cannabisnews.com: Find a Way To Watch Showtime's 'Weeds'





Find a Way To Watch Showtime's 'Weeds'
Posted by CN Staff on August 14, 2006 at 07:30:54 PT
By Charlie McCollum, Mercury News
Source: San Jose Mercury News
California -- On the surface, Showtime's ``Weeds'' is an artfully conceived and delivered comedy with a funny premise -- widowed soccer mom deals drugs to her suburban friends. For most series, that level of achievement would be enough. But ``Weeds'' has something more on its mind.In its second season, which begins tonight at 10, the show really begins to dig into emotional and social issues, from single motherhood and suburban morality to parenting in the modern world and the culture wars. In its first, very good season, it only scratched the surface of such things. There's a depth, a richness to the series now that was only suggested then.
For those coming in late -- and given the relatively small viewership for ``Weeds,'' that would be a lot of people -- here's a quick recap:Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) was living the good if not exactly exciting suburban life in the enclave of Agrestic, California. She had a loving husband, two young sons and a flashy Range Rover.Then her husband died -- and Nancy discovered that hubby had left the family penniless. So what's a woman to do to keep up appearances? Well, Nancy turned to dealing the evil weed (well, not so evil; she kept up the quality control) with a close-knit, loving African-American family headed by Heylia James (Tonye Patano) and her nephew Conrad (Romany Malco) acting as her wholesalers.Swirling around the edges of this new world order were Nancy's best friend, the sarcastic and sometimes self-absorbed Celia Hodes (Emmy nominee Elizabeth Perkins); Nancy's accountant, city councilman and weed aficionado Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon); and her oversexed slacker brother-in-law Andy, played with relish by Justin Kirk (Prior Walter in HBO's ``Angels in America'').At the end of last season, Nancy's world was undergoing even more cosmic shifts. She'd decided to go into the business of growing pot with Conrad, Doug and Andy as part of her organization. Her housekeeper had discovered her real ``occupation'' and was starting to blackmail her. Her oldest son was sleeping with his older girlfriend and dissing his mother at every point. Andy was running some scam involving rabbinical school.And, oh, Nancy finally got a hot date with a guy she likes -- Peter Scottson (the always fine Martin Donovan) -- and then discovered he's a DEA agent. Oops.That's where we pick up in tonight's Season 2 opener. Much of the half-hour (the show does more within that time limit than most dramas do in a hour) involves Nancy trying to get things back on track.What's definitely on track is the series' fine writing and sharp observational humor, much of it from show creator Jenji Kohan. ``Weeds'' never has gone for easy laughs -- it sets up cliches of the stoner world, only to knock them down -- and it's even richer in this season's first few episodes. It also artfully dodges some of the smugness that surfaced last year in its depictions of suburban hypocrisy.The real strength of the series remains one of TV's very best casts, led by the luminous Parker, who should be an Emmy nominee (heck, an Emmy winner) but is part of this year's prestigious group known as The Notable Omissions. Some people find her style of acting affected, but Parker is superb as a woman trying desperately to juggle being a high-powered entrepreneur, a good mother and someone with a reasonably happy personal life. She does more with her eyes and small gestures than most actors do with pages of dialogue.Perkins, Nealon (who may never get a part this good or this funny again) and Donovan provide just the right touches around Parker's performance. And Kirk seems even more comfortable with his role than he did last year. His rambling riff on masturbation in an upcoming episode may be the single funniest thing the series has done.I know that recommending a series on Showtime, a premium cable channel that lags way behind HBO in subscriptions, can be a bit frustrating for readers who don't want to pay the extra money. (Alternative: The show's first season is now available on DVD.)But ``Weeds'' is terrific television: smart, funny, engaging and insightful. If you don't subscribe to Showtime, try to find a way to see ``Weeds.''Complete Title: For Smart Comedy, Find a Way To Watch Showtime's 'Weeds'Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)Author: Charlie McCollum, Mercury NewsPublished: August 14, 2006Copyright: 2006 San Jose Mercury NewsContact: letters sjmercury.comWebsite: http://www.sjmercury.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:Showtime's Weedshttp://www.sho.com/site/weeds/Weeds Musichttp://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music.doWeeds on MySpace.comhttp://www.myspace.com/weedsonshowtimeWild Doings in Gated Americahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22065.shtmlSprouting 'Weeds' - Chicago Tribunehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22064.shtml
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Comment #20 posted by whig on August 16, 2006 at 21:04:50 PT
unkat27
Count on it that you don't have absolute privacy, but you have relative privacy depending on what you prefer to do. I figure anything I want to put up on the web is relatively public compared to something I want to send in an e-mail, and larger e-mail service providers handle too much volume to care about you unless someone is looking specifically for your communications. The main thing I guess is not to say anything you don't want anyone to hear.In the long run you don't have privacy because God knows everything you do or think, and remembers.
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Comment #19 posted by unkat27 on August 16, 2006 at 19:32:34 PT
Whig
""If you can create an email account with any free online service you can register for a free wordpress account with that and protect your identity.""Thanks. I'll look into it. But methinks that no one is really 100 percent secure from the scrutinizing eyes of big brother or the new fatherland. 
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Comment #18 posted by Dankhank on August 16, 2006 at 12:31:26 PT
Blockbuster ...
likely will carry it ...sorry you are so constrained ...the package I meant to send resembles those AOL cd emvelopes that showed up everywhere for years .. but nevermind ... good luck at Blockbuster ...
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Comment #17 posted by whig on August 16, 2006 at 12:30:02 PT
unkat27
I just wanted to point out that if you are having to conceal yourself because of your website you are welcome to be part of the Cannablog. If you can create an email account with any free online service you can register for a free wordpress account with that and protect your identity.Cannablog URL is: http://cannablog.wordpress.com/Wordpress URL is: http://www.wordpress.com/
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Comment #16 posted by unkat27 on August 16, 2006 at 10:46:29 PT
Whig
I had a local UPS box a couple of years ago and had to quit it because it was just too expensive. My financial situation sucks, its too tight, I'm in credit debt for the com, and I'm lucky to have a single buck at the end of each month. No $$ for any extras. As for living anywhere else, same problem. Most of the best places for people who like cannabis tend to be high rent, unless you want to share something small with a friend. My situation is complicated by many problems, including physical and mental health. The only nice thing about the place I live now is it is cheap and includes a kitchen and bathroom, and its all mine.
As long as I mind my own business and don't advertize to my neighbors, I'm relatively secure. But I do have my long-range sites fixed on Canada or California. Nice dreams.
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Comment #15 posted by whig on August 15, 2006 at 11:54:41 PT
unkat27
I don't know what your situation is but it sounds unpleasant. If you are a prisoner in your own home it isn't very good. I remember when my hip had not yet been operated on and my mobility was severely limited. I could not walk a block without it being a major ordeal.Could you get a mailbox at a UPS store or some place like that? I'm just asking generally because I know sometimes you want to be able to get something sent to you and you don't expect to be home when it arrives or you don't want to give out your home address for some reason.
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Comment #14 posted by unkat27 on August 15, 2006 at 09:26:36 PT
Dankhank
Thanks very much for the most generous offer, but I'm sorry to say I can't have packages delivered to my home address and I don't have any other right now. Home deliveries are very complicated. The box is too small, only good for small envelopes, and any delivery made to the door is risky business for me, because it invites the local pigs to surprise me if they want to. i don't want to go into details on this, it is a complicated situation. I have to avoid random visitors.I also cannot risk posting or emailing my home-address because domestic spies could find out exactly who is behind my website. I'm keeping a lid on that for security reasons.Does blockbuster carry "Weeds"? I dunno. It's closer to the big city so I think the chances are better that it does. I'll check next time I'm down that way.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on August 14, 2006 at 14:16:28 PT
DankHank
Oops I missed it. Happy 4:20 to you.
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Comment #12 posted by Dankhank on August 14, 2006 at 14:14:23 PT
it's now in Central Zone
4:20
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on August 14, 2006 at 13:01:36 PT
Dankhank
If you have an extra I would like one. I don't want to take it away from anyone though so please put me at the bottom of the list.
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Comment #10 posted by Dankhank on August 14, 2006 at 12:59:03 PT
Weeds
I'm sorry that lemonboy didn't like them, but a buddy of mine is the same way ... just not his cup o' tea ...I want EVERYONE to get a crack at them so I will do what I can ...They're burned, soon to be packaged and waiting an address ...peace to all who seek to learn ...
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on August 14, 2006 at 12:08:52 PT
Dankhank
Bless Your Heart. Unkat will really enjoy that. How kind. You made me smile.
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Comment #8 posted by Dankhank on August 14, 2006 at 11:54:29 PT:
Weeds ...
My DVD burner crapped out and is in the mail to be replaced, so I am unable to burn shows on a DVD to view in the standard home entertainment player. I happen to have all of the shows on my computer from season 1, and can burn them to a CD or three ... they play beautifully on my Duron 933MHz machine, are of excellent quality and available to a select few here if they contact me and provide a snailmail address ...I can get three shows per disc, so it will take 4 discs and I will add a surprise video on the fourth one ...Unkat27, you get first crack.let me know ... 
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Comment #7 posted by ekim on August 14, 2006 at 11:14:42 PT
leap dvd says it all
in the dvd it has a graph of how many people of color were imprisioned during the hight of south africa aparteid
something like 800 per 100k and here in usa it is over 4000. per 100k to see a police cheif say that and feel the quivering in his voice makes one very uneasy.
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 14, 2006 at 11:07:37 PT
 unkat27 
Another idea. I don't know how to download movies on the Internet but it is available somewhere if you know how to do it.
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Comment #5 posted by unkat27 on August 14, 2006 at 10:41:29 PT
FoM, Whig
I have a DVD player included with my com (it plays CDs and DVDs), but I'm not so sure that the local video-rentals carry "Weeds", as they are predominantly very conservative suburban family-types that have bought into the BS drug war propaganda. I will look into it though. Thanks."...but the poor are therefore treated as children." - WhigYes, thanks for that. I've been realizing that in my solitary island by myself for some time. It's good to know others can see it that way as well.I've reached a consciousness that I often repeat with the phrase, "The US government thinks of itself as the parents of the American poor and treats them like foolish children that need to be constantly disciplined."Tough love, imo, is not only overly rough, it is also sadistic. These American parents are sadistic, they like to wield the whip. It's extremely humiliating to be their whipping post. 40+ years of it is too much for anyone.
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Comment #4 posted by whig on August 14, 2006 at 10:10:30 PT
unkat27
The poorest are the most held down, because they are the most threat to the elites. If you are wealthy you are not dissatisfied enough to rebel, but if you are poor and you know the truth you have no comfort to fall back on. So the free over the air broadcasts are the most controlled -- for the sake of the children, of course, but the poor are therefore treated as children.But there is internet, and here is a way to communicate and bypass the filters. If you can afford to connect, then you can both hear the truth and speak, you can express yourself for all the world and even the wealthy elites themselves to hear. This is your free press.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 14, 2006 at 10:09:49 PT
unkat27
Do you have a DVD Player? You can rent the whole first season of Weeds if you do. 
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Comment #2 posted by unkat27 on August 14, 2006 at 09:54:35 PT
What's Weeds? -- from below ther poverty-line
Not only do i not get Showtime, I don't even get Cable-tv right now. You see, I'm below the poverty-line and simply cannot afford those luxuries.It makes me think. How many other lower-class Americans below the povery-line cannot afford cable-tv extras such as Showtime and fail to be in any way enlightened or amused by "Weeds" and furthermore, how many are dumbed-down by the DEA and "Drug-Free America's" constant unending public barrage of BS propaganda?I wonder if Weeds should make an extra effort to reach these people, or am i just day-dreaming? I've heard so much about it, but I have yet to see it and make my own value judgment.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 14, 2006 at 07:42:35 PT
Pictures from Above Article
http://www.mercurynews.com/images/mercurynews/mercurynews/15266/233055762248.jpg
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