CLONING AROUND

Entertainment Weekly
Wednesday, September 20, 2006

On "Weeds," the mother plant survives the non-raid, but Sanjay has
destroyed much of the crop; meanwhile, Yael surprises Andy
by Hannah Tucker

WHO’S THE MAN? Andy’s relationship took an unexpected turn

The mother plant is present and accounted for, but her life hangs in
the balance. Things are tense. Conrad, who really didn’t need to be
reminded that he’s surrounded by idiots, has to save Mama from Andy’s
panicked and unconventional hydration methods and then tend to a new
batch of clones to make up for the ones Sanjay tried to flush. For
their part, poor Andy and Sanjay (both of whom must’ve lost many
games of hide-and-seek as children) are understandably shaken by the
DEA raid. Andy comments that his pretty face would get him unwanted
attention in prison, and oh, how ironic that observation will seem by
the end of the episode. Who needs inmates when you’ve got Yael and
her bedroom accessories? Not only is that moment more than Andy was
bargaining for, but it also makes the massage-parlor incident look
as risque as an episode of Blue’s Clues. I say: Mazel tov, Andy! Who
knew rabbinical school would open your eyes to so many new things?

Apart from these highlights (sorry, but half the fun of this TV Watch
is getting away with these puns), this was not a particularly strong
episode. As Celia’s swipe at Doug ("You won’t be able to get a seat
in a chair factory") suggests, the writing was a bit lackluster. Not
that the half hour was devoid of fine moments that kept things
rolling – like Nancy’s horrified expression when Shane says he’s
joining the debate team, and Vaneeta finally getting the nerve to
tell off Heylia. But buying Shane a car to help him get past losing
Megan and inviting Peter and Conrad out for a nice dinner to smooth
things over? Nancy is usually more creative than that (although the
black dress was very Lacy LaPlante of her).

Still, I’m sure there’s no reason to panic, just as there’s no need for
a panic room. (Actually, just the idea of being stoned in a windowless
room with reinforced walls makes me paranoid.) Surely the bloom’s
not off the rose, nor the mother plant. I’m looking forward to the
possibility that these pedestrian plot points will lead to surprises
next week. Maybe shin-kicking Shane will actually get the girl. Maybe
Silas won’t wreck his new wheels in the first five minutes. Maybe
Nancy will really buy herself a gold tooth!

What do you think? Will Peter and Conrad declare war or call for
a truce? Is this really the last we’ve seen of the Armenians? Will
Heylia choose her risky business or her scary suitor? Will Dean be
able to balance doing virtually nothing to help the grow business
and doing virtually nothing to manage his daughter’s career?