'Weeds' Season 5

Season 5 of Showtime’s comedy hit launched last Monday, and what started out as a quirky character ensemble about a pot-dealing mom has finally grown up into a full-blown international drug cartel involving the Mexican mob.

Having never seen an episode, I was at a slight disadvantage, although within minutes into watching the season opener, I was caught up to speed (not the drug — the drama). Mary-Louise Parker plays Nancy Botwin, a widowed single mother trying her best to juggle single parenthood and making a living while squeezing in some personal time with a head honcho from the Mexican mob.

Botwin narrowly escapes getting shot by the mere fact she’s carrying his child. No one is more surprised (and judgmental) than her ne’er do well brother-in-law, Andy (Justin Kirk), or more disappointed than her two sons. With her family’s lives at risk, she sends them on an impromptu fishing trip with her estranged sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh).

Rounding off the melodramatic antics, neighbor Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins) has been abducted by a put-upon Mexican drug dealer, Guillermo, who suffers physical abuse from his domineering girlfriend. Guillermo tries to ransom Celia for $40,000…but, as he makes his way down her phonebook on her cellphone, everyone hangs up. See, Celia isn’t all that well-liked.

Perkins is hysterical as she finds herself in a situation reminiscent of Ruthless People. Eventually, she bonds with her captor and even gets him to work through his issues and break-up with his abusive girlfriend.

When it works at its best is when Weeds doesn’t take itself too seriously — and fortunately, that’s almost all the time. With just enough pathos to ground the absurdity, you can’t help but find yourself as the antics ensue. The only odd-man-out of the group is Kevin Nealon, who plays family friend Doug Wilson. Former comedian and SNL cast member, Nealon seems to have lost his “funny” here…kinda like when Dick Van Dyke joined the cast of The Carol Burnett Show toward the end of its run.

That said, Weeds is harmless enough — as its cannabis counterpart — especially when Governor Schwarzenegger is apparently considering listening to arguments on legalizing the substance (considering California’s financial woes) — life imitating art, I guess, as Schwarzenegger, like the predicament Nancy Botwin found herself in, is too just trying to find a way to make some money.

Created by Jenji Kohan, Weeds airs Mondays on Showtime.