Watching Showtime

In what I was hoping would be the episode in which Nancy pulls herself up by her bootstraps, I was instead treated to the reality of someone in her situation. Spoiled most of her life (even in her first few years as a dealer), she’s now coming to the realization that it’s hard out there for a pimp! Struggling under the weight of two children, bills, and a shark above her in the form of U-Turn, her experience dealing is now much more akin to that of most dealers in America. And I love it!

Andy’s experiences, however, I would hope are a-typical. Sure, everyone in the military’s got a drill saregeant who treats them like shit. But I highly doubt it’s anyone’s military experience that the powers that be tested some cell signal-finding misile on them and/or their buddies. That said, if it was to happen to anyone, it’d be Andy. From hiding out in Doug’s office trying to convince him he’s not crazy (which takes a phone call from the sargeant to accomplish), to showing up at Nancy’s in a wig and calling himself Bill Sussman, to finally agreeing to give back the cell phone in exchange for an honorable discharge and not talking EVER, Andy’s week was scary and busy. But at least at the end of the day he gets to go back to being a slacker with no job and no money, sponging off his sister-in-law and learing to be a good uncle.

In other Agrestic news, Doug and Celia are both playing Sullivan to get free stuff in exchange for their positive votes on the sewer system revamp and use by Majestic. Doug gets a country club membership out of it, and thinks he’s doing well until he finds out Celia’s swung a free house out of the deal! And Conrad and Heylia are in the growhouse with their fast-growing plants. I’m sad we don’t get to see more of Conrad and Nancy this season, but I’m hopeful that whatever plan Heylia’s got to get Conrad out from under U-Turn’s clutches, it involves Nancy and Conrad hookin’ it up again. I loved that storyline!

Back to the Botwin clan, Shane’s in summer school in Majestic, and he’s none too pleased. Being that it’s a faith-based community, the school has an obvious Christian bent to it, which Shane discovers in his summer school class when their fun “murder mystery” critical thinking exercise turns into an anti-abortion talk. Silas is the only one who seems to be enjoying this new life, as he’s dealing for his mother while fulfilling his community service agreements with the state. He’s a pretty good dealer, too, using his dad’s name and bringing in $2k in one day.

Thanks to Silas’ help Nancy’s got some money to bring to U-Turn, but as she’s ten grand shy, he’s obviously upset. While they’re agruing her debt issues, Marvin shows up having been shot by rival gang members. In the ass. U-Turn turns Nancy into a driver and they take Marvin to some guy who will take out the bullet and not ask questions. While driving around, U-Turn turns her car into a drive-by car, shooting at some of the gang members that may or may not have shot at Marvin.

Home for the day from picking up Shane at school, she discovers U-Turn has beat her there, and is chatting it up with Andy and Silas, meeting Nancy’s “staff” as he calls it. Finally getting him to leave her house, she discovers he’s left her a package. A trunk full of black-tar heroin for her to hold for him.

To catch up with all the old episodes:
season three, episode one
season three, episode two
season three, episode three
season three, episode four

[tags]weeds, nancy botwin, mary-louise parker, celia hodes, elizabeth perkins, doug wilson, kevin nealon, andy botwin,
justin kirk, heylia james, tonye patano, conrad shepard, romany malco, silas botwin, hunter parrish, shane botwin,
alexander gould, peter scottson, martin donovan, jenji kohan, mary-kate olsen, showtime[/tags]