Weeds season 1

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Weeds
Season 1
Weeds S1 DVD.jpg
DVD cover
Starring
No. of episodes10
Release
Original network Showtime
Original releaseAugust 8 (2005-08-08) –
October 10, 2005 (2005-10-10)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of Weeds , an American dark comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan, premiered on August 8, 2005, on the premium cable network Showtime. The principal cast consisted of Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Tonye Patano, Romany Malco, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, and Kevin Nealon. The season had ten episodes, and its initial airing concluded on October 10, 2005. Season one focuses on Nancy Botwin (Parker), a single mother living in the suburban town of Agrestic, who begins dealing marijuana in an effort to maintain her family's upper middle class lifestyle following the death of her husband.

Contents

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"You Can't Miss the Bear" Brian Dannelly Jenji Kohan August 8, 2005 (2005-08-08)
Nancy Botwin is grieving the loss of her husband, Judah. In an effort to support her two sons, Silas and Shane, Nancy has turned to dealing marijuana to her affluent neighbors in the picturesque suburb of Agrestic, CA. She buys her product from Heylia James, who runs a marijuana business in the West Adams district. Nancy sells some of her product to Josh, a fellow dealer. When Nancy discovers that Josh has been dealing to young children, she uses newly found personal information about Josh to stop him. Meanwhile, Shane is being bullied at school; he retaliates by spraying his bully with paint from a squirt gun. Silas and his girlfriend Quinn conspire to have sex. Quinn rebels against her mother, Celia, by recording an affair between her father and a tennis pro; Celia later sees the recording and is forced to deal with her husband's infidelity.
22"Free Goat"Brian DannellyJenji KohanAugust 15, 2005 (2005-08-15)
Unable to deposit her pot money at the bank, Nancy is unable to pay her bills, and she turns to crooked city councilman Doug Wilson; Doug suggests Nancy start a cover business to launder money through. To obtain product on credit, Nancy offers her car and wedding ring to Heylia as collateral. Celia shaves the hair off of Dean's head as retaliation for his affair. Silas confronts Celia, concerned over Quinn's disappearance. Celia tells him that she was sent to a reform school in Mexico, but doesn't tell him that it was punishment for recording Dean's affair. Celia confronts Helen Chin, the woman with whom Dean had an affair, and they have drinks at a local bar. Shane grieves for his father by watching old home videos on his video camera. Nancy later discovers the camera and, overcome with emotion, smashes it to pieces.
33"Good Shit Lollipop" Craig Zisk Roberto Benabib August 22, 2005 (2005-08-22)
After being introduced to the medical cannabis clubs in Los Angeles, Nancy discovers that Heylia has been selling her a low quality product. Heylia's nephew Conrad helps Nancy produce tasty Cannabis edibles, which are successful with Doug's poker group. Celia finds out her overweight daughter Isabelle has been sneaking food, and she replaces Isabelle's secret chocolate stash with laxative chocolates. After Isabelle soils herself at school, she retaliates by stuffing Imodium into Celia's pill box. Silas meets a local deaf girl, Megan, and asks her for a blow job; Megan sprays blue paint across his pants instead. Despite his bad first impression, Megan decides to give Silas a second chance. Shane shoots a neighbor’s cat in its face with a BB gun; Shane's violent behavior worries Nancy.
44"Fashion of the Christ" Burr Steers Jenji KohanAugust 29, 2005 (2005-08-29)
Judah's slacker brother, Andy Botwin, arrives from Alaska. Nancy is not thrilled to see him, telling him "everything you touch turns to shit." Andy recruits Shane to sell T-shirts with a typo (spelling "Chris died for your sins") that offends the religious community; he also engages in a sex chat with Megan using Silas's screenname. Enraged by Andy's behavior, Nancy threatens to throw him out of the house. However, Andy reveals that he had learned of Nancy's drug business through Conrad and asks to join her. Andy also convinces Silas that his chat only encouraged Megan to want Silas more, which prompts Megan and Silas to start an intense physical relationship. Nancy chooses a bakery for her choice of cover business; Doug scouts potential locations for the bakery. After a crate of soda pop crashes into Celia's house, Celia tells Dean that she has breast cancer.
55"Lude Awakening" Lee Rose Devon K. Shepard September 5, 2005 (2005-09-05)
Nancy experiences the dangerous side of dealing when a shootout occurs at Heylia's. Distraught by the shootout, Nancy contemplates leaving the business. Andy meets Doug, and they instantly bond over their love for porn and pot. Andy approaches Nancy about working with her for the sham bakery. When Nancy turns him down, Andy buys an ounce of weed from Heylia to sell in Agrestic; he is caught by a police officer and gets arrested. Silas dumps Megan and then tries to woo her back. Celia reels from her breast cancer diagnosis by giving away lots of clothes and furniture to her housekeeper. Shane writes a rap song about killing a fellow student; Nancy verbally chastises him. Shane has a discussion with Celia about how they both make people uncomfortable. She advises him to "Let your freak flag fly."
66"Dead in the Nethers" Arlene Sanford Michael Platt & Barry SafchikSeptember 12, 2005 (2005-09-12)
Following his arrest, Andy is ordered to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings. After his first meeting, Andy gets high with his female sponsor. Nancy signs Doug's paperwork needed to open the sham bakery. Conrad visits Agrestic to help Nancy set up the bakery. In the process, Conrad meets Celia, who invites him and Nancy to join her at a dance club before she undergoes breast removal surgery. Celia ends up having sex with Conrad. Silas and Megan normalize their relationship. Shane makes a fake terrorist video that shocks Nancy. Nancy's housekeeper Lupita discovers Nancy's cache of marijuana in her closet; she blackmails Nancy into giving her a raise. Nancy mourns Judah's death by watching a tape of them making love.
77"Higher Education" Tucker Gates Shawn ScheppsSeptember 19, 2005 (2005-09-19)
Silas' tutor, Sanjay, confides to Nancy about needing more work. Nancy decides to recruit Sanjay to deal pot as she expands her sales territory into Sanjay's community college, Valley State. Shane makes a new friend at school, and Andy has sex with the friend's mother. Andy wants to stop having sex with her due to her unusually rough antics, but Nancy orders Andy to "keep fucking the biter", as it could jeopardize Shane's one friendship. Celia's obnoxious mother makes life at the Hodes' house difficult until they kick her out. Someone throws a roll of pennies at Nancy's car; Conrad hypothesizes that another dealer is threatening her.
88"The Punishment Light" Robert Berlinger Rolin Jones September 26, 2005 (2005-09-26)
The Botwin family unveils Judah's headstone during a small ceremony. Nancy meets single father, Peter Scottson, after Shane bites the foot of Peter's son during a karate tournament. Nancy and Peter get to know each other at a restaurant, and they share an unexpected kiss. Since Nancy is still coming to terms with Judah's death, they ultimately agree to temporarily part ways. While Nancy is away, Andy and Doug bond by hunting a rodent and trashing Nancy's house. Celia confesses to Dean that she had sex with Conrad, resulting in an argument, which is followed by a round of passionate sex. Alejandro, a rival drug dealer who threw the pennies at Nancy's car, confronts Lupita. After Lupita informs Nancy of the incident, Nancy confronts Alejandro in an alley; they have an unexpected round of sex before she threatens him with a BB gun.
99"The Punishment Lighter" Paul Feig Matthew SalsbergOctober 3, 2005 (2005-10-03)
The sham bakery opens. Unfortunately, a security guard at Valley State who also deals drugs threatens to arrest Nancy, before stealing her $14,000 worth of pot. Nancy confides to Heylia and Conrad. Alejandro offers to professionally partner with Nancy. Silas bonds with Megan's father and begins to spend more time with her family. Nancy considers starting Shane on anti-depressants. Shane steals Silas' cigarette lighter, which is confiscated when he takes it to school. Silas angrily punches Shane for losing the lighter, as the lighter was a gift from Judah. Celia begins chemotherapy and reclaims her leadership position of the PTA. Nancy is surprised when the security guard, having been beat up, returns all of her pot.
1010"The Godmother" Lev L. Spiro Jenji KohanOctober 10, 2005 (2005-10-10)
It is revealed that Conrad and his friends beat up the security guard; Heylia lectures Conrad over the fight and orders him to cut off all contact with Nancy. Silas reveals to Nancy that he knows she deals pot. Andy advises Nancy to inform Shane about her business, as Silas was angry about being lied to, but Nancy ignores his advice. Andy tells Doug that he enlisted into the Army Reserves in Colorado to impress a girl and "forgot" about it; Andy is now being ordered to report or face jail time. Celia shows her disapproval when Isabelle comes out as a lesbian. When Heylia refuses to start growing Conrad's new special strain of marijuana, Conrad approaches Nancy about becoming a grower. Nancy agrees, and the two form a team consisting of Dean, Doug, Alejandro, Sanjay, and Andy to work their operation. Nancy chooses to make time for Peter. After having sex, Nancy discovers that Peter works for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

  • Andy Milder as Dean Hodes, Celia's unfaithful husband
  • Renée Victor as Lupita, the Botwin family's maid
  • Indigo as Vaneeta James, James's daughter and employee
  • Shoshannah Stern as Megan, Silas Botwin's deaf girlfriend
  • Tressa DiFiglia as Maggie, the Agrestic PTA chairman
  • Allie Grant as Isabelle Hodes, Hodes's youngest daughter
  • Becky Thyre as Pam Gruber, an Agrestic PTA member
  • Shawn Schepps as Alison, an Agrestic PTA member
  • Maulik Pancholy as Sanjay Patel, a college student who Botwin employs
  • Vincent Laresca as Alejandro, Botwin's rival dealer
  • Martin Donovan as Peter Scottson, Botwin's DEA agent boyfriend
  • David Doty as Principal Dodge, the principal of Agrestic Elementary
  • Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Judah Botwin, Botwin's late husband
  • Tyrone Mitchell as Keeyon James, James's son and employee
  • Haley Hudson as Quinn Hodes, Hodes's eldest daughter
  • Daryl Sabara as Tim Scottson, Scottson's son
  • Justin Chatwin as Josh Wilson, Wilson's son
  • Craig X. Rubin as Craig X, a marijuana dispensary employee

Reception

Viewership

Weeds debuted to 538,000 U.S. viewers, which was modest in comparison to the viewership of Showtime's other television series. [1]

Critical response

The season received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Weeds received 79%. The site's critics consensus reads: "Weeds is a cheeky comedy with dark, humorous, and sometimes outrageous moments centered around a talented female-led cast including Emmy winner Mary-Louise Parker." [2] On Metacritic, the first season received a 70 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews. [3] Gillian Flynn of Entertainment Weekly spoke highly of Parker and Nealon's performances, and praised the acting of Perkins as Celia Hodes, writing "Perkins is so perfectly, nastily desperate that she gets away with it." [4] David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle also praised the acting of Parker and Perkins, and stated "Weeds may indeed be the best written new show of the year." [5] Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times wrote "Weeds is well written and engrossing, and has a slick balance of satire and soap opera." [6] Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine gave a mixed review of the season, praising the performances of Perkins and Gould, but criticizing the characterization of Nancy, commenting: "There's a sense that the writers of Weeds are as lazy as their main character, that they understand her as little as she seems to understand herself." However, Gonzalez spoke highly of Parker's acting, writing "Parker brings a great performance to a less than one-dimensional part." [7]

Some critics criticized the depiction of Heylia and her family, believing that the characters perpetuated harmful black stereotypes. Dana Stevens of Slate Magazine gave a positive review, but commented "the black characters, led by a sassy matriarch named Heylia [...] seemed to embody the most egregious of African-American stereotypes." [8] In an NPR interview, commentator Betty Bayé stated "[Weeds is] the latest chapter in a long history of negative black stereotypes in the media." [9] In response to the criticism, series creator Jenji Kohan commented that the characters of Heylia, Conrad and Vaneeta were inspired by her friends in Venice Beach, stating: “Heylia and her family are kind of [a] homage to that time in my life and those guys", further commenting "I knew them, and this is my experience of how they spoke and how they related". [10]

Accolades

The first season received numerous awards and nominations, including three Golden Globe Awards nominations with one win. Mary-Louise Parker won for Best Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy. The series was nominated for Best Television Series Musical or Comedy, and Elizabeth Perkins was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film. The show also received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations. It was nominated for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Main Title Design, Outstanding Single-camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, Elizabeth Perkins was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Craig Zisk was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. Parker won a Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series, and Perkins was nominated for the same category.

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2006 Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Mary-Louise Parker Won [11]
Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Elizabeth Perkins Nominated
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy WeedsNominated
2006 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series WeedsNominated [12]
Outstanding Main Title Design Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Craig Zisk (for ‘’Good Shit Lollipop’’)Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Elizabeth PerkinsNominated

Home media

On July 11, 2006, Lionsgate released the first season of Weeds on the DVD format; the season was released on the Blu-ray Disc format on May 29, 2007. In addition to the ten episodes, both formats contain bonus content including six audio commentaries, behind the scenes with cast and crew, two featurettes, and season trailers.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Perkins</span> American actress (born 1960)

Elizabeth Perkins is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films including About Last Night (1986), From the Hip (1987), Big (1988), Enid Is Sleeping (1990), The Flintstones (1994), Moonlight and Valentino (1995), The Ring Two (2005) and Hop (2011). She is also well known for her role as Celia Hodes in the Showtime TV series Weeds, for which she received three Primetime Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary-Louise Parker</span> American actress (born 1964)

Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress. After making her Broadway debut as Rita in Craig Lucas' Prelude to a Kiss in 1990, Parker came to prominence for film roles in Grand Canyon (1991), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), The Client (1994), Bullets over Broadway (1994), A Place for Annie (1994), Boys on the Side (1995), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), and The Maker (1997). Among stage and independent film appearances thereafter, Parker received the 2001 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Catherine Llewellyn in David Auburn's Proof, among other accolades. Between 2001 and 2006, she recurred as Amy Gardner in the NBC television series The West Wing, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2002. She received both a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Harper Pitt in the acclaimed HBO television miniseries Angels in America in 2003.

<i>Weeds</i> (TV series) American dark comedy-drama television series

Weeds is an American dark comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan, which aired on Showtime from August 8, 2005, to September 16, 2012. The series tells of Nancy Botwin, a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family. Other main characters include Nancy's lax brother-in-law ; foolish accountant Doug Wilson ; narcissistic neighbor Celia Hodes living with her husband and their daughter ; as well as Nancy's wholesalers Heylia James and Conrad Shepard. Over the course of the series, the Botwin family becomes increasingly entangled in illegal activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Gould</span> American actor

Alexander Jerome Gould is an American actor. He is best known for voicing the title character of the Pixar animated film Finding Nemo and for his portrayal of Shane Botwin on the Showtime drama series Weeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonye Patano</span> American actress (born 1961)

Tonye T. Patano is an American actress. She may be best known as Heylia James on the television series Weeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Donovan</span> American actor (born 1957)

Martin Donovan is an American actor. He has had a long collaboration with director Hal Hartley, appearing in many of his films, such as Trust (1990), Surviving Desire (1991), Simple Men (1992), Amateur (1994), Flirt (1995), and The Book of Life (1998), starring as Jesus Christ in the latter. Donovan also played Peter Scottson on Showtime's cable series Weeds. He made his writing/directorial debut with the film Collaborator (2011). Donovan played Detective Hap Eckhart in Christopher Nolan's psychological thriller Insomnia (2002) and the Protagonist's CIA handler, Fay, in Nolan's science fiction action thriller film Tenet (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romany Malco</span> American actor

Romany Romanic Malco Jr. is an American actor, rapper, and music producer. He has been nominated for several awards, including an NAACP Image Award, MTV Movie Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. In film, he is best known for his roles in The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Baby Mama (2008), Think Like a Man (2012) and its sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014), and The DUFF (2015). In television, he is best known for portraying Conrad Shepard on the Showtime series Weeds (2005–2012) and Rome Howard on the ABC series A Million Little Things (2018–2023). He is also known for writing the rap lyrics for the character of MC Skat Kat in "Opposites Attract".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenji Kohan</span> American television writer, producer, and director

Jenji Leslie Kohan is an American television writer and producer. She is best known as the creator and showrunner of the Showtime comedy-drama series Weeds and the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black. She has received nine Emmy Award nominations, winning one as supervising producer of the comedy series Tracey Takes On....

Indigo is an American actress and DJ. She is best known for her roles as Rona, one of the vampire slayer potentials, in the final season of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Vaneeta on the Showtime series Weeds, in which she was nominated for the 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

<i>Weeds</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of Weeds premiered on August 14, 2006, and consisted of 12 episodes.

<i>Weeds</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of Weeds premiered on August 13, 2007, and consisted of 15 episodes. Metacritic gives the season a score of 82.

<i>Weeds</i> season 4 Season of television series

On November 5, 2007, Showtime ordered 13 new episodes for a fourth season of Weeds. It started on Monday, June 16, 2008 and concluded on Monday, September 15, 2008.

<i>Weeds</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of Weeds premiered on June 8, 2009, on the television cable network Showtime, and consisted of 13 episodes, attracted 1.2 million viewers, with a rerun on the same night adding another 500,000 viewers for a cumulative 1.7 million. The season finale episode premiered on Monday, August 31, 2009, averaging 1.3 million viewers, up versus season 4's finale that averaged 1 million.

<i>Weeds</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of Weeds premiered on August 16, 2010, on the television cable network Showtime, and consisted of 13 episodes.

<i>Weeds</i> season 7 Season of television series

The seventh season of Weeds premiered on June 27, 2011, on the television cable network Showtime and consisted of 13 episodes. As the season picks up, Nancy has spent three years in prison and now lives in a strictly monitored halfway house in New York City, where the family meet after they have spent three years in Denmark.

<i>Weeds</i> season 8 Season of television series

The eighth and final season of Weeds premiered on July 1, 2012, on the television cable network Showtime, and featured 13 episodes, bringing the series total to 102. It marks the return of the show's theme song, "Little Boxes". Creator Jenji Kohan revealed that cover versions of the song would be used during the opening credits and confirmed that Ben Folds and the Mountain Goats would be featured artists. Kohan also confirmed that the song would be covered in a duet by Steve Martin and series regular Kevin Nealon, who each sang and played the banjo. Series co-star Hunter Parrish also provided a cover version for the season's tenth episode. The final two episodes of the season aired back to back as a one-hour series finale, which was the series' first and only one-hour show in its eight-year run.

Roberto Jack Benabib is a Mexican-American television writer, producer and film director best known for writing/directing the 1997 comedy film Little City. He served as a writer/producer on the Showtime dark comedy series Weeds beginning in 2005.

References

  1. ↑ Schwartz, Missy (June 2, 2006). "The politics behind Weeds". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on June 2, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Weeds". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Weeds: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  4. ↑ Flynn, Gillian (August 5, 2005). "Weeds". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ Wiegand, David (August 5, 2005). "Smoldering frustrations in suburbs spark up in Showtime's superb 'Weeds'". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  6. ↑ Stanley, Alessandra (August 5, 2005). "Mom Brakes for Drug Deals". The New York Times . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ Gonzalez, Ed (August 30, 2005). "Review: Weeds: Season One". Slant Magazine . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  8. ↑ Stevens, Dana (August 5, 2005). "Chronic Condition". Slate Magazine . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  9. ↑ "'Weeds' Continues to Grow Negative Stereotypes". NPR . August 16, 2005. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  10. ↑ Bolonik, Kera (August 7, 2007). In the Weeds: The Official Companion Book to the Hit Showtime Series. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. p. 5. ISBN   978-1416938781.
  11. ↑ "Weeds". goldenglobes.com . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Weeds". emmys.com . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
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