Weeds Session: The Season Five Finale Ends With A Splash! But What Will The Repercussions Be?
Have you recovered from the shocking last scene of Weeds' season finale yet? In what appeared to us to be a grisly hat tip to Heathers, the show's entire family/criminal dynamic changed in a flash. It was a series-altering event that positions a certain character front-and-center for the sixth season. After the jump, we'll discuss the spoiler, thus concluding the last installment of our Weeds Sessions for the year. Let us know what you think in the comments. Moreover, what is your opinion on the character's action: justified, sick, or both?
The Good Son
The entire season has arguably been leading up to Shane Botwin (Alexander Gould) committing a horrific act of ultra-violence; an eerie and sudden manifestation of family strife, underworld home schooling, and growing psychological eccentricity. As the ever-nasty Pilar and an ever-desperate Nancy have a spit-spat poolside, trading death threats like beauty tips, a croquet mallet appears and whacks Esteban's puta-boss in the cranium. She falls into the swimming pool and takes a trip into the greater waters.
After a few seconds of WTF (and relief, no doubt), Nancy turns to see Shane standing silently—at your service, madam—with a tiny smirk on his face. The fact that Shane acted out in order to protect his mom, Silas, and himself (Pilar threatened to kill the Brothers Botwin), is as dandy a realization as he was dressed. But the murder leaves a lot of creepy dissonance. Shane clearly took pleasure in the murder, and did the deed with all the casualness of an actual croquet bout. We're left watching on stun, overcome with the notion that Shane is not only desensitized but possesses a vampire-like interest in the justified blood of bad guys/girls. It doesn't help that he looks uncannily like an older Damien in The Omen (more so than ever, natch).
The act of violence was preceded by a preemptive one in which Shane placed a knife to the throat of a preppy predator/friend of his step-sister Adelita—who, we find out, is a complete H-head, numb in and out. How hilarious was it watching Silas express respect and pride for his little, far scrawnier brother in that scene? To contrast, Nancy's reaction was one forth as impressed; but one also gets the feeling that after so many men have let her down—a recurring theme in the finale—the unlikeliest man finally stepped up to the plate.
What happens now? There's a political party going on mere feet away. Sure, Esteban can call "a cleaner" (and a pool cleaner), but Pilar had more connections and power than he does. It's quite a stretch to think he'll choose the fucked-up Botwin familia over his career, country, and reputation. Note: While no hints were given, surely it's possible that there was a witness or two. Weeds is fond of twists like that.
I've noticed that many fans hope that the murder allows the Botwins to get the hell out of dodge and return to their former suburban problems. But it's not so clean-cut. Guillermo, we come to find out—rather sloppily in my opinion—was a paid henchman for Pilar and ratted out Nancy as payback for vice versa (rather than assassinate Pilar per Nancy's agreement). The main question is this: Does Pilar's termination make life easier or harder for the Botwins? Let us know in the comments.
Andy, You GoonieLeave it to Andy to become a double sell-out in the same ep. He sells his prized General Lee for a TV-addled mini-van (?) to impress Audra. Yuck. Not only that, but he proposes to her in a manner that recalls shitty mom-comedies: attaching the engagement ring to the rear view mirror as he shows her the van's underwhelming bells and whistles. His proposal is a flop twice-over as well: Silas calls his cell at the "I do" moment for his advice on Adelita's overdose.
At first, Audra appears hesistant but she's essentially down to marry Andy the Scrub—a confusing reversal of her level-headed standards earlier in the season. However, she's forced to wise up by the end of the episode. Floating like love birds, Audra and Andy suddently encounter the creepy abortion protester cooped up and awaiting her return with a cross-bow. Andy doesn't need a second thought. He's gone, leaving Audra to receive a new arrow next to the one cupid injected. Boring.
Regulators, Mount UpHarkening back to the street-team days of ole', Celia forms a new drug outfit, promoting her daughter, Isabelle, to be "the brains," along with her ex-husband Dean, the ever-shaggy Doug, and the surprise return of Sanjay (Maulik Pancholy). We're not sure what to make of Celia becoming a tackier (but better organized?) Xerox of Nancy, down to her hair color and ill-fitting MILF-wannabe dress. More agreeable is seeing the Russian doll-like effect that Nancy's weed dealing has had, resulting in a string of operations that will surely continue after this one fizzles or explodes, perhaps for a generation or two.Past /Film Weeds Sessions for S5 in Chronological Order: One Two Three Four FiveHunter Stephenson can be reached at h.attila[at]gmail.com and on twitter at www.twitter.com/hunterstep.