Since this seems to be where we discuss television....

....I know that some of you have to be watching Weeds, yes? I looked and looked because I know that I remember someone making a reference about Kevin Nealon's character, who "wouldn't take a dump in an Olive Garden." I guess I finally get that joke.

Since discovering the ease of finding illegally uploaded episodes of most television shows while searching for Entourage, I am now hooked on Weeds. I am only midway through Season 2 - and am seriously considering buying Season 3 as a download from Amazon (hey, I still get a kickback if I shop through my own abandoned blog) to avoid the pop-ups and slow downloads from Japan. There have been few recent shows for which I am willing to say that I would pay money to see....this is one.

I confess to being the one who posted the Kevin Nealon Weeds character's quote a good while back on Roguefood. I'm a big loyalist of the show, and although definitely still worth watching, Season 3 takes a darker turn than the earlier two seasons and Season 4 (which recently ended) was at times so dark (bordering on creepy) that for me the show lost much of its goofy charm. A saving grace of Season 4 were the 3 or so appearances by Albert Brooks.

Well, I will enjoy it while I can. If it gets too much - well, I will have only invested a long weekend in it.

I think Nealon had another quote that was something to the effect of "I hate chain fucking restaurants!" or something like that. If I could find that as an mp3, I would SO make that a ring tone!

Independent George wrote:

Nealon had another quote that was something to the effect of "I hate chain fucking restaurants!"

So Nealon's character is just like Wanderingjew.................................only funny.

Independent George wrote:

Well, I will enjoy it while I can. If it gets too much - well, I will have only invested a long weekend in it.

I don't want to give you the wrong impression: although I'm less happy with the overall tone of the show, Weeds' strong writing and consistently fine acting continue to make it my idea of must-see-TV

pastrami-on-wry wrote:

Independent George wrote:

Well, I will enjoy it while I can. If it gets too much - well, I will have only invested a long weekend in it.

I don't want to give you the wrong impression: although I'm less happy with the overall tone of the show, Weeds' strong writing and consistently fine acting continue to make it my idea of must-see-TV

........as long as it doesn't interfere w/ roller derby.

pastrami-on-wry wrote:

So Nealon's character is just like Wanderingjew.................................only funny.

He's pretty much a stoned wanderingjew. Except that, well, people seem to like Nealon's character.

OK....almost done with Season 2 - think I am on the penultimate episode. This is what I think so far....

The hot deaf chick is like 28 years old in real life (thank you, imdb.com) - and she's playing a 15 year-old. Who does she think she is? Luke Perry?

Silas needs a serious ass-beating. I thought Megan's dad may have done the trick - and then Scott took a shot - but, maybe it would help if Nancy would support the idea. I am not for beating kids - not by any stretch. But, this dude needs a touch of discipline that he is obviously not getting.

Megan's dad taking a swing at Silas is probably where I consider the show making that turn from pure lighthearted comedy towards dark and disturbing.

I was glad that Scott turned to the dark side - he was too nice. Still, it seems as though turning from super-nice, emotionally flat-lining dad to cop on the take was a bit much. Since I know that the show doesn't end with Nancy and Conrad going out of business here - I am going to assume that bad things are in store for "Agent Wonderbread."

I don't know where my sudden obsession with Jewish women came from, but the Israeli chick is smokin' hot.

I will watch the season finale tonight some time probably. Work is really going to gum up my TV watching this week - it may take me awhile to get through Season 3 - but, I hope to be caught up soon.

Independent George wrote:

...
Since discovering the ease of finding illegally uploaded episodes of most television shows while searching for Entourage

Uh oh...I feel responsible for this. Sorry dude.

I actually found it before you posted it. No worries. My techie students are the ones to blame.

The only funny thing that Kevin Nealon has ever done (that is if you don't include his hair) was the great SNL commercial for the personal hygeine product, "Ass Don't Smell."

i95 wrote:

The only funny thing that Kevin Nealon has ever done (that is if you don't include his hair) was the great SNL commercial for the personal hygeine product, "Ass Don't Smell."

I agree that Kevin Nealon was mostly unfunny and useless (nothing subliminal about that, eh?) up until his fantastic work on Weeds as a stoned wanderingjew. If your opinion covers only his pre-Weeds work I'm with you, if it includes Weeds alll I can say is that you sir are a serious buzzkill.

Pre-"Weeds," indeed.

i95 wrote:

And since we're talking television, I'm not sure what this says
about me but I must confess to having a huge crush on Bonnie Hunt.
Something only further fueled by this photo of a young Ms. Hunt:

While I share your affection for Ms. Hunt, I'm not sure why the cradle-robber in you insists on macking on the young bonnie lass. Like a fine wine I believe she has certainly improved with age:

Oh, that and I'm a perv.

so then what you are saying is your recent, um, sabbatical was mainly spent watching the lovely Ms Hunt's new talk show?

Dude, she is definitely watchable however that show, most definitely, is not.

i95 wrote:

Dude, she is definitely watchable however that show, most definitely, is not.

So you were watching Rachael Ray?

Tyra.

come clean.

you were watching the view, weren't you?

clothier wrote:

come clean.

you were watching the view, weren't you?

I don't think so, he still seems semi-coherent. Watching the view for that long would render anyone senseless.

pastrami-on-wry wrote:

I'm a big loyalist of the show, and although definitely still worth watching, Season 3 takes a darker turn than the earlier two seasons and Season 4 (which recently ended) was at times so dark (bordering on creepy) that for me the show lost much of its goofy charm. A saving grace of Season 4 were the 3 or so appearances by Albert Brooks.

I am now through Season 3, and "dark" is a bit of an understatement. Someone gets killed - or threatens to kill or is threatened to be killed in almost every episode. Over the evolution of the show, Nancy has turned into a pretty unlikeable character. At this point, she is pretty much an amoral bad parent who spends more time with her feet up over her head than on the ground. Maybe the social commentary is that this doesn't just happen in the black community?

The strange thing is that I don't feel like I am watching a show with the same writing team. It's kind of like the first two seasons were written by one guy/group and then the third season, someone took all of the same characters, with a similar premise and made a whole new show. Given the ending of the season, it looks like there are going to be some cast changes coming up - and, obviously, a move - but, to where?

A couple of random observations....

Mary-Kate Olson's character was kind of annoying, but I found her to be disturbingly hot. I just always thought that she was up to something...and that never panned out. From what I recall, she is not in Season 4, but perhaps they wrap up that story line....or, maybe the end of the story line was her getting into that ambulance? Whatever.

A mother's way of dealing with her obstinate son is to "force him" to work as a pot grower? On what f-ing planet?

Matthew Modine's character was neither likable nor interesting. A bad combination. A nice twist for the finale would have been him and Mary-Kate Olson having some sort of connection beyond dealer-customer (father/daughter? he's banging her? anything!).

Andy, Kat, U-Turn, and the newly gay Sanjay are all great characters, which tried to keep the show a little more lighthearted - yes, even U-Turn was so over the top that I never found him scary.

I loved the end of the final episode, where they play the show's theme song over video from the opening, but with no people. It really did seem like a show finale - not a season finale.

I am less looking forward to Season 4 than I was Season 3 - and have come down off the "best show on television" title that I almost threw on this show.