Weeds - A Review

Some people are born to be mothers and others struggle with the role. One of my favorite Showtime shows is Weeds. This dramatic series aired originally from 2005 to 2012 and starred the Botwin family. The matriarch of this family is Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker). The show begins shortly after Nancy becomes a widow raising two teenage sons. Although there has never been much attention placed on the topic, the show's beginning leads you to suspect that Nancy's deceased husband was the one that kept the family together. To put it gently, Nancy doesn't thrive as a mother and viewers were left with the impression that she never really had fulfilled this role easily. In fact, at times, okay most of the time, she struggles with being a mother and becoming a widow seems to have exaggerated her maternal flaws. After becoming a widow, Nancy makes terrible decisions that affect everyone around her, especially her sons. Like many mothers out there, Nancy is flawed. Unfortunately, her flaws are dangerous and can't simply be overlooked or forgiven.

How Nancy's Saga Begins

Nancy Botwin is not your average mom. However, until her husband dropped dead of a heart attack, she was, or at least appeared to be to those looking on. After his death, Nancy selfishly and desperately looked for ways to preserve her privileged way of life for herself and her two sons. Instead of getting a traditional job, like many other moms in her shoes would have done, Nancy turned to selling marijuana. It's true that it was an accidental career, but she never really tried to do anything else. Quickly after beginning her career as a drug dealer, Nancy realized that she was very good at it and eventually she realized that selling drugs may be a profitable family business.

The Botwin Family

Whether they want to or not, the entire family is involved at some level with Nancy's drug dealing career. Her sons, Silas (Hunter Parish) and Shane (Alexander Gould), suffer because of Nancy's selfishness, but it isn't enough for her to stop. In fact, nothing that happens is enough for Nancy to stop selling drugs or putting her needs in front of her childrens, even though it constantly puts her family in danger. Andy (Justin Kirk) is the brother of Nancy's deceased husband and pathetically head over heels in love with Nancy. Nancy knows that Andy loves her and constantly uses his love for her to get exactly what she wants from him. On the other hand, Andy knows Nancy uses him, but he loves her too much to walk away.

Nancy Botwin is not going to win a Mother of the Year Award

While Nancy Botwin may not win any awards for mother of the year, she is one of the most memorable moms to grace the television screen in the last ten years. When watching Weeds, I was often rooting against Nancy for her selfish behavior. However, other times I was rooting for her to be the mother she wanted to be, the mother her sons needed her to be.

• Considered a dark comedy
• Ran for 8 seasons on Showtime (102 episodes)
• Nancy Botwin's moral code is compromised after her husband dies of an heart attack
• Mary Louise Parker won a Golden Globe for Best TV Actress for her role of Nancy Botwin in 2006
• In 2010, the show received an Emmy for best 1/2 hour Cinematography

Mary Louise Parker starred in Weeds from 2005 to 2012, but her career didn't end there. Since Weeds ended, she has also appeared in a variety of TV shows and movies including:

• R.I.P.D.
• Red 2
• Jamesy Boy
• Behaving Badly
• Chronically Metropolitan

TV series including:

• Christmas in Conway
• Feed Me
• The Blacklist

If you've finished Weeds and are looking for another show to binge on, you may like the following:

• Breaking Bad
• Nurse Jackie
• Californication
• Entourage