[mr.calisto]

I wish I hadn't read that the season premiere had leaked. Ever since I've had a cable company that lets me order Showtime a la carte (it's like $10, so I say, "would I pay $2.25 to watch Weeds once a week for a month?" and the answer is always "yes"), I've done it, and I really enjoy watching it when it comes on. I like having a TV schedule. I think I can hold out for 5 days, especially since I'm rewatching Season 5 on Netflix. I understand what other people mean when they say they don't like where the show has gone since Season 3, but I have to disagree. First of all, I love the structure (part of the reason I prefer to watch it on TV - I think it almost has to be watched for the first time with a lag between episodes). Every week, you're left going, "What the fuck?!" and/or "How is she going to get out of this?" but in the end, of course, she always does. It also pleases me that Nancy seems actually to derive fulfillment and a sense of self from dealing, which is rarely true of drug dealing movies/TV. And I like that Jenji Kohan could actually burn the setting to the ground (or, in this season's case, have the main characters flee) and kind of start over with a whole new show - except with the same characters we already love. Part of me agrees, "Yeah, it has gotten kind of over the top," but when I watch the first two seasons over again, I realize that they were also a little cartoon-y and appreciate that it's darker now; as much as I liked 1-2, I really love the darkness they added in late in Season 4 and throughout Season 5. And I thought Season 3 was amazing. Who doesn't like Season 3?!

(Full disclosure: I wrote my master's thesis about drug dealing narratives - mostly The Wire and Weeds, so I'm biased on this point.)