(S04E02) The season premiere took us to a new town, and “Lady’s a Charm” gave us a look into Nancy’s future as a drug trafficker. There’s room for improvement, that’s for sure. This week we learned more of the Botwin family history, got a brief and depressing Yiddish lesson, and, for the first time, I heard the word “schlimazel” outside the context of Laverne & Shirley .
The “Little Boxes” theme is gone for good. Instead, we got a quick shot of the Mexican border. I’ll miss the old song, but it no longer fits with the show’s new setting. I can’t decide if I like the music-free credits, or if a different theme song would have been a good idea. What song would suit Weeds now that it isn’t set in the suburbs?
It didn’t take long for Nancy’s troubles to catch up with her. Nancy spent most of the episode coming down from her “escape to the beach” high. She was so carefree and happy in the adorable opening scene that you just knew it wouldn’t last. Several unpleasant surprises brought Ms. Botwin back to reality–Silas’ renewed interest in marijuana growing, news of Celia’s arrest, and Guillermo’s drug trafficking fake-out. She wasn’t even privy to the worst bit of news: Roy Till has joined Team Celia, thanks to a border photo of Nancy and Guillermo. So much for a fresh start.
Remember how I said that last week’s episode made me a little squeamish? That goes double for this week’s chapter. There were bodily fluids all over the place, and the sound effects only made things worse. Bubbie’s death wish guaranteed that even more of that subject matter is in our immediate future. I hope that next week’s episode isn’t as Bubbie-centric as the preview implied. There are so many other storylines I’d like to see more of–Shane and Silas exploring their new hometown, Andy and Lenny’s relationship, and Nancy’s new career path. Why is the vegetable humor necessary? When Shane got stuck with Bubbie duty, the first thought I had was “Isn’t his character dark enough without this situation?” The same goes for Weeds in general. Bubbie’s journey into the afterlife isn’t working for me so far.

tvsquad.com