Jump to content

Weeds (TV series): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Plusher (talk | contribs)
97 edits
Plusher (talk | contribs)
97 edits
Line 54: Line 54:
'''Shane and Silas'''
'''Shane and Silas'''


Also during this time, Silas is sentenced to community service, which leaves Shane to be enrolled in a summer school that frequently violates church and state law to present religious propoganda, such as subjecting the class to a murder mystery where the solution was an abortion. Both boys find ways to manipulate their situation, with Shane exploiting the other student's disgust with the coercing of religious values for popularity and Silas talking Nancy into allowing him to sell pot to the other people doing community service (to which she grudgingly agrees). While selling the pot, Silas meets Tera, a pseudo-religious young woman who hypocritically upholds some values, but not others (such as abstaining from sex, but having no problem whatsoever with drugs). She eventually becomes Nancy's best dealer, which raises a conflict of interest after Tera begins admitting openly that she's dating (and sleeping with) other people.
Also during this time, Silas is sentenced to community service for the theft of the drug free signs, which leaves Shane to be enrolled in a summer school that frequently violates church and state law to present religious propoganda, such as subjecting the class to a murder mystery where the solution was an abortion. Both boys find ways to manipulate their situation, with Shane exploiting the other student's disgust with the coercing of religious values for popularity and Silas talking Nancy into allowing him to sell pot to the other people doing community service (to which she grudgingly agrees). While selling the pot, Silas meets Tera, a pseudo-religious young woman who hypocritically upholds some values, but not others (such as abstaining from sex, but having no problem whatsoever with drugs). She eventually becomes Nancy's best dealer, which raises a conflict of interest after Tera begins admitting openly that she's dating (and sleeping with) other people.


'''Doug and Celia'''
'''Doug and Celia'''

Revision as of 02:44, 7 November 2007

Weeds
File:Weeds title card.jpg
Series title card
Created byJenji Kohan
StarringMary-Louise Parker
Elizabeth Perkins
Tonye Patano
Romany Malco
Hunter Parrish
Alexander Gould
Andy Milder
Allie Grant
with Justin Kirk
and Kevin Nealon
Opening themeLittle Boxes by Malvina Reynolds (and others)
No. of episodes35 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkShowtime
ReleaseAugust 8, 2005 –
present
"Weeds" redirects here. For the 1987 film, see Weeds (film).

Weeds is an American dark comedy television series It began with a 10-episode first season in August 2005. It was the highest rated series for Showtime that year.[1] A 12-episode second season followed in August 2006, [2] and a third season consisting of 15 episodes premiered on August 13, 2007.[3] The season 3 premiere episode attracted 824,000 Showtime subscribers to tune-in to the show. It was announced on November 5, 2007 that Showtime had picked up the show for a fourth season consisting of 13 episodes. [4]

Plot synopsis

Season 1

The fictional, affluent Los Angeles, California suburb of Agrestic (an English word meaning "characteristic of the fields or country", but having a second meaning as "crude: lacking the qualities associated with sophistication") is home to Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker), whose husband Judah (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) recently, and suddenly, died of heart failure while jogging with his son Shane. Nancy begins dealing marijuana to locals in her suburban town in order to support her household while maintaining an upper-class lifestyle. As depicted in the series, Agrestic has a public school system, which Nancy's children Silas (Hunter Parrish) and Shane (Alexander Gould) both attend. Silas begins dating a deaf girl (Shoshannah Stern) who lives in the area. Shane is a more troubled child, and has the nickname "Strange Botwin" at school. He has been known to act out and, for example, bit the foot of another child in martial arts class. Nancy befriends the manic, image-obsessed, manipulative and controlling Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins), president of the Agrestic PTA, who has a number of domestic problems. She does not get along with her husband, who cheats on her. She does not get along with her older daughter, Quinn (who was Silas' previous girlfriend) either, and Celia sends her off to boarding school in Mexico in the premiere. Her younger daughter is overweight and a lesbian, and Celia berates her cruelly about both issues. Toward the end of the season, Celia is diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer, and she has sex with Conrad (Romany Malco), the nephew of the woman who supplies Nancy with marijuana, Heylia James (Tonye Patano). Andy Botwin (Justin Kirk), the younger brother of Nancy's late husband and the black sheep of the family, says he has moved into the Botwin household to help Nancy out, but seems to just be there to free-load. He decides to study to become a rabbi in order to avoid military service and being sent to Iraq, and had previously begun Nancy's relationship to Conrad, just in case she needed some marijuana for herself. Conrad had, in turn, introduced her to Heylia, a major distributer in the Agrestic area. The season closes with Nancy's plan to become a grower. However, this plan hits complications when she sleeps with Peter Scottson, only to find out he's an agent with the DEA.

Season 2

The second season, while still comedic, has a much darker tone, as Nancy becomes increasingly involved in the more dangerous aspects of the drug "underground". Ignoring Heylia's advice, Nancy and Conrad start their own small-scale growing operation in a rented bakery, and brings a number of other show regulars into the business. This includes her brother-in-law, who demanded to be let in on her dealings, and Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon), her accountant, who aides Nancy in setting up a legitimate bakery as a front for her drug sales. During this season, Peter Scottson, who turns out to be a corrupt DEA agent, tells her that he knows the truth about her, and the two are married as part of a deal she makes with him. While Nancy's drug activities increase, Celia runs for, and wins, Doug's spot on the town council, and begins a drug-free campaign across Agrestic. Andy also finds himself being recalled to active duty in Iraq, due to a long-forgotten commitment to the Army Reserve, and makes several attempts to have himself disqualified. As the season progresses, Nancy's children become more aware of her illegal activities, though the two sons deal with the issue in quite different ways. Shane continues to have problems fitting in at school, and ultimately takes a not-so-healthy interest in Andy's crazy ex girlfriend, Kat. Silas, on the other hand, takes out his frustrations by committing acts of vandalism, most notably stealing Celia's drug-free-zone surveillance cameras. Nancy and Conrad's drug business becomes quite successful and they turn their attention to cultivation in a suburban grow house, but ultimately attract attention from more established members of the illicit drug community. Nancy's marriage to a DEA agent initially keeps her on top while her rivals are routinely busted, but her marriage to Peter quickly declines as he pressures her to quit dealing. The final straw for Nancy is an incident where Nancy invites Peter over as her boyfriend and he manhandles Silas as a first option to his opposition to what's happening, after which Nancy tells Conrad that she doesn't love Peter over the phone with Peter listening in. Afterwards, Peter's already high suspcions that Nancy is involved with Conrad become worse when they get caught in compromising positions. The season concludes with a complex series of betrayals, as Peter meets Nancy and Conrad outside the grow house and using threats against Conrad to demand all of Nancy's proceeds from her current batch of weed. Heylia hires mobsters to kill Peter in retalliation. Nancy's buyer arrives at the grow house, intending to steal the weed without paying, only to find the weed missing. At the same time, the Armenian mobsters arrive, having killed Peter right outside the grow house, and expect the proceeds from the sale to pay for their hit. Nancy soon discovers that Silas has decided to force his way into the business by stealing the entire batch of weed. He is in the process of negotiating with his mom from his car when Celia arrives. Silas is arrested for vandalism and theft, and Celia takes his car, unaware that is it full of marijuana. This leaves Nancy at the grow house, in a Mexican standoff with both the gangsters and the mobsters, as the season ends in a cliffhanger.

Season 3

At the beginning of the season, the plot is more like several subplots. Throughout the season, the plots frequently intertwine, but the characters seem to be a lot more seperate stories held together by common elements.

Nancy

The season opens with Nancy being told that she has until sundown to find the missing weed; she finds it in her pool. Celia had found the stash and dumped it in the pool "for her own protection", not knowing what she had really done. U-Turn doesn't like it, but compromises that he'll take his debt in labor. Her first task is to pick up a package of Herion from a latin drug gang, who force her to "breakdance" on a table before they'll give it to her, then give her a bag of "skunk weed" instead. U-Turn is furious about getting the wrong package, but sees Nancy's potential as a dealer and offers to train her. This causes a rift between him and Marvin, an associate of his that he severely abuses.

Nancy also begins working for Geoff Sullivan, the crooker developer of Magestic, a rival community that wants to build a pipeline through Agrestic, at the beheadst of Celia, who's dating him. At first, Nancy can't stand Sullivan, but the two begin having an affair after U-Turn is killed by Marvin. Celia finds out about the affair and finds out that Nancy is still dealing while looking for information to use against her.

Nancy also makes a short-lived friendship with Peter's ex-wife, which falls apart after Nancy is the one left the $119,000 from his insurance.

Andy

During this time, two of Andy's toes are bitten off by a dog which he believes will exclude him from service, only to be proven wrong as he's shipped to boot camp. Him and his training partner are considered the "stooges" of the training and are eventually left out in the desert with a cell phone to test a missle that trains on a GPS, which impailes the partner and kills him. Andy Runs, and is considered AWOL, which they will dismiss if he gives back the phone. When asked why they did what they did, the Base officials replied that the test was originally meant to be conducted on a donkey, but they considered a donkey a more valuable resource than the two men.

After being kicked out of the military, Andy is asked by Geoff Sullivan to cater for porn movie shoots, making friends with porn star Lexington Steele on the set and even starring in a couple of scenes himself.

Shane and Silas

Also during this time, Silas is sentenced to community service for the theft of the drug free signs, which leaves Shane to be enrolled in a summer school that frequently violates church and state law to present religious propoganda, such as subjecting the class to a murder mystery where the solution was an abortion. Both boys find ways to manipulate their situation, with Shane exploiting the other student's disgust with the coercing of religious values for popularity and Silas talking Nancy into allowing him to sell pot to the other people doing community service (to which she grudgingly agrees). While selling the pot, Silas meets Tera, a pseudo-religious young woman who hypocritically upholds some values, but not others (such as abstaining from sex, but having no problem whatsoever with drugs). She eventually becomes Nancy's best dealer, which raises a conflict of interest after Tera begins admitting openly that she's dating (and sleeping with) other people.

Doug and Celia

Doug and Celia have a short-lived affair, which ends after they talk about leaving their spouses for each other and Celia leaves Dean, but Doug doesn't leave his wife. This creates a hatred between them after Celia gets revenge by telling Doug's family, as well as a strain between Dean and Doug over the affair. Soon after the affair ends, Dean is severely injured in a motorcycle accident and Celia has to take care of him while she's dating Geoff. Doug complicates things by attempting to undermine Geoff Sullivan to hurt Celia. After seeing Geoff having sex with Nancy,Celia retorts by investigating "Aquatecture", a novelty birdhouse company Doug invested in, which turns out to be a front for Heylia. Celia begins a plan to use this information against both of them.

Season 3 leaks

The first episode of the third season aired on August 13, 2007. On July 22, 2007, the first and second episodes of season 3 were leaked on the internet. On July 24, 2007, the third episode was leaked, and on July 27, 2007, the fourth episode was leaked. The fourth episode was not a complete version; among other things, some dubbed lines were not complete (notably a voicemail message Nancy receives from U-Turn is spoken by a distinctly different actor, and in place of the end credits a card is inserted reading "End Titles"). As of September 26 episodes 1-7 of the season were available online. Because of the DVD quality of leaked episodes, some have speculated that the episodes were leaked intentionally in order to garner interest in the show and to create an internet buzz. Weeds creator Jenji Kohan has showed a positive interest in the Weeds episodes leaking online, saying, "Revenue aside, I don't expect to get rich on Weeds, I'm excited it's out there. Showtime is great, but it does have a limited audience." In 2006 before season 2 aired on Showtime, the first few episodes were also leaked online.[5]

Cast and crew

The cast of Weeds circa Season 2, Left to Right: Romany Malco, Tonye Patano, Mary-Louise Parker, Kevin Nealon, Elizabeth Perkins, and Justin Kirk.

Main Cast:

Actor Role Episodes
Mary-Louise Parker Nancy Botwin 35
Elizabeth Perkins Celia Hodes 35
Tonye Patano Heylia James 30
Romany Malco Conrad Shepard 34
Justin Kirk Andy Botwin  32†
Hunter Parrish Silas Botwin 35
Alexander Gould Shane Botwin 35
Allie Grant Isabelle Hodes  24‡
Andy Milder Dean Hodes  31‡
Kevin Nealon Doug Wilson 35

†Main cast as of season 1, episode 4.
‡Main cast as of season 3, episode 1. Previously guest stars.

Guest stars:

(Episode listings correct to the last new episode aired on Showtime).

Crew:

Impact

Critical response

Slate magazine named the character of Nancy Botwin as one of the best on television and one of the reasons they were looking forward to the return of the show in fall 2007.[7]

Awards and nominations

Awards won

Award Title Credit Year
Satellite Awards "Outstanding Actress in a Series- Comedy" Mary-Louise Parker 2005
Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by a TV Actress in a Musical or Comedy Mary-Louise Parker 2006

Awards nominated

Golden Globe Awards
Best TV Series-Comedy (2006, 2007)
Best Performance by a TV Supporting Actress Elizabeth Perkins (2006)
Best Performance by a TV Actress in a Musical or Comedy Mary-Louise Parker (2007)
Best Performance by a TV Supporting Actress Elizabeth Perkins (2007)
Best Performance by a TV Supporting Actor Justin Kirk (2007)
Screen Actors Guild
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Mary-Louise Parker (2006, 2007)
Ensemble In A Comedy Series (2007)
Satellite Awards
Outstanding Actress in a Series-Comedy Elizabeth Perkins (2005)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series, or TV Movie Elizabeth Perkins(2006)
Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical Mary-Louise Parker (2006)
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Elizabeth Perkins (2006)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Craig Zisk, for the episode Good Shit Lollipop (2006)
Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series (2006)
Outstanding Main Title Design (2006)
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, for the episode Good Shit Lollipop (2006)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Mary-Louise Parker (2007)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Elizabeth Perkins (2007)
Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series (2007)
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, for the episode Mrs. Botwin's Neighborhood (2007)
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, for the episode Crush Girl Love Panic (2007)

Episodes

Main article: List of Weeds episodes

DVD releases

DVD Name # of Ep Release dates Additional Information
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Season One 10 July 11 2006 September 3 2007 July 18 2007 After her husband's unexpected death and subsequent financial woes, suburban mom Nancy Botwin (Parker) embraces a new profession: the neighborhood pot dealer. As it seems like everyone secretly wants what she's selling -- even city councilman Doug Wilson (Nealon) -- Nancy is faced with keeping her family life in check and her enterprise a secret from her best friend/PTA president, Celia Hodes (Perkins).
Season Two 12 July 24 2007 TBA TBA

The Region 1 Season One DVD is only available in 4:3 pan and scan format. The Region 2 and 4 releases are in anamorphic widescreen.

Season One was released on Blu-ray on May 29, 2007, and Season Two was released on July 24, 2007. Both seasons include all episodes in 1080p widescreen with Dolby Digital EX sound and either DTS-HD (Season One) or LPCM (Season Two), as well as extras exclusive to the Blu-ray release.

CD releases

Weeds: Music from the Original Series

  • Released September 13, 2005
  1. Malvina Reynolds - "Little Boxes"
  2. Nellie McKay - "David"
  3. Peggy Lee - "A Doodlin' Song"
  4. Sufjan Stevens - "All The Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands"
  5. Michael Franti & Spearhead - "Ganja Babe"
  6. All Too Much - "More Than A Friend"
  7. Sons & Daughters - "Blood"
  8. The New Pornographers - "The Laws Have Changed"
  9. Joey Santiago - "Fake Purse"
  10. NRBQ - "Wacky Tobacky"
  11. Marion Black - "Who Knows"
  12. Martin Creed - "I Can't Move"
  13. The Mountain Goats - "Cotton"
  14. Joey Santiago - "Birthday Video"
  15. Flogging Molly - "If I Ever Leave This World Alive"
  16. The Be Good Tanyas - "The Littlest Birds"
  17. Hill Of Beans - "Satan Lend Me a Dollar"

Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Volume 2

  • Released October 17, 2006
  1. Elvis Costello - "Little Boxes"
  2. Zeroleen - "All Good"
  3. of Montreal - "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games"
  4. Jenny Owen Youngs - "Fuck, Was I"
  5. Fern Jones - "Strange Things Are Happening"
  6. (The Real) Tuesday Weld - "Bathtime In Clerkenwell"
  7. Gwendolyn Sanford & Brandon Young Jay - "Shane Digs Gretchen"
  8. Rogue Wave - "Kicking The Heart Out"
  9. Regina Spektor - "The Ghost of Corporate Future"
  10. Dengue Fever - "One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula"
  11. Aidan Hawken - "Neighborhood"
  12. Squirrel Nut Zippers - "It Ain't You"
  13. Gwendolyn Sanford & Brandon Young Jay - "From Agrestic to Las Vegas"
  14. The 88 - "Not Enough"
  15. Sufjan Stevens - "Holland"
  16. Gwendolyn Sanford & Brandon Young Jay - "Huskaroo TV Spot"

Opening Music

File:AgresticIntro.JPG
Stevenson Ranch, California a filming location for Weeds.
  • In season 1, the title song "Little Boxes" is performed by its writer, Malvina Reynolds.
  • In Seasons 2 and 3, the title song is performed by different artists in each episode with the exception of the season 2 finale, which uses the original by Reynolds. The following is a listing of the episodes and performers:
Episode Artist
2×01 cosElvis Costello
2×02 deaDeath Cab for Cutie
2×03 humEngelbert Humperdinck
2×04 mcgKate and Anna McGarrigle
2×05 barMaestro Charles Barnett
2×06 hawAidan Hawken (MySpace)
2×07 ozoOzomatli
2×08 subThe Submarines
2×09 delTim DeLaughter of Polyphonic Spree
2×10 speRegina Spektor
2×11 lewJenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice
2×12 reyMalvina Reynolds
3×01 newRandy Newman
3×02 kidAngelique Kidjo
3×03 kinKinky
3×04 donDonovan
3×05 thoBilly Bob Thornton
3×06 shiThe Shins
3×07 indThe Individuals
3×08 manMan Man
3×09 baeJoan Baez
3×10 decThe Decemberists
3×11 fraMichael Franti
3×12 perPersephone's Bees
3×13 lauLaurie Berkner Band

On August 7, 2007, Simon Spotlight, a division of Simon and Schuster, published IN THE WEEDS: The Official Guide to the Showtime Series by Kera Bolonik, which features interviews with the show's creator, its writers and crew, and the entire cast. It also features detailed character and plot descriptions, recipes, and lots of trivia and behind-the-scenes information.

Trivia

  • Agrestic was inspired by the Los Angeles suburb of Valencia, whose reputation as an upper-middle class "perfect" community made it the perfect setting.
  • The mentioned competition between the communities of Agrestic and Majestic mirrors the feelings of the Santa Clarita Valley communities of Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Saugus, etc.
  • Most of the show is filmed on location in and around the Santa Clarita Valley (Valencia, California, Stevenson Ranch, California, Santa Clarita, California, and Castaic, California).
  • In an Aug. 21, 2007 interview, series creator Jenji Kohan said the use of different singers for the theme music, "Little Boxes," came about when, in the early days of the show, the producers were afraid they would not be able to use Malvina Reynolds' original recording. They eventually received permission, but decided with the start of the second season to use some of the covers of the song that had been made. Since then, additional artists have been used, with some seeking it out.
  • Due to product placement deals, Nancy often carries an "It's a Grind Coffee House" beverage. The "It's a Grind" in the opening credits is actually a Starbucks in Calabasas, California.
  • At the 2006 Golden Globes, Mary-Louise Parker was nominated for Best Actress in a Television Comedy or Musical, alongside the four lead actresses of the more popular network television show Desperate Housewives. Desperate Housewives actress Teri Hatcher had won the award the year before, and even award presenter Chris Rock could only joke at this predicament, saying, "You gotta feel sorry for Mary-Louise Parker." [8] However, Parker beat all four ladies of Desperate Housewives to take home the award.
  • The book Rejuvenile by author Christopher Noxon has appeared several times on the show. Christopher Noxon is married to series creator Jenji Kohan. Noxon was also the music supervisor for season one and appeared in the pilot episode as a bear hunter.[9]
  • A scene in episode 10 of season 1 in which Nancy's younger son, Shane, is seen looking out onto the patio where his mother is seen surrounded by all of her business partners, and Lupita shuts the doors, is obviously a reference to The Godfather, complete with trumpet heard in the background. Also, Peter brings Nancy a bag of oranges in the 11th episode of the 2nd season. Oranges in The Godfather represent impending danger.
  • At one point, Peter gives Nancy his address. The address number is 420. Also, Nancy criticizes Doug and Andy for smoking pot when there is work to be done and it "is not even 4:20 [unofficially the precise time of day ideal for smoking in cannabis culture] yet".
  • The opening credits undergo some slight changes in season 3. The shot of the female runners at the end is replaced with children on swings, while Andy Milder and Allie Grant's names are also added. Also, Justin Kirk now receives the "with" credit.
  • In the show, Doug Wilson attended college at Southern Methodist University.
  • Romany Malco was in 40 Year Old Virgin, where he worked in a store that was similar to a Circuit City. On the show Weeds, Vaneeta tells a story where he and Andy (Justin Kirk) were fired from Circuit City together for stealing. In the 40 Year Old Virgin, Romany Malco is also accused of stealing recordable CDs by a person named Andy (Steve Carell).

References

  1. ^ http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/1101brotherhood1101.html
  2. ^ http://www.tv.com/weeds/show/28829/episode_listings.html?season=2
  3. ^ http://www.sho.com/site/announcements/050707weeds.do
  4. ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i00627c6566fe8f5f3a5cc6e7c5ac42de
  5. ^ "Massive Leak of Pre-Air TV Shows: Piracy or Promotion?". TorrentFreak. 2007-07-24. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  6. ^ http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C96561%7C1%7C,00.html
  7. ^ Turner, Julia (21). "Oh, How We've Missed You!". Slate magazine. Retrieved 2007-09-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jan-17-Tue-2006/news/5393895.html
  9. ^ http://www.rejuvenile.com/blog/item/rejuvenile_on_weeds/
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Weeds_(TV_series)&oldid=169761703"