It’s no secret that Weeds is an extremely polarizing show. The premise – that of a pot-dealing suburban mom – was quite controversial when the show premiered back in 2005. And while the series did last for eight wacky seasons, you’d be hard pressed to find anybody who doesn’t think the show overstayed its welcome and eventually became a carricuture of its former self. The first couple of seasons sets in Agrestic were undoubtedly magnificent, but after the show lost its suburban setting, it began to reset itself on a yearly basis to varying degrees of success. I personally never stopped liking the show, but I definitely lost the intense love I once had for it over the years. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this season and was eager to see if Jenji Kohan (the show’s creator) could craft a suitable and satisfying ending for a show that had become staple of my TV viewing.
First off, the finale’s time-jump really took me by surprise. While I loved all the little technological touches interspersed throughout (and Nancy’s marihuana cafe empire), it felt like a cop-out. Who wasn’t dying to see the fallout from the disturbing Nancy-Andy sex scene that ended the penultimate episode? I get that it’s easier to provide closure when you shift everything in this manner, but it still felt like lazy writing to me. Moreover, many of the changes felt jarring and unearned. Nancy got married to the Rabbi who drove off a cliff? Shane is a mess again? Doug is a cult leader now? Nevertheless, I was at least amused by his trying to reconnect with his gay son (as random a storyline as that was). Also, where the hell was Celia? Not even a mention? Even Isabel got a throwaway line! Unacceptable.
I’ve said this a lot and I’ll say it again: a series finale can suck, but if it can pull off that one perfect final scene then I tend to forgive the atrocities that preceded it. The final scene of Weeds was not perfect, but it came pretty close. The sequence is actually incredible in its simplicity: Nancy takes a seat out on the snowing porch and is slowly joined by Doug, Silas, Shane, and Andy – the show’s core characters – as they all share one final joint together and Nancy finds some sort of inner peace. It’s a beautiful sequence to be sure and Mary Louise Parker looks absolutely gorgeous in it. However, it’s not totally epic because I’m still unsure what I’m supposed to take care from it and how I feel about Nancy’s arc and journey as a whole. Did she finally achieve redemption? Did she even want to? Does she know what she wants to do next? Was Jenji Kohan purposely aiming for an ambiguous ending or was her message not delivered clearly enough? I read a line online that stuck with me and perhaps it encompasses the final scene best: She may be alone, but she certainly isn’t lonely.
And maybe that’s the message we’re supposed to take when all is said and done.
I should mention however that over the course of eight seasons, Mary Louise Parker proved to be a truly outstanding talent who managed to keep the show afloat through its darkest periods with her stunning performances. I truly can not praise the woman enough. She’s beyond phenomenal.
Conclusion
While it had a touching final scene, the Weeds finale was unfortunately a highly disappointing hour.
Nad Rating
D+