"I always wanted to be buried with my banjo - and snacks"

I want to talk a little about Weeds.

I started watching Weeds shortly after it premiered; my friends had a giant TV named Biggie, one of those old fashioned stand-alone sets that was, like, 6 feet wide. We were in college, and on the weekends after a long night we would spend the day ensconced on the massive couch, smoking pot and watching Biggie. Does it come as any surprised that Weeds immediately became a favorite?

Nearly everyone can agree that Weeds was great for the first three seasons. It was after all the little boxes burned to the ground and Nancy got way more hardcore that people began to doubt. Not me. In fact, I think the 4th season may be my favorite, what with No Man Is Pudding and the ayahuasca trip and Ignacio and Celia doing drogas. It's kind of like when your favorite band changes up their sound: not everyone will stay fans, but true believers will adapt and appreciate the new direction.

That being said, I think 5th season is probably the weakest. I mean sure, there are bright spots (Cesar and Isabel come to mind), but when you think about it the whole season is basically just "Is Nancy gonna die?" when we all know she won't. Because, c'mon. If she was gonna die she would've died back when U-Turn was around and she was fucking with Armenians and whatnot. I think it's pretty clear that Nancy is immortal when it comes to Weeds.

Which brings us to this most current season which has been quite good, IMO. It's nice to see these familiar characters interacting with different locations and people while still making the same fucking mistakes. Cesar, Ignacio, and kidnapped Doug would be a spinoff I'd totally watch. And Nancy continuously getting called out on her shit is also pretty great - this is the no-holds-barred season.

I will say that I think the writers have totally copped out when it comes to Andy and Nancy. I will reiterate again that I don't think there's anything wrong with will they/won't they as long as it's handled well (House is doing an impressive job, I must say; How I Met Your Mother dropped the ball a little on theirs), in fact, I really love those sorts of relationships because they tend to be complicated like real life. Now, Andy and Nancy are complicated, and it's not unrealistic that he would stick around the family - but these are two people who are clearly attracted to each other and I refuse to believe that they're not going to get it on at some point. Nancy will obviously fuck it up because she's Joey Potter with three kids and a danger fetish, but still, it's gotta happen. The writers not really addressing it is just plain lazy - and the whole releasing concept is nice, but just another promise that Nancy's gonna break someday. I mean, we know this character too well.

Now for something I do like about Weeds, which really is most of it. I was watching the episode "Boomerang" a few weeks ago, and thinking about all the naysayers who claim it's

jumped the shark - and then I watched the scene where Doug is digging his own grave. He gives a monologue that is so hilarious and irreverent and authentic that I really believe that anyone who's given up on Weeds could watch it and be back in the fold. Doug Wilson is a key ingredient to the success of the show, and I'm so glad he's around to be awesome again. Sometimes Doug gets on my nerves a little, but Pathetic Doug makes me love him again. You can watch "Boomerang" here, at TopTeevee.com (the grave-digging scene is at 7:22); you should totally check it out. And then stick around for the rest of the season because, I gotta say, it's still getting good....

Oh, and have I mentioned that I miss Conrad? I would love it if they could find a way for him to come back.

Images via Starcasm, CliqueClack, Fanpop