Start watching Weeds. ‘Kay?

Posted by Dan September 11th, 2007 at 12:38pm In Weeds

Here at TiFaux, there are a ton of shows we don’t watch that most likely deserve coverage. I’ve heard really good things about The Closer, Nip/Tuck, etc. Frankly, though, we’re only human and we do go outside fairly often to drink at bars, go to concerts, play with baby nieces and feed ducks in the park. We don’t have the time and/or resources to cover every show people might want us to. We also work for a living. Once blogging for TiFaux starts giving me dental benefits, I might start watching Rescue Me. But I think we’re doing okay for now.

One show that I’ve always heard great things about is Weeds. I recently sat down with some friends and watched the first half of season one in one fell swoop. And then stole their copy of the first season and took it home.

Guys, this show is really good.

Here’s the setup: Mary Louse Parker is a suburban housewife named Nancy whose husband recently dropped dead (the husband, by the way, is played in flashbacks/still photographs by Jefferey Dean Morgan — he’s apparently found his niche in warm, bestubbled dead husbands). She’s got two sons (a pain-in-the-ass adolescent and a hilariously warped ten(ish)-year-old), an enormous house and a maid to support, so she supplements her income by becoming a pot dealer.

Parker has a strange, powerful presence on the show as the mother lion. She’s got shifty, highly-caffeinated eyes (she’s almost always finishing up some sort of frappucino-type beverage [or nursing a glass of wine]) and otherworldly, near-translucent skin. You feel sorry for her a lot because she’s constantly dealing with her messed-up kids and ne’er-do-well co-horts, but then, every once in a while, she’ll do something so fucked up that you realize she’s not the kind of person you feel sorry for.

The cast is fleshed out by Conrad (Romany Malco), the handsome black pot distributor that she is obviously going to get together with in the end and her good-for-nothing brother-in-law (Justin Kirk) who lives in her house (and resembles the bastard lovechild of Oprah design guru Nate Berkus and actor/pianoman Harry Connick, Jr.).

Elizabeth Perkins is a highlight as Nancy’s half-best-friend/half-worst-enemy Celia, who spends her time berating her sheepish husband and zaftig daughterIsabelle. It’s a role that could easily be a tired caricature (the snippy and high-maintenance head of the PTA), but Perkins pumps extra ice water into Celia’s veins to boost her already sharp dialogue.

Kevin Nealon is also on the show. When I first heard about this, I had severe reservations, as I have never really hailed Nealon one of the stronger SNL alums. However, he is perfectly cast as the douche baggy city councilman of the moneyed enclave of Agrestic.

As of now, I’ve only watched a few episodes of the second season, but it’s already heating up. And everyone keeps saying that the season finale is a mind-blower. (If any of you have seen it, do not tell me what happens. I swear I will fucking cut you.)