29 December 2019 | Hey_Sweden

7 | A good introduction to these characters.

Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) is a suburban "soccer mom" whose husband has recently passed away, and she has resorted to dealing pot in order to make ends meet. Business is reasonably good, but her life isn't free from wrinkles. Her neighbours' daughter (Haley Hudson) has asked permission to have sex with her son (Hunter Parrish), and her younger son (Alexander Gould) is feuding with a bullying peer. She finds out that her friendly young competitor (Justin Chatwin) has been dealing to kids as young as 10, but she does find out something about him that she can use as leverage against him.



Bearing a vague similarity to 'Breaking Bad', except played for laughs, 'Weeds' does show promise with this debut episode. The cast excels at playing these foul-mouthed, lively characters, with Elizabeth Perkins stealing her scenes as the snippy Celia. Parker is quite winning in the role of this unlikely small-time criminal, and the material is generally amusing, with some good and funny lines. "Uh, technically, we're not under your roof." The solid ensemble includes talented funnyman and SNL alum Kevin Nealon, Romany Malco ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin"), and Tonye Patano ("The Savages").



The suburban setting provides a bright, sunny look for these entertainingly seedy goings-on; the opening song is pretty brutal to listen to, but is fortunately finished quickly. The title of this pilot episode derives from a catch phrase uttered on a TV program watched by some of the principal characters.



Seven out of 10.