Weeds: Season Six Finale

Weeds. A show once centered around a suburban housewife who sold pot to fellow soccer moms in the aftermath of her husbands death, pushed boundaries on Monday as the show ended its sixth, and probably finest, season to date. A featured player in Showtime’s weeknight lineup, Weeds ended its season with some of the highest ratings the series has ever seen, and with good reason!
    The episode begins precisely where last weeks episode left off. Nancy Botwin, played by the deliciously zany Mary-Louise Parker, has returned to the motel room of the reporter who convinced her to share her 5-year story with him as a way to preserve a record just in case her luck were to run out in the near future. As she arrives at the dingy room, however, she is greeted not by the reporter, but rather by estranged Estaban and Guierrmo, both of whom appear angry yet oddly reserved considering the circumstances surrounding Pilar’s murder in the closing of season five. Having been on the run for upwards of four months, one would expect more emotion from all parties involved in the reunion. This finally happens as Nancy cracks one final joke before a gas-soaked rag renders her unconscious.
    After being stowed in the trunk of a Mexican mob car, Nancy realizes that the road to Denmark may no longer be an option. With both Silas and Shane awaiting her next set of directions, Nancy’s ability to ruin everyone’s plans proves true yet again, and further continues a cycle which has been seen in every season finale thus far. From isolating the boys at the end of season one, burning the family’s “McMansion” in hopes of starting over at the end of season three, or even escaping to Mexico at the climax of season four, Nancy Botwin’s role as “the bad mother” appears to be set in stone, while her internal struggles as she realizes that she’s ruined her children’s lives resinate well with the audience. We root for Nancy Botwin, secondary only to the judgement we place on her during each episode. While resourceful and scrappy to a flaw, one could observe that Nancy Botwin continues to dig her own grave in this episode. Rather than fixing the larger problem at hand, Nancy continues to think short-term, making her solutions only temporary. Alas, the stage has been set for season 7!
    With a climax occurring at a busy airport amidst TSA personnel, the finale of season six is sure to keep you invested in the plot. Some of the best moments of the episode are found when Nancy deals with TSA officials after having just been kidnapped. While she speaks to the officers, the overwhelming desire to signal for help is seen over and over again. Nancy Botwin is just a sentence away from her freedom; a thought which will leave you yelling at your TV set things like, “Signal for help!” and “Oh my God, what are you doing?!”.
    On an ending note, this season successfully broke the impression that the series was doomed after the departure of Celia Hodes, played by the America’s stepchild Elizabeth Perkins. While lacking a secondary female lead, the season played out both balanced and purposeful.
    Season seven of Weeds is set to air this summer on Showtime, with some 13 episodes having been ordered already.