So last night was Sunday again, and at the end of by busy day, I grab a Coke, put my feet up and laugh my head off. There are 2 shows that have comeback to thrill me on Sundays. Weeds is my first love. It is last Season for Weeds, the quirky comedy about housewife Nancy Botwin (Mary Louise Parker), the pot dealer from Agrestic, California. Joining her in the duo for Showtime is the second season of Episodes. I love Showtime, they my favorite channel with NC17 shows. These are the two premier features right now.
Weeds a is wonderful darkish comedy about Nancy Botwin California suburbanite, after her husband Judah Botwin drops dead from a heart attack. She is left with no skills, no money, and has to care for her two sons, Shane(Alexander Gould) and Silas(Hunter Parrish). Her brother-in-law Andy Botwin (Justin Kirk) moves into "help" her care for her family, but really is a 3rd kid. Nancy takes to selling pot to generate income. The show has a phenomenal beginning cast with shady accountant Doug Wilson(Kevin Nealon), and difficult to be around friend Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins). Doug is one of Nancy's best customers and one of Agrestic's movers and shakers. Celia is focused on what people think about her, she is an uptight, manipulative suburban housewife and is married to Dean(Andy Milder). She has a plump, lesbian daughter Quinn(Haley Hudson) that gives her plenty to complain about and helps create some great Chaos. In the first few years Nancy has sex with a drug dealer who is her competition in Agrestic. So clearly she has a knack for creating enemies. This includes her supplier, Haylia (Tonye Patano). Haylia turns on her when Nancy sleeps with her son Conrad (Romany Malco) and then goes into business with him growing pot in a house, cutting Haylia out of the her business. Nancy loses everything again, burns down the town, kills her FBI boyfriend and flees to the coast.That is just in the first couple of years.
Nancy then marries the Mexican equivalent of Tony Soprano, Esteban Reyes (Demian Bichir),and has his baby. During this period adolescent Shane has not coped well, he has become well, antisocial. Which is evidenced when he murders Estaban's sister, Pilar (Kate Del Castillo). In Shane's defense, he believes he is protecting his mother. Silas the older teen/young adult develops a love/hate relationship with Nancy that lasts until really this year. Andy is secretly is in love with Nancy and is generally a slacker. He eventually sleeps with Nancy's sister Jill(Jennifer Jason Leigh) who really hates Nancy, but has become a regular on the show. Doug reappears at the coast and is now one of the family. After murdering Pilar, the family flees first to Seattle and then cross country. Nancy finally takes the blame for Shane's murder and cops a plea for manslaughter and goes to prison. While she is gone, They boys, Silas, Shane, Andy and Doug, go to Amsterdam. Where they sit up a life for themselves. Baby Stevie Ray Reyes goes to Jill and Jill decides that Stevie Ray is now her baby.
Ok all of that and I have really only glossed over the plot. Nancy gets released from prison, the boys come back (except Stevie Ray) Nancy gets back into the biz. She finally gathers together the whole family, including Jill, Stevie Ray(now played by Ethan and Gavin Kent) and her sister's children. This year starts where the family is celebrating the purchase of a home/compound for all members of the family and Nancy is shot in the head. The one thing I love about Nancy Botwin she has a guardian angel like Arnold Schwarzenegger. No matter what happens, Nancy comes out right side up. So of course after a short coma, she comes back in almost full force. Now though Nancy is redeemed. Oh, she knows she was a pot dealer, but now she gives it to the cancer patients in the hospital for free. This is the final season, so God knows what trouble will be fall the family. Shane is in the police academy and instead of killing Nancy's shooter, he arrests him. It turns out The FBI agents son who blames Nancy for his fathers death and decides to get even. I would go more into detail but frankly you need to watch the show. It reminds me of the old show called Soap, where before each episode they would go through a synopsis of the each characters deeds and misdemeanors. All of this drama in 30 minutes, can you believe that?
If that were not enough, it is followed by Episodes. The new comedy starring Matt LeBlanc (formerly of Friends), As Matt LeBlanc. This is the story that takes two talented, happily married British writers, Sean and Beverly Lincoln(Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig) and thrusts them into the LA scene. Sean and Beverly have a successful British show, and Hollywood wants to turn into an American sitcom. Once in Hollywood the studio changes almost everything about the show and puts it on the air. The Brit writers separate at the end of the first season when Matt LeBlanc sleeps with with Beverly Lincoln. This season he is sleeping with the studio head's blind wife. Matt still likes Sean Lincoln and considers him a friend though Sean can barely stand Matt. I am hoping actually that they put Sean and Beverly together, but I am sure they will not do this until they drag them through every other scenario.
There are other great shows on Sunday, this is my cover for now. Sundays are really fun days on TV. It is the night I finish up early so I can throw on the sweats and become a couch potato. If I feel really guilty I finish the dishes and dust while I watch. Most of the time I just sit.
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