Monday's episode of Weeds on Showtime was very appealing. Indeed, Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin was never more appealing, and it was not just because of the dance she did on the table for the Mexican drug dealers. Actually, it was because of that dance, and she did look very appealing doing it, but there was something else about the dance...It typifies everything that Nancy does, to save her family, to survive, in the underlyingly tough world of this comedy series. Selling weed is the flagship of this well, noble, sympathetic effort. Nancy would never have gotten into the business had her husband not died. Nor would she have gone so far with Peter, if not for the need to protect her family, her business, herself.
Which is not to say that she didn't enjoy Peter, maybe even love him, in a way. And she certainly gets a kick of our her business (except when it's almost killing her, which is fairly often). But the prime motive behind this stuff is survival, not pleasure.
And the same applied to the dance on Monday. Nancy wouldn't have done it, couldn't have, if it wasn't in sync with a part of her - if a part of her didn't really cleave to that. But the more important reason that she danced to order was her need to get the brick of heroin, as U-Turn had requested.
In the end, it turned out that Nancy was being gamed - there was no dance that was always required. The drug dealers were taking advantage of her.
And this pertains to the main story of Weeds, too. How much of what Nancy does is really necessary? How much happens because she is being manipulated, gamed? How much because she is a gaming herself?
Amidst the delightful laughs, these questions make Nancy and Weeds not only highly appealing and but even really important.
see also Weeds in Perspective
and reviews of other Season 3 episodes: 1 ... 2 ... 4-5: Prius and Gluteus ... 6. Ray of Hope ... 7. Conrad Rules! ... 12: Nancy and Conrad! ... 13. Shane Pays the Price ... 15. Finale: The Fire and the Clean Slate
The Plot to Save Socrates
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
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