I can’t help but think back to the days of the little boxes, when Nancy Botwin lived with her two boys in Agrestic, desperately trying to find a way to survive in the wake of her husband’s death. How far she’s come. Now, in Season 6 of Weeds, Nancy and her family are on the run from the law, and from the Mexican mafia. Having the gang on the road together makes for a much more endearing and engaging season that Season 5, which took a tangent that almost made me stop watching a once-great show. But I stuck with Weeds and I’m glad I did, because Season 6 is a roadtrip worth taking with the Botwins.
In the shocking 5th season finale, Shane, Nancy’s younger son, commits an unthinkable crime and in order to save her child, Nancy packs their life and leaves the villa she lives at with her new husband and baby boy, Stevie. When Nancy’s politician/mafia man husband Estaban (Demian Bichir) finds out that his son is gone, he makes it his mission to find Nancy and bring his son home.
The Botwins were built for a life on the road. Uncle Andy (Justin Kirk) takes the helm and reinvents the family, giving new names to all and teaching them the tricks of the runaway trade. The newly dubbed “Newmans” leave their old lives behind and embrace their fate. Soon enough old friend Doug (Kevin Nealon) returns and the gang is reunited. They’re all on board, however, except Silas (Hunter Parish), who is constantly questioning why he’s along for the ride. He can never quite break free of his family, however. Shane (Alexander Gould) on the other hand, is convinced that a life of crime is the life for him. He’s sure that he’s evil, and attempts to convince his mother that’s he’s simply a bad seed, the spitting image of Nancy. Shane’s character has grown up a lot since the show’s premiere, from the little boy who lost his father to the violent, coldhearted young man we know today. Alexander Gould has done a great job of forming his character throughout the show’s history and really bringing a troubled teenage to life.
While crime was present in Season 5, it was in the form of the Mexican mafia, rather than drug dealing. A hot, suburban mom selling weed was what originally made the show so appealing, but Season 5 veered too far away from this premise. Season 6 brings us back to the land of drug dealing, as Nancy concocts a plan to sell hash using the clippings left behind by other dealers. She’s taken the thrifty approach, and it seems to be working. In Episode 8, the family comes up on an RV and moves their hash operation into the vehicle’s washing machine. This enables them to hide out while constantly moving and also making money in each town they pass through.
Eventually the Botwins return to Nancy’s old hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, where they shack up with Richard Dreyfuss. Dreyfuss plays Mr. Shiff, the high school teacher whom Nancy had an affair with at the ripe old age of 15. Dreyfuss is an excellent new addition to the show, and you can’t help but love the bumbling teacher-turned-mailman who has been in love with a student for the past 30 years. Another new face turns up in Dearborn, towards the end of the season, shaking things up once again. While chatting to Mr. Shiff, the boys learn of Nancy’s high school boyfriend, Lars, the handsome blond who Silas bears a striking resemblance to. Silas is convinced Lars is his father, and sets off to learn to truth.
While I didn’t care much what happened in Season 5, each episode of Season 6 kept me wondering and wanting more. Having the Botwins together on the road was a much better premise than having them trapped in Mexico. The writing is once again as strong as it was in Season 1, and the characters are now able to play off one other wonderfully, bringing to life a dysfunctional family that after six years on Showtime, now seems pretty normal. That’s what a great television show should do: keep you so enthralled with the storyline and characters that instead of sleeping at night, you finish up another great season of Weeds. And once again we’re left with a shocking season finale and an indefinite anticipation for what will happen to the Botwins next. We’re finally back to the crux of the story, where it all started: Weed.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Go behind the scenes with your favorite Showtime family with some endearing Blu Ray bonus features. Start off with some “Commentary with Writer Jenji Kohan, Cast and Crew.” Next up is a hilarious “Featurette with Justin Kirk and Kevin Nealon.” Then the “Cast and Crew Answer Fan Questions” and we’re given a "Bye-Bye Botwins" Featurette. And of course you can finish it all off with a “Gag Reel.”
"Weeds: Season Six" is on sale November 30, -0001 and is rated .
