By Curt Schleier

In the opening sequence of this week’s episode of WEEDS, Nancy Botwin’s (Mary-Louis Parker) sales people return from the field with large quantities of cash.

Tara Lindman (Mary Kate Olsen), the Born-Again dealer, brings Nancy a particularly sizable stack of bills received in exchange for grass sold to a Christian youth group.  Nancy’s reply: “Holy smokes.”

Born again weedheads? Holy smokes?  I have no idea how many people caught that, and I don’t think the folks at WEEDS care.  I’m convinced they write the show to amuse themselves, which is a good thing.  It means the scripts aren’t dumbed down for the lowest common denominator.  It also suggests they trust the viewers’ intelligence.  They –we – will get the joke (or the irony) and if not there’s always another one a couple of minutes away.

Nancy takes the cash and returns is to Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon), who “borrowed” it from the Town of Agrestra (now merged with Majestic).  Wilson tells her to keep the money and use it to expand the business.  Nancy is reluctant – at first: “I might be a drug dealer. I’m no embezzler,” she says.  But eventually she invests the cash in additional, uh, merchandise.

Then what seems like disaster strikes.  Nancy is she’s called down to the DEA’s office.  Is the jig up?  Will she go to jail?  Actually, no.  She’s given a life insurance check for her late (and very brief) husband, Peter – and the rights to his pension.  She’s also given consoling hugs on the way out.  She and Peter were married in a drunken haze last season, and shortly thereafter her crooked DEA husband was knocked off.

Meanwhile Valerie hears about this and is upset.  Nancy has been trying to befriend Valerie (Brooke Smith), Peter’s previous wife and the mother of his child.  Nancy promises her the insurance money, but then there are complications. There always are.


It turns out that the Majestic city council has noticed a discrepancy and Doug needs money immediately.  So Nancy gives him the life insurance proceeds, angering Valerie even more.

Meanwhile, Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins) is stuck caring for Dean (Andy Milder), the husband she was divorcing.  Dean was in a motorcycle accident and needs months of care.  This interferes with her current love affair with Sullivan Groff (Matthew Modine), who feels uncomfortable doing the nasty while Dean sits in his wheelchair in the closet.

Celia forgives and brings homemade cupcakes to Sullivan’s office only to find him busy with another cupcake, Nancy Botwin.

The season’s almost over.  Where it will end?