operas. By the recent close of the show’s sixth season, its storyline that once thrived with creativity and individuality is now cluttered and ridiculous as characters wildly flee from the clutches of drug lords.
The latest installment of “Weeds” is centered on Nancy Botwin, a suburban mom turned drug dealer turned wife of a Mexican-drug-lord. Nancy (Marie-Louise Parker) is on the run, fleeing punishment for her son’s murder of a powerful political figure in the conclusion of season five.
Nancy is accompanied by sons Shane, Silas and Stevie (Alexander Gould, Hunter Parrish, various infant actors) and brother-in-law Andy (Justin Kirk). This leads to the season-long hunt of the Botwins to retrieve Stevie Reyes (Esteban’s only son).
“Weeds” has always been able to make an audience laugh, and this ability is not lost in the subpar new season. What has changed, however, is in the way viewers laugh. While in previous season one could laugh at the dramatic yet believable situations that a small-time pot dealer could face, the absurdity of the new season simply makes audiences scratch their heads and wonder why they’re watching.
One aspect of the script that has not changed is the use of clever one-liners and punch lines. While this form of comedy is very well recognized in the show, the jokes seem more “Family Guy” than they did previously. Most of the jokes are completely irrelevant to the story and do not advance the plot.
Blame for the show’s reduced quality simply falls on the writers. The content of the show (which now includes political murder and powerful drug cartels) is absurd compared to the original storyline of the show.
Maintaining a show’s refreshing originality is the reason series on premium channels such as Showtime do not run more than four seasons. The dullness of season six is credited to exploiting so many directions in the previous five seasons.
On the other hand, the acting ability of Nancy’s children Shane and Silas blossomed throughout the course of the season, especially in the case of Shane Botwin, who slipped through the cracks when he became a murderer in season five. Gould does a great job portraying a teenage psychopath in a way that causes the audience to feel compassionate toward him.
The current season’s obvious lack of creativity is due to a desire to live up to its previous success. Showtime Network has over 8 million subscribers and is the second highest grossing premium channel. It seems apparent that both series creator Jenji Kohan and the cast were simply following the money on this one, thinking with their bank accounts instead of pride in good entertainment.
Followers of the show should watch the sixth season simply for the sake of knowing what happens, while newcomers should shy away. “Weeds” can be watched and enjoyed without seeing every episode, but someone who is interested in the show should purchase the first three seasons and begin there, when the show was actually worth something.
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