Search - Weeds - The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Just plain awesome

J. Beatty | Cleveland, OH | 06/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's been a while since a made for paid show has been this good. The Soprano's has been...well...a bit boring. Yea, yea, Six Feet Under. But this, this is off the hook. Mary Louise Parker plays just the right tune and at first has you wondering if she is convincing. Doesn't take long until you are sucked into her dilemas. The pushy neighbor, out of control kids and the DEA boyfriend really get the imagination going on how dysfunctional all our lives are - in some little way. Even the brother & housemaid you love-to-hate have pulled my interest into what would be boring on "normal" TV. But, this is not normal. This is awesome. I hope they're shooting a 3rd season. I'd love to see it."

The Season Turns Darker, and Better

Alric Knebel | Biloxi, MS | 03/02/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I haven't subscribed to Showtime in years, so I came to this party late. I bought the first season on a recommendation, and while I liked it a good bit, it seemed all a bit transparent. It was too self-consciously quirky for it to get a hook deep in. Characters are given droll dialogue that skims personalities, leaving out anything that couldn't be exploited for oddness. It's the standard juxtaposition of relaxed hipness against the staid pettiness of self-righteousness, an in-your-face mockery of mainstream values already gainsaid by the basic naughtier truth. Sometimes the stories went out of their way to find the most shocking scenario, skidding to a stop just short of offending anybody who might mount an effective complaint, even daring to show a nearly prepubescent girl locked in a lesbian puppy-love embrace. This could be mistaken by the easily titillated for avant-garde television. It doesn't seem so out-there to me, but is instead just plain fun to watch. So by season's end, I concluded that the series was likable and entertaining, but unremarkable. It finished with Nancy's business plan fully detailed, down to a division of labor. Without a cliffhanger finale it felt complete and I didn't hurry to find out what happened next. When I noticed this economically priced Complete Second Season on Blu-ray, there was no reason not to follow Nancy's further adventures as TVs most enterprising MILF.



The second season maintained the brisk pace of the first, the dialogue still distinguished by the skippy style. Like in the first season, the tension we're supposed to feel in Nancy's conflict over her familial obligations as a role model and her illegal role-busting activities is never a convincing source of drama or comedy for me, and my attention wanders until we get back to the good stuff. Other than that, the series has definitely improved, has become darker. A few hair-raising elements were added, events that make you a little nervous for Nancy. She's compromised in nearly every episode, in some situations that are dangerous, some which are resolved in humorous ways; in others, not so humorous. And the season finale has one humdinger of a cliffhanger. I'm happily hooked now, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the third season.



As for the Blu-ray itself, I'm got a few reservations about the picture quality. Oh, it's sharp enough alright. But some textures are lost during particular lighting conditions, especially during closeups under a bright light or in the slanted light of a setting sun. The skin tones became oversaturated in a garish yellowish hue. The picture would shift suddenly as the light reached a threshold, jumping to a hotter palette, the complexions bleached in a yellow-to-white glare. It's not unacceptable, but it was noticeable if you're overly sensitive to such things. I shrugged it off because pleasing saturation levels were the norm, with everything sharply outlined with window-clear clarity. However, beyond its slickness and its clean air, this series doesn't have a unique visual style, making hi-def inessential to the enjoyment of it. Maybe next time I'll settle for the SD edition.



Unless the Blu-ray edition is cheaper, as it was this time out.

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