The following 4 clips are from the HBO TV series Weeds about a newly widowed suburban house wife and mother of two (now 3) who resorts to dealing pot in order to keep up her cushy lifestyle.
Nancy might be a misguided mother most of the time but she loves her kids. The Botwin family consist of:
Nancy (Mom)
Silas (Oldest Son)
Shane (Youngest Son)
Andy (Uncle)
The nanny and housekeeper Lupita
The boys dad (Judah) died before the show began, and his brother Andy has always been a part of the boys life but he begins to step up into a more parental role.
In Weeds there is another dysfunctional family, the Hodes:
Isabelle
Celia
Dean
The first clip is a testament to Nancy's kind of horrible parenting skills, as her son Shane gives a pretty provocative speech and all Nancy can do is worry about herself when she spots a detective whose after her. Notice Andy sitting back and egging him on... that's really his form of parenting.
The second clip is another testament to Nancy's parenting as Shane decides to film a video of himself beheading a neighborhood girl. In this clip Andy again isn't much help.
The third clip is of Celia and Isabelle Hodes and it depicts how Celia parents.. not very well, she was recently released from prison for being a drug lord and is having trouble adjusting to life on the outside. Notice how Isabelle just brushes off the choke hold, I think she's kind of use to it by now.
The Forth Clip is of Nancy and the whole family including Lupita, after a devastating event, Nancy chooses to vent in an unconventional way. By stripping and jumping into the pool... just a normal day for the Botwin's!
I'm glad someone chose Weeds to look into! I really like this show. I think that Nancy didn't go into to drug business for her kids, she did it for herself. She could have easily downsized the house, apply for a job at the gap and allowed her children to live a normal life. Instead, she goes into the drug business so that her own standard of living remains the same.
ReplyDeleteHer character is very self centered and claims that everything that goes wrong is happening "to her" instead of the fact that she is bringing on the downfall of her own family.
I am probably reading too much into it, but it makes me very much dislike her character.
This was an interesting blog for me because I personally have never watched Weeds. By looking at the clips and reading your discriptions it seems that disfunction and a mix of irresponsibilty is what this family has too much of. This was a great show to choose for the assignment because it shows a family in a different light and what an issue that kind of lifestyle can have on a healthy family and the relationships within its structure. It makes you wonder what a child would end up growing up to do or be if they were under the influence of a parent who delt drugs.
ReplyDeleteGood Topic! Well supported. Now I'll have to go watch that show for myself.. I'm curious about it!
It seems as if Shane and Silas do not have a stable homelife which, unfortunately is a reality for many people in America. I have never seen though show, but it seems as if the mother is somewhat uninvolved with her kids. Further, it seems she is a kid herself. Maybe the roles are reversed?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this show probably rings a lot of truth in todays families. This family is quite disfunctional and chaotic and Shane and Silas have no parental figure to look up to which is unfortunate. In lots of circumstances today, children are neglected because of bad parenting or simply because both parents need to work and in turn are not around as much as they maybe should be. This show is a good example of that.
ReplyDelete