Weeds: Season Four Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Everyone's favorite pot-selling soccer mom, Nancy Botwin, is back in the complete fourth
season of the hit series WEEDS. Last time we saw her, Nancy's business (and house) was going
up in smoke. So the Botwin bunch has relocated near the border for a fresh start with some
new buds. Life's looking green again in this subversive and buzz-worthy comedy. Season 4 of
this critically acclaimed series is more subversive, more hilarious, and more addictive than
ever.
For more about Weeds: Season Four and the Weeds: Season Four Blu-ray release, see the Weeds: Season Four Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on June 4, 2009 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.5 out of 5.
Though the theme of the fourth season of "Weeds" revolves around new beginnings, new loves,
new curiosities, new explorations, new addictions, and certainly new problems, the show is
starting to feel old
and stale. Season four's baker's dozen worth episodes entertain but don't necessarily go
anywhere
or do anything, each 27-or-so-minute show telling a continuous story that seems to be moving
only for
the sake of marching onward towards no readily identifiable goal other than to keep the
characters
on the air. The story meanders through the usual barrage of crises and resolutions, each
character's development making for interesting -- if not usually far-fetched -- material that serves
no real
purpose other than to see how much trouble the character can get into and out of. "Weeds," at
this point in its life, seems a show with little in the way of meaning and import; the biting social
commentary remains, though this season gracefully begins and ends with far fewer overt political
jabs than its predecessors. Still, commentary on large-scale social and political issues such as
guns
and immigration are at the forefront of the season, while the show also deals with more personal
and family-level issues such as hormones and substance addiction.
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Following the developments of the third season, the Botwin's find themselves on the move,
heading south to the California-Mexico border and winding up at Andy's (Justin Kirk) father's
house. Lenny Botwin (Albert Brooks) reluctantly accepts his new housemates, adding to his
familial burden as he cares for his bed-ridden, tube-fed, and practically comatose mother.
Meanwhile, Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) returns to the drug business with the help of Guillermo
(Guillermo Díaz) and finds herself both at the center of a major hub of drug trafficking
between the U.S. and Mexico and involved with a prominent Mexican politician (Demián Bichir)
while Celia
(Elizabeth Perkins) unwittingly takes the fall for Nancy and deals with her own personal struggles.
Throughout the season, the other Botwins deal with several life-altering issues. Silas (Hunter
Parrish) finds himself involved with an older woman and the family business;
Shane (Alexander Gould) begins the journey from boyhood to manhood; and best friends Andy
and
Doug (Kevin Nealon) look for love in the arms of illegal Mexican immigrants.
The fourth season of "Weeds" continues to feature standout performances; old favorites and
newcomers alike shine in their roles, and like the best shows on television, the actors fully
immerse
themselves in the roles, and never once does the audience not believe that Nancy Botwin or
Esteban
Reyes are indeed real people with real wants, needs, problems, and solutions. Nevertheless,
therein
lies the problem with the show. Though a fictional portrayal of a dysfunctional family dealing with
an avalanche of personal, familial, and societal issues, "Weeds" always makes the very worst out
of each scenario, adding drama but sacrificing realism and emotion in the name of heightened
artificial "made for TV" drama. There's certainly nothing wrong with over-dramatization, but
"Weeds" seems to know no bounds. "Character arc" takes on a whole new meaning, the ebbs
and flows of each player looking like a massive sine curve with peaks and valleys so extreme that
they threaten to flow straight off the chart. It makes for a fun ride but one that grows long in
the tooth with the deluge of ups and downs, or perhaps better said "highs" and lows, that see
each major character face life-altering decisions and obstacles in practically every episode.
Still, "Weeds" ranks highly on a purely external, "leave your brain at the door" level. The show
features a good blend of comedy and drama, even if the latter tends to be overdone and
artificially spiked to ensure maximum cliffhanging and surprising effect. At less than 30 minutes
each, the episodes move quickly enough and pack plenty of information, and though each tends
to focus on several characters and scenarios, they are written and played well enough to be easily
digestible, the entirety of the production making for a decent yarn. The heaviest themes --
including death, budding adolescence, substance abuse, broken relationships, child custody, and
of course drug smuggling and selling -- are offset by mostly infectious comedy that lightens the
mood and allows the darker themes to remain at the forefront without overwhelming the viewer.
Nevertheless, season four ends with a dark tone that directly frames death in the context of life.
Once again, "Weeds" ends with a bang that promises to alter the very essence of the show, or at
least take it in a new direction but also opening up the possibility for plenty of new social and
political issues that remain as-of-yet uncharted territory for the show.
Presented on Blu-ray with a 1080p, 1,78:1-framed transfer, this fourth season of "Weeds" looks
great. Though flesh tones sometimes veer towards a rosy shade, the transfer holds up well across
the board, offering up sharp colors, strong detail, and crisp lines throughout. The most striking
aspect of the video presentation lies in the abundance of color; whether Nancy's pink shirt as seen
in chapter three, her blue Prius, the greens of vegetation, or any number of other assorted colors,
each catches the eye, the image awash in bright, strong, and accurate hues. Soft backgrounds
appear sporadically but rarely does the foreground not enjoy smooth, crisp imagery with
above-average levels of detail across the board. Whether the stone walls of Albert's house, the
dusty underground tunnel below the maternity shop, or the worn border between the U.S. and
Mexico, the transfer never fails to reveal strong textures and clear, visible details in any number of
objects scattered throughout the season. This season of "Weeds" makes for strong high definition
material that does justice to the series and the format.
"Weeds" won't smoke any sound systems, but this DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack does its job
admirably enough. Though the mix rarely makes aggressive use of all seven channels, the show's
front-heavy
and dialogue-centric audio presentation benefits from the clarity afforded to it by the DTS mix.
Dialogue only suffers from the rare occasion where it plays as slightly unintelligible under a deluge of
sound effects, but the presentation generally impresses. Music plays nicely across the front, for
example a Spanish-language song as heard at the end of episode one features a nice, clear offering
and a bit of a pulsating low. The track features little ambience, and even many major sound effects
pour primarily through the center channel. The rears come noticeably alive on precious few
occasions, a sequence featuring a swarm of buzzing bees in episode five, for example, features a
decent presentation that creates a somewhat realistic effect of the insects flying about the entire
soundstage. Though short on head-turning sound effects, this presentation adequately supports
the visuals and its generally clear presentation makes for a sufficient listen.
This two-disc set of "Weeds: Season Four" contains extras on both discs.
Disc One
Disc one features commentary tracks for four episodes: "Mother Thinks the Birds are After Her"
with series creator Jenji Kohan, "Three Coolers" with Roberto Benabib, "No Man is Pudding" with
Kevin Nealon and Justin Kirk, and "Excellent Treasures" with Elizabeth Perkins and Allie Grant.
Coyote Bonusview Picture-in-Picture is a video commentary for the episode "No Man is
Pudding" with Kevin Nealon and Justin Kirk, delivering the same track as the audio-only option,
this one showing the actors in a small box on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Next
up is a gag reel (1080p, 8:25). Little Titles (1080p, 5:30) offers a brief look at the
changes in the show's opening title sequence. Moving Weight (1080p, 9:27) features
actor Guillermo Díaz discussing his character and several issues pertaining to the drug
business and laws with a lawyer. I'm a Big Kid Now (1080p, 9:34) contains the show's
younger actors -- Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, and Allie Grant -- discussing growing up on
the set of a television show and how their real-life changes are reflected in the show.
Disc Two
Disc two features commentary tracks accompanying three episodes: "I Am the Table" with Kevin
Nealon and Justin Kirk (also available as a picture-in-picture commentary), "Head Cheese" with
Hunter Parrish, and "If You Work for a Living, Why Do You Kill Yourself Working?" with Jenji
Kohan. The Real Hunter Parrish (1080i, 6:03) features the actor briefly recounting his
life and career. Tour of Bubbie's House (1080i, 7:41) allows viewers to follow set
designer Julie Bolder through one of the sets. One Stop Chop Shop (1080i, 5:33) looks
at the construction of a set that recreates a small Mexican auto shop and the tunnel underneath
it. The Weed Wranglers (1080i, 6:05) examines the fake drugs created for the show.
Finally, Burbs to the Beach (1080i, 6:32) looks at the shifting locations between seasons
three and four.
Entertaining but growing long in the tooth, "Weeds" defies the odds and continues to fascinate
despite a deluge of far-fetched character arcs and plot devices that serve to heighten the drama but
sacrifice any semblance of reality from the program. Escapist entrainment at its most fundamental,
"Weeds" takes audiences into a lifestyle portrayed as glamorous, dangerous, and everything in
between. In that regard, it's similar to a show like "The Sporanos," though the
similarities end there, the latter a far more finely-tuned effort and one of the best television has
ever seen. "Weeds," on the other hand, spins an intricate web that becomes too tangled to believe
but remains a maze worth wandering through. Lionsgate's Blu-ray release impresses. Featuring a
strong video transfer, an adequate soundtrack, and plenty of extras, the show's fans should find no
reason not to buy this one. Best enjoyed with a footlong cheese sandwich.
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Lionsgate Home Entertainment has detailed and dated the the upcoming Blu-ray release of the Showtime drama 'Weeds: Season 4', which is set to hit store shelves on June 2nd, day-and-date with the DVD release. Video will be presented in 1.78:1 1080p AVC accompaniec ...
