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Weeds - Season Three
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Lions Gate Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (16th July 2008). |
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The Show
 As the opening show started, with a 'previously on...' montage, I was completely lost. All I know is that the season two finale must have been incredible. After a few episodes, I got used to the fast pace and manic style. The show never slows down, and there are always 3 or 4 different stories going on at the same time. It's a very interesting watch and never gets boring. The writing and acting probably also helps with the not boring part. The show centers around Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) and her family, sons Silas (Hunter Parrish) and Shane (Alexander Gould), and moocher brother Andy (Justin Kirk). She lives in a planned community, Agrestic, and since the death of her husband, she deals weed to support her family. In her world is her friend Conrad (Romany Malco), her slimy lawyer/business partner Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon), scheming Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins) and a few others. There are so many characters that come and go, it would be too long to write down every actor that appears in this season. Mention has to go to Matthew Modine and Mary-Kate Olsen, who have lengthy guests spots in this season, as memebers of Agrestic's rival city, Majestic. This season, the overriding plot is about the ever-changing business structure of Nancy's business. The writing pulls every character in various situations, which makes the season highly unpredictable. For example, Andy, in this season, is in the military, somehow becomes a caterer and ends up becoming a fetish porn star. It sounds strange, and watching the show, it's not too sure how these things happen, but the logic is pretty strong. This just helps populate the world with unique situations and characters. Special props has to go to Mary-Louise Parker, who has won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her portrayal of Nancy Botwin (and her perpetual Starbucks frozen mocha café cup). Her character is quite interesting. In this season, she has no control over the situation she's in. She tries to keep things the way she wants them, but things just happen to her left and right, and seeing her react with a sort of learned helplessness is very interesting. She gets thrust through various unbelievable situations, but is always attentive and always has a snarky (yet funny) remark to say. It's a tough line to stradle. It can easily seem stilted, or it campy, but thanks to the great writing and great acting skill, she pulls it off perfectly. On the other hand, she's in complete control of her personal life. Her family may not be perfect, but she can handle them. She can find sex from the various men in her life with no problems. The problem comes when these two worlds collide. This is a testament to the skill of the writers. All the different plot lines crisscross and intersect in unusual ways, but they never seem forced or contrived. The quirky dialogue and odd situations allow for a lot of flexibility, but always stay within the realm of possibility. Not only is this original, it's also very funny. As an example, this is a typical interplay. Sanjay, who has just realised he's gay, talks to Silas, who comes in with Jesus-loving Tara (Mary-Kate Olsen). Sanjay speaks first, and Tara answers: 'Hey, Silas. I'm gay.' 'Oh, you can get help for that.' 'I know. This guy Stewart's been really helping me. Stewart's the best.' This is a pretty subtle joke, but it's really funny. 'The Two Mrs. Scottsons' also has a terrific back-and-forth between Kevin Nealon and Mary-Louis Parker that's too long to be written down here, but it's very sharp and very funny. Another scene that really made me laugh was seeing Mary Louis Parker boxing with U-Turn (Page Kennedy)'s thug in 'Grasshopper' (which, incidentally, is one of the better episodes of the season, though the entire season is just great). The writing also never gets too serious, and whenever something dramatic occurs, the light tone is always helped out with some sort of funny one-liner. I haven't seen writing like this in a long time. This is the first show I've reviewed where I decided to get the earlier seasons. The show has terrific acting and great writing. The characters are quirky, but realistic and sympathetic. The writing is witty, and sharp and makes you want to come back again. It's a great season for a great show. There may be a lot going on, and everything is a blur, but there's always a line here and there that puts everything into perspective. So, if you ever forget your way, just remember this: 'Thug means never having to say you're sorry.' Here is a breakdown of the season by disc. disc 1: 1. Doing the Backstroke (27:48) Nancy starts out in an unpleasant situation, and it doesn't get better for her. The episode basically focuses on Nancy finding her weed. Doug and Dean deal with their problem in their own way. 2. A Pool and His Money (28:01) (w/ trivia track) Nancy has to deal with the ending of the last episode, and ends up in the police station, getting her two sons. 3. The Brick Dance (28:09) (w/ trivia track) Under new orders, Nancy has to go dance for somebody to get something. Carrie Fisher guest stars. 4. Sh*t Highway (27:21) Nancy searches for a job, and ends up working for the head of the Majestic City planner. Doug Wilson, much to Celia's dismay, becomes part of Agrestic's board of members, contemplating a proposal by Majestic. Matthew Modine guest stars for the rest of the season. 5. Bill Sussman (26:22) Andy becomes slightly on the paranoid side because of what happened last episode. Silas gets his wish. Doug and Celia battle over Agrestic's future. Andy talks to the military. 6. Grasshopper (26:14) Doug settles things his own way, and U-Turn has special plans for Nancy. Meanwhile, Nancy has to prepare for a big, important party. Really unexpected ending here. Mary-Kate Olsen guest stars for the rest of the season. This is one of the better episodes in the season. 7. He Taught Me How to Drive-By (25:20) (w/ trivia track) The aftermath of 'Grasshopper' comes out now. Andy's cooking gets him in trouble and Shane seems to fall in love. Nancy finishes the episode happy in more than one way. 8. The Two Mrs. Scottsons (27:20) The ghost of Nancy's ex rears its head here, and keeps going for a few episodes. Nancy decides on a new business plan, and Shane and Celia's daughter Isabel (Allie Grant) have fun. A lot of old stories come back in this episode, so there's a lot I missed. Nancy begins spying on somebody. disc 2: 9. Release the Hounds (25:31) Nancy makes a new friend. She also tries to expand her business. Celia's husband Dean gets into an accident. 10. Roy Till Called (25:51) (w/ trivia track) There's a fun twist in Nancy's life now regarding her ex. She also has to deal with her new friend, while Doug is being investigated. 11. Cankles (25:02) (w/ trivia track) Nancy's ex's past comes back again, and secrets come out. (Well, more secrets.) Nancy's secrets are in danger, as well. Celia finds out certain things. 12. The Dark Time (24:02) (w/ trivia track) Nancy has to rethink her business plan, and talks to Celia. Andy gets in with a different crowd while trying to get a date. 13. Risk (24:16) (w/ trivia track) The situation at hand forces Nancy to buy from another supplier, which suits Andy just fine. There are not one, but two pretty nasty twists in the last minute of the episode. 14. Protection (24:31) Celia decides to take her money to Doug, to help her out. Meanwhile, the Botwins have to deal with last episode’s ending. The motion for last episode is started. 15. Go (26:46) The series ends on an introspective note, as Guillermo (Guillermo Diaz) helps Nancy figure out what she wants. Oddly enough, this is a very poetic way to end the season.
Video
1.78:1 widescreen, using the MPEG4/AVC codec. The picture is generally very strong but I had problems with the skin tones of the movie. They're nice enough most of the time but on occasion seem too pale in some shots and too red in others. In any case, the rest of the colours are very accurate, and show nice contrast. The palette often has a greenish-yellow haze, especially in the outside shots, and the transfer is quite accurate for these hues. The show was shot on high-def video, and the show has that look. Bright are sometimes blown-out, but dark scenes are pretty good. There are no flaws whatsoever with the print, and the transfer never shows any compression artifacts or haloing. As I said, it's a very strong transfer.
Audio
The only audio track for the season is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. For such a show, this is somewhat overkill, as the mixing is pretty much stereo. The side and rear speakers almost never get used, though once in a while you'll hear something coming from these speakers. Mostly, the front speakers are used, and are used to nice effect. The soundstage might be a bit narrow, but the show is usually very simple. The dialogue is always audible and understandable. The volume levels are good enough, though probably could be a bit getter. However, it's a good track, especially for a show like this. English and Spanish subtitles are here.
Extras
Lionsgate loaded this set full of extras, so let's get to it. Spread across both discs are seven trivia tracks in the epsiodes listed above. They actually are trivia tracks, listing information about funeral services, actors, drugs and whatever else might be in the particular scene at the time of the pop up. They're pretty informative. In addition, there are eight audio commentaries: on "Doing the Backstroke" with creator Jenji Kohan, "Sh*t Highway" with supervising producer Mark Burley, on "Bill Sussman" with actor Justin Kirk, on "Grasshopper' with actors Hunter Parrish and Alexander Gould, on "The Two Mrs. Scottsons" with episode director Craig Zisk and series cinematographer Michael Trim, on "Release the Hounds" with epsiode director Ernest Dickerson, on "Protection" with episode writer Roberto Benabib and on "Go" with, again, creator Jenji Kohan. The tracks are very nice and offer up good information about the particular episodes. As is espected, the actors stick to behind-the-scenes talk, joking about what went on during the shooting, while the crew talk about more technical stuff. They may seem a bit dry overall, but they give out good information to those who want to listen to them. On disc 1, there are some Little Boxes Montage. This shows four bands doing the cover for 'Little Boxes', the show's title sequence. The songs are a minute each, and Kinky (0:57), The Individuals (0:54), Man Man (0:59) and Persephone's Bees (0:57) are the bands. Complementing these are Enjoy Sample Tracks from the Weeds Soundtrack, in which you have 11 tracks from the soundtracks, including Elvis Costello's version of 'Little Boxes'. These are only clips, mind you, and not the full songs themselves. Each clip is roughly 30 seconds or so. Finishing off the musical theme is Little Boxes – Randy Newman (2:37). This is a promo spot in the guise of a featurette, but it has some good stuff to show. It explains the origin of the song, and the creator comes in and talks about how she got all the covers for the show's opening theme. A Mary-Kate Olsen Bio (2:47) finishes off the disc. This is, again, another promo piece, but talks about Miss Olsen and her career. Miss Olsen talks about herself her character. It's a nice piece, but a bit fluffy. On disc 2, in the featurettes department, is "Uncle AWOL" (7:00). It's all about Andy's journey through the first three seasons. As Justin Kirk explains what happens to his character, with the help of his 'assistants', you see clips of his trials and tribulations. It's a fun journey, and it makes me want to see the other seasons that much more. Next you have some hilarious promo pieces. GMA – Good Morning Agrestic is a fun idea for promos. All of the promo stuff on this set is pretty funny and goes to show how creative the marketers were for this show. This fakes a community access show, and has some very funny gags. What's also nice to see is the participation of the main cast of the show (though, sadly, not Mrs. Parker). There are 6 segments here to watch: 'Wake & Bake' (5:31), 'School Safety' (6:11), 'Too Soon to Be Gay' (5:13), 'Wake & Bake 2' (4:22), 'Our Borders' (6:12) and 'Majestic: Gates of Hell' (5:33). Each of these segments has some pretty funny jokes. The Disc Production Credits are also there to thank the people that worked on this terrific set. There's one High-Definition Exclusive extras. It's the Kusk Kush and Away game. This is a BD-Java game and it's pretty funny. It's kind of like Pac-Man, and you're Nancy, avoiding policemen. It's a bit silly, and gets old, but it's nice to play once.
Overall
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