Another classic, this time from 2006. Parenthetical amendments.
Ok, so it's not like I haven't been watching TV for a long time. {I didn't have a high speed connection so I was still relying on actual TV that year}. And though I haven't seen every show out there, I've been aware of most. And there's an ass-groove in my couch that will be visible centuries from now. But my life has been lacking that certain something... that little weekly fix, the access to a nice mental oasis that only television can supply. {This is also pre Netflix binge era that's now returned to weekly episodes because that model is no longer sustainable.}
No series has come up and grabbed me by the throat and compelled me to turn to the tv at the same bat time and channel for quite some time. Not that there hasn't been a few that weren't brilliant. Sadly I couldn't dedicate myself to Veronica Mars or Six Feet due to their allotments to ridiculous timeslots and what have you... {I still haven't watched Veronica Mars and don't think I can stomach Six Feet Under remembering how garbage the characters are}.
But I am prepared dedicate myself to one show: Weeds. Thank CHRIST for this show or I'd probably have given up on TV all together. Weeds is so close to flawless on all levels it's putting me in a state of paranoia. Oh to have been a fly on the wall when this was pitched to the network: suburban widow becomes local pot dealer to support her children. And it's not like that's it, folks, that's the only thing going for it. Add to the zip-lock bag the near perfect casting, fantastic story lines and beautiful locations and you have probably one of the best shows I've seen since... god knows what. and thank you Christ yet again that those losers responsible for the Emmys (who should be executed for crimes against humanity for never awarding Joss for Buffy {Wrong, they were right not to give this guy too many props}) bestowed their award 4 times upon Weeds.(because god knows they have A LOT of making up to do.) The dichotomy between the lower-class black crime ridden neighbourhood and the white upper-middle carbon copy ticky-tacky house one is so slight it's hilarious. There's obviously a sinister current running through both, one's just more visible than the other. The characterisation is spot on. You hate some of the regulars one minute, and can't help rootin for them the next. This is a show gen Yers have been gagging for. We're not gonna be sold on the reefer-madnessesque propaganda our governments are trying to spoon-feed us through the media. Weeds puts it all in perspective, and it's educational without being a total "how-to" for setting up shop. The main character isn't a smoker, hell she even states she's not a dealer. But she is a mother, and Mary Louise Parker has rammed the nail through the board with her portrayal of the widow just trying to get by. These aspects and the gorgeous and infectious theme tune, an old ditty from the 30s that sums up the show so well I applauded the first time I heard it (It's stuck in my head as I write this), make this show a hard habit to break. I can't find much wrong with Weeds. I'm hooked. I'll need to go to rehab to help with the withdrawal I'll suffer when the series is over... and I'll be back on it as soon as Season 2 starts up here. It's official, ladies and gentlemen, Weeds really is good shit.
Real shame it fell in so many toilets it wasn't even worth watching all the way through again. Much like Dexter and Sons of Anarchy, (And yes, Game of Thrones- I always maintained I'd buy all the seasons to make up for my stealing them but we never bothered with the final season), I can't go back to the start knowing the endings are awful. Six Feet Under finished strong but I'm not the same person I was when that was airing and it's depressing to watch characters behave so badly because they hate themselves. There's even a new season of Dexter coming that doesn't look bad, but there's no telling if it'll be good, it seems to just be a compensation for its horrendous final episodes. All these shows suffered from coming out of the gate too strong. Breaking Bad was at least relatively consistent, El Camino was enjoyable but I didn't need it to exist. Better Call Saul just gets better, I've already rewatched it once, and I think it'll finish strong. Weeds really did let itself down by having too kooky a premise that by the time it wandered into the realms of ridiculous it was a frustrating watch that had a weird, existential ending, I can't say the lead characters were invested in continuing. It's hard to say what direction it began with but again the characters all became bad, made awful decisions that were hard to related to or support and then you didn't care what happened. Sons of Anarchy was infuriating, poor Jimmy Smits falls for Gemma, gets involved with the club and Jax at the cost of his own business that was fine until Gemma and Jax showed up, then he gets lumped with the kids so Jax can make a messiah-level sacrifice and bail on the situation rather than go to jail where he belongs. But then Jimmy Smits' character in Dexter kinda ruined that season. I could probably watch Weeds up until she gets into bed with the Mexican cartel. She goes to jail but as soon as she's out she's looking to deal again which is annoying. Ben Folds did some episodes. Apparently it might have a sequel but meh, who cares? I didn't think Mary-Louise Parker was down to keep going.
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