What I’m Watching: Weeds

Weeds: Season 5, Episode 5 “Van Nuys” (B+)

This episode works well because it wisely assembles all of its characters and puts them together in humorous situations. Celia’s reintegration is great, running around screaming “Dead Mexican!” at the top of her lungs at the start and then blackmailing Nancy into allowing her to stay, referring to Nancy rather crudely. Celia’s always been an edgy character, and it’s great to have her back that way. Isabelle’s also randomly popped up, which is terrific, since she was a fantastic character to have around, especially when messing around with Shane. It’s only fitting, then, that she and Shane should go rob his teacher’s home with the help of their friendly neighborhood Mexican hoodlum. Shane shooting the bird is a very typical “Weeds” plot point – something unexpected happens for no reason, and there are ultimately no consequences, but it’s problematic for a bit and ultimately weird. Shane thinking he could tell his mother whatever shenanigans he was up to and then being dragged there to apologize was pretty funny. Silas and Doug’s side plotline was also humorous in their failing attempts to appear professional, and Doug’s even worse negotiating techniques. Andy’s way off to the side in terms of his storyline, but luckily it appears that’s been resolved, as a major, major development occurs at the end of the episode. They’re moving in with Esteban, which is a pretty huge step for Nancy and very much unlike her typical behavior. The good news is, we’ll probably see more of the good, caring Esteban, who’s almost as awesome as the ruthless, murderous Esteban.