Weeds: Season 5

Perhaps I've been a bit too hard on Weeds. When it pulled an overhaul between Seasons 3 and 4, I was complaining about how much worse the show became. But then, I've criticized plenty of other series for not mixing things up enough and becoming stagnant. I told myself (and this blog, I think) that Season 5 was going to be Weeds' shot at redemption for me. Not that that means much - as a completionist, I'm bound to purchase every season of this show until it gets canceled. Anyway, the good news is that I liked it. I didn't love it, but then, I've never really loved a season of Weeds. My biggest problem with the show remains the main character of Nancy Botwin, soccer mom turned weed dealer turned druglord's baby mama. Her actions and attitudes are entirely selfish and non-motherly throughout most of the series. Above all, she is immature and childish. Fortunately, she actually seemed to shape up a little bit by the end of this season. Not before making plenty more horrendous decisions, of course, but still, enough for me to notice that she wasn't going out of her way to act thirteen anymore. Most of the supporting cast is fantastic and remained so this season. I'm still not on board with the Mexican infusion the series received in Season 4 and hasn't shaken yet, but this season seemed to find a bit of a happy medium between the charm of the first three seasons and the setting and tone of the fourth. Ultimately, Weeds isn't a show I'd recommend heavily to anyone. There are plenty of better shows out there on the premium channels. Still, most of its episodes make for an enjoyable (and often morbid) half hour of television. This season ended with a good mixture of plot resolutions and cliffhangers. While I have no lack of patience for Season 6 to air (or come out on DVD, which is when I'll likely watch it), I'm still looking forward to it. Rumor has it, it could be Weeds' last season. And it probably should be. It's hard to imagine an abundance of new places to go with a show that is, ostensibly, about dealing drugs, especially when full scale smuggling jobs and gang wars have already taken place.