Weeds (season 8)

Weeds (season 8)

DVD cover
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 13
Release
Original network Showtime
Original release July 1 (2012-07-01) – September 16, 2012 (2012-09-16)
Season chronology

The eighth and final season[1] of Weeds premiered on July 1, 2012, and featured 13 episodes, bringing the series total to 102.[2] It marks the return of the show's theme song, "Little Boxes". Creator Jenji Kohan revealed that cover versions of the song would be used during the opening credits (as during past seasons) and confirmed that Ben Folds and the Mountain Goats would be featured artists. Kohan also confirmed that the song would be covered in a duet by Steve Martin and series regular Kevin Nealon, who each sang and played the banjo.[3] Series co-star Hunter Parrish also provided a cover version for the season's tenth episode.[4] The final two episodes of the season aired back to back as a one-hour series finale, which was the series' first and only one hour show in its eight-year run.

Plot

Season eight picks up where season seven ended — the family is eating dinner when a concealed sniper targets Nancy through a rifle scope and fires a shot. Nancy, shot in the head, is rushed to the hospital.[3] While she is still unconscious, the shooter, Tim Scottson, son of her late second husband, DEA agent Peter Scottson, visits her. Shane, first a member of the police academy and later an officer, arrests him with his police squad. Nancy's estranged sister Jill sleeps with both Nancy's brother-in-law Andy and Doug. Subsequently, Jill claims to be pregnant but lies and is really going through menopause.

Nancy begins working as a representative at a pharmaceutical company which legally produces medical marijuana for people diagnosed with cancer undergoing radiation therapy. Silas also gets a job growing marijuana at the same company as Nancy. After Silas starts working at the pharmaceutical company, he finds himself not too pleased with the process his plants have to go through after they are selected. This leads him to contemplate what marijuana really means to him. After much debate and deliberation, Nancy and Silas realize the industry in which they belong. This realization has them back in Regrestic (formerly Agrestic, where the story began). Teaming up with past friends (and enemies) Nancy develops a scheme.

The series finale jumps several years into the future and shows how the lives of the characters have progressed. Marijuana was legalized at an unspecified time during the time jump and as a result the Botwins are running several successful marijuana businesses. Per usual, the series gives a slightly dark twist on the present lives of the characters. Nancy regrets her past, but knows there is nothing she can do to change it. Doug on the other hand, wants to reconcile his past mistakes. In the end, the main characters are huddled together, pondering and reflecting, while enjoying the product that has often caused them so much turmoil and yet made them closer and more appreciative of the unique bond they share.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Special guest stars

Recurring cast

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byTheme song
performer(s)		Original air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
901"Messy"Michael TrimJenji KohanMalvina ReynoldsJuly 1, 2012 (2012-07-01)0.81[5]
Nancy is rushed to the Old Sandwich hospital after being shot in the head. Shane chases after the shooter, but quickly loses him. The doctors put Nancy in a chemically induced coma to protect her brain. After comparing lists of suspects for the shooting, Shane reveals to Silas that he is training to be a police officer instead of going to college. A grief-stricken Andy renews his sexual relationship with Jill. The shooter, who is revealed to be Tim Scottson, visits Nancy late at night and expresses his regret; Nancy suddenly begins to emerge from her medically induced coma.
912"A Beam of Sunshine"Michael TrimVictoria MorrowBen FoldsJuly 8, 2012 (2012-07-08)0.61[6]
After seventy-seven days in the hospital, Nancy is almost ready to be released. All she has to do is make it up a flight of stairs and the doctors will release her. She has an epiphany about her life and decides that she and her family will change for the better. But her new-found generosity gets her in trouble when she runs afoul of a hospital clown who sells marijuana lollipops to patients when she starts handing out her own pot cookies for free. Thanks to a false rumor about Nancy being in the Mafia, the clown backs off. Jill's ex-husband catches her and Andy having sex and storms out. Silas is dubious about his mother's new outlook on life. Shane takes a shining to a fellow cop-in-training and figures out the identity of Nancy's shooter. Nancy conquers the staircase and is released.
923"See Blue and Smell Cheese and Die"Julie Anne RobinsonDavid HolsteinSteve Martin & Kevin NealonJuly 15, 2012 (2012-07-15)0.78[7]
Jill's other daughter copies her sister's appearance and begins dressing in a gothic style, much to Andy's puzzlement. Prior to Jill's ex-husband and the girls' father Scott informing his daughters to obey Andy, Scott and Andy encounter a brief fight. Shane leaves a note for Nancy that he is searching for the shooter. The shooter had visited an unconscious Nancy while she was recuperating in the hospital, who was later revealed to be her late second husband Peter Scottson's son, Tim. Nancy and Silas assume that Shane plans to kill Tim and rush to stop him. After visiting Tim's girlfriend they find him in a Subway restaurant that he works at and instruct him to travel back to Agrestic, California. Shortly after arriving at his house to pack, Shane and his police squad arrive and arrest Tim.
934"Only Judy Can Judge"Michael TrimCarly MenschMariachi El BronxJuly 22, 2012 (2012-07-22)0.57[8]
Nancy is losing touch with Stevie so she plans a trip to the zoo but things get interrupted when Kiku calls. Silas makes a new friend then Shane invites his new girl friend Angela who is also in Shane's police academy to dinner while Andy and Jill are involved in a fight.
945"Red in Tooth and Claw"Michael TrimStephen FalkThe Mountain GoatsJuly 29, 2012 (2012-07-29)0.48[9]
As Nancy tries to collect cash for Stevie's soccer games, she desires to deal marijuana again but decides to control her compulsions this time. Because Andy had sex with a gothic lady, Jill tries to retaliate by sleeping with Doug. Meanwhile, Shane and Angela have an awkward double date with Ouellette and his wife. Silas and R.J. encounter an awkward discussion which makes Silas feel uncomfortable. R.J. gets mad at Silas for the way he reacted and steals his marijuana plants.
956"Allosaurus Crush Castle"Julie Anne RobinsonBrendan KellyBomb the Music Industry!August 5, 2012 (2012-08-05)0.64[10]
Nancy tries to find legal work but has some difficulty until she spots what she thinks is a drug deal by a father at Stevie's soccer game. Meanwhile, Jill reveals that she is pregnant with either Andy or Doug's child. Silas attempts to retrieve his pilfered plants and Shane decides to earn additional spending money. Instead of retrieving the plants, Nancy gets both Silas and herself a job at a pharmaceutical company through the father at the soccer match.
967"Unfreeze"Perry LangVictoria MorrowThe WomenfolkAugust 12, 2012 (2012-08-12)0.56[11]
Silas begins his initial day of work legally, professionally growing marijuana, while Andy seeks employment and Doug receives his comeuppance for his charity fraud. Moreover, Nancy begins working at a marketing company that sells a marijuana-based compound for cancer victims undergoing radiation therapy. Shane graduates from the police academy and shows his uniform to Nancy.
978"Five Miles From Yetzer Hara"Phil AbrahamDavid HolsteinThe ThermalsAugust 19, 2012 (2012-08-19)0.77[12]
Nancy is offered a promotion for her successes, but is tempted by the idea to sell the pills she gets. Doug, using Meritor, manages to set up a fake homeless shelter by drugging a hostile homeless woman. Andy and Jill have a falling out after the latter reveals that she is not pregnant, but rather, is going through menopause and hid this fact for several weeks. Teaming up, Nancy and Jill con the former's company by faking a break-in of her company car, allowing them to sell the medicine at university parties. Silas, meanwhile, is troubled by the thought of his product becoming a pill.
989"Saplings"Michael TrimCarly MenschDierks BentleyAugust 26, 2012 (2012-08-26)0.68[13]
In New York, Shane and Angela find themselves in a compromising situation. In North Carolina, Nancy and Silas visit with a tobacco protege who wants Silas's product in a cigarette. Back home, Doug micromanages the homeless in order to maintain an 85% occupancy rate at his "shelter" to appease Social Services as Andy and Rabbi Dave discuss women, leading Andy to make a strange commitment.
9910"Threshold"Eric JewettBrendan KellyHunter ParrishSeptember 2, 2012 (2012-09-02)0.61[14]
Silas and Nancy find a new form for an old business venture which leaves them in the green; Doug also finds himself slipping into past habits for dealing with his homeless people. Meanwhile, Andy is having trouble connecting with Joanna as Shane and Angela deal with both sides of the law.
10011"God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise"Uta BriesewitzStephen FalkAimee MannSeptember 9, 2012 (2012-09-09)0.69[15]
Nancy, Andy, and Silas return to Agrestic, now rebuilt & renamed "Regrestic". Nancy meets up with Conrad to see if he would grow MILF weed for her again but trouble comes when she finds out that Guillermo is out of prison and in charge again. Silas runs into Megan and comes clean about poking holes in his condoms so she would get pregnant; the two make up and get back together. Andy goes looking for Yael, who does not remember him. Meanwhile, Shane is arrested for car theft, which turns out to be a setup by Ouellette to test his loyalty, and Doug decides to start a religious cult. Andy announces to Nancy that he had made the decision to leave her for good; the two experience a passionate sexual encounter at the same spot where Judah (Nancy's first husband and Andy's brother) had his heart attack, and despite Nancy's tearful pleas, Andy leaves.
10112"It's Time (Part 1)"Michael TrimJenji KohanMalvina ReynoldsSeptember 16, 2012 (2012-09-16)0.86[16]
Leaping about seven years to 2022, Nancy is widowed for the fourth time, having married Rabbi Dave Bloom who subsequently died in a car crash. Marijuana is legalized and Nancy's chain of marijuana shops becomes so overwhelmingly successful that Starbucks wants to buy it; Nancy, who holds 51% of the company's stock, is the only one who declines the offer. Doug has created a cult following, which, paired with his share in Nancy's business, has made him prosperous. Silas and Megan are married and have a baby daughter. Andy, who is also a shareholder in Nancy's business (but has completely estranged himself from her), lives back in Ren-Mar in his recently deceased father's house and had a child with a lady friend, with whom he shares joint custody. Shane, who has become a detective, is a bitter alcoholic, having remained Ouellette's closest friend and following in his footsteps. At a pre-party for Stevie's Bar Mitzvah, Nancy begins to worry that Andy will not show up as the two of them have not spoken in some time. Guillermo realizes Stevie has been misled by his mother and reveals the truth of his father as a drug cartel kingpin, much to Stevie's shock.
10213"It's Time (Part 2)"Michael TrimJenji KohanMalvina ReynoldsSeptember 16, 2012 (2012-09-16)0.86[16]
Megan acts coldly towards Nancy as she resents her for destroying Silas' childhood. Doug decides to reconnect with his estranged gay son Josh and orders his cult members to kidnap him. Only after his second attempt (and admission that he once "sucked a dick," which seems to break the ice) do both of them reconcile. At Stevie's Bar Mitzvah Stevie stuns the guests with his speech informing everyone of his true father's past, his lack of faith in religion and his desire to attend boarding school before promptly leaving. Nancy obliges his request to go to boarding school despite the possibility of being lonely with the rest of her family moving on. At the after party, Nancy and Andy talk and she begs him to come back, even offering him her share of the company. He declines and tells her instead that she is free to do what she wants with her life. Nancy also talks to Silas, who comforts her by admitting that although she wasn't the best mother he doesn't regret his childhood. Finally she tells Shane to fix his life, who agrees to take time off and go to rehabilitation. Nancy decides to give up the weed business and calls the CEO of the company, agreeing to sell it to Starbucks. Before the party ends Stevie thanks everyone for their contributions in his life and offers a heartfelt thank you to his mother for all that she has done for him. Nancy retires to the porch to be alone. She is soon joined by Doug, Silas, Shane, and Andy. They all share a joint, smiling contentedly and laughing.

Production

Showtime officially renewed Weeds for an eighth season on November 10, 2011.[2] Creator and showrunner Jenji Kohan alongside the other series producers convened for story meetings and were informed early on in the writing process that Showtime Entertainment President David Nevins would not be renewing the show for a ninth season.[3] "It did change how we talked about the season so far. We're building toward something different than we might have built toward had we been in the dark," commented Kohan.[3]

For the first time since the fourth season, the show featured the Malvina Reynolds song Little Boxes as its theme music, along with a new opening title sequence. The original title sequence was briefly revived in episode 11 with the notable difference of signs reading Regrestic rather than Agrestic. Like seasons two and three, different bands and artists were used to cover the song for each episode.[3] Moreover, Julie Anne Robinson, who had not directed an episode since season four, directed two episodes this season. In addition, Perry Lang, who had not directed an episode since season three, directed an episode this season.

The season's first episode, "Messy", was made available online through Showtime's "Freeview" Facebook page a week before the broadcast premiere.[17]

Reception

This season earned 60 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating mixed reviews.

References

  1. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 13, 2012). "It's Official: Showtime's 'Weeds' To End Its Run After Season Eight". Deadline. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Fienberg, Daniel (November 10, 2011). "Showtime finally renews 'Weeds' for Season 8". HitFix. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Golderg, Lesley (June 15, 2012). "'Weeds' Creator Jenji Kohan Revisiting 'Little Boxes' as the Showtime Comedy Prepares to Sign Off (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  4. ↑ Weiselman, Jarett (August 31, 2012). "Hunter Parrish Sings 'Weeds' Theme!". The Insider. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  5. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 3, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'BET Awards' + 'True Blood', European Football, 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Real Housewives of NJ' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  6. ↑ Bibel, Sara (July 10, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood' Wins Night, 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Falling Skies', 'Army Wives', 'The Newsroom', 'Drop Dead Diva', 'Longmire', 'Walking Dead Marathon' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  7. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 17, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood' Beats 'Breaking Bad' Premiere, + 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Very Funny News', 'Real Housewives of New Jersey', 'Falling Skies' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  8. ↑ Bibel, Sara (July 24, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood' Wins Night, 'Breaking Bad', 'Falling Skies', 'Army Wives', 'The Newsroom', 'Longmire' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  9. ↑ Bibel, Sara (July 31, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings:'True Blood' Wins Night, 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Breaking Bad', 'The Newsroom', 'Political Animals', 'Longmire' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  10. ↑ Bibel, Sara (August 7, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings:'True Blood' Wins Night, 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Falling Skies', 'Breaking Bad', 'Army Wives', 'Leverage'& More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  11. ↑ Yanan, Travis (August 14, 2012). "Sunday's Cable Ratings: HBO's "True Blood" Still the Original to Beat". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  12. ↑ Yanan, Travis (August 19, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood' Wins Night, 'Fallling Skies', 'Breaking Bad', 'Army Wives', 'The Newsroom','Leverage' & More". TV By The Numbers. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  13. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 28, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood' Finale Dominates, + 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians', 'Breaking Bad', 'Real Housewives of NJ', 'Army Wives' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  14. ↑ Bibel, Sara (September 5, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: NASCAR Wins Night, 'Breaking Bad', 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Leverage', 'Hell on Wheels', 'Married to Jonas', & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  15. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 11, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' Wins Night + 'Real Housewives of New Jersey', 'NFL Countdown', 'Long Island Medium', 'Breaking Amish' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  16. 1 2 Bibel, Sara (September 18, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' Wins Night, 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Real Housewives of New Jersey', 'Breaking Amish', 'Leverage', 'Hell on Wheels' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  17. ↑ Ocasio, Anthony (June 25, 2012). "Watch 'The Newsroom' & 'Weeds' Premieres Online Now". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
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