I used to love the show Weeds. It was sarcastic, had great social commentary, and always kept me interested. But something has changed. Something has been bothering me about the show lately. It all started when the Botwin's moved out of Agrestic and to Del Mar. And Nancy's move away from selling pot and into the Mexican mob.
The main thing about this move that bothers me is Nancy Botwin's relationship with Mexican mob boss, Esteban. I hate this guy, and I'm pretty sure we're supposed to. At least I hope we're supposed to hate him.
Nancy and Esteban have an abusive relationship. But nothing is being done about it. He rapes her, he hits her, he threatens to kill her...and when she gets pregnant, she is forced into constant surveillance and going to a doctor that treats her like dirt and Esteban like a God.
Nancy barely stands up for herself. She tries to protect her family the best she can, but not very well. While I think (hope) we are supposed to realize that this is an incredibly unhealthy relationship, I wish the show presented ways that women could get out of situations of domestic violence. It could show women who are actually in this situation that there is a way out, that there is hope, and that there are services and people out there to help them.
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Saturday, June 27, 2009
What Happened to Weeds?
Posted by Laura at 10:13 AM
Labels: domestic violence, review, tv
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3 comments:
What IS up with this new and so not improved version of Weeds? Granted, I only just started watching this show last year, but I thought it was awesome. This season, however, has me scratching my head at every turn. Like you, I can't quite figure out if we're supposed to be noticing how incredibly fucked this situation is (and it's going to reach some epic culminating point), or if this is just supposed to be regular-old "my baby daddy is in the mob" fare.
Exactly which resources do you think Nancy Botwin could use to get out of the situation she is in? I've been trained in advocacy for victims of Domestic violence and sexual assault, and I can't think of any services that she could take advantage of that would make her safer.
I completely agree. Weeds used to be funny, but it's turned into a show about what happens when you continue to make all the wrong decisions. At this point NONE of the characters are likable, and the only reason I can come up with to continue to watch it is because it's like watching a train wreck as it's happening. But since I'm not one for shock value sans substance, at some point soon I'm sure I will turn away from what is left of this mess of a show.
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