7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
Matthew Modine joins the cast as a real estate mogul who hooks up with both pot-dealing soccer mom Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) and her friendly nemesis Celia (Elizabeth Perkins) in the third season of this high-flying hit Showtime series. Meanwhile, Nancy's son Silas (Hunter Parrish) finds romance with a religious girl (Mary-Kate Olsen), and Nancy gets a legit job. Carrie Fisher guest stars as Celia's divorce lawyer. Kevin Nealon co-stars.
Starring: Mary-Louise Parker, Alexander Gould, Justin Kirk, Kevin Nealon, Hunter ParrishCrime | 100% |
Dark humor | 72% |
Comedy | 54% |
Drama | 10% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
English, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The other day, while thinking about some of my upcoming reviews, my mind wandered to Weeds: Season 3. Color me surprised that I actually remembered the name of the show's lead character, Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker, The Spiderwick Chronicles). I don't watch all that many television shows, and remember even fewer of the characters portrayed thereon. I can easily remember the names of some of the legendary figures from shows I love, such as Jack Bauer, Tony Soprano, Cigarette Smoking Man, Miles O'Brien, and Bobby Hill, but I couldn't tell you the name of one character from Tour of Duty, Oz, or The Office (the British version), even though I've seen every episode of those shows. Weeds must have stuck with me for one reason or another, even though I found myself entertained by but not enamored with the show's first two seasons, quite contrary to the shows listed above where I failed to recall a name but find them all superior to Weeds. It was with a somewhat elevated excitement level that I received Weeds Season 3 and screened the entire season in rapid succession to see just how my feelings towards the show would be cemented, and I leave the season cautiously optimistic and wanting more.
Nancy watches her pot business go up in smoke, again.
Weeds: Season 3 is presented on Blu-ray high definition in a 1080p, 1.78:1 framed transfer. The strength of this video transfer is in its clarity and colors. The image has a generally realistic appearance and there are many times where you'll experience that wonderful feeling of actually being in the many locales around Agrestic. Black levels are as solid as to be expected, although most of the show is bright, well-lit, and features little opportunity to showcase any deep blacks. A nighttime scene at a gas station in episode two is one of the better examples of solid blacks, but the scene is still lit by the bright lights of the station. Detail is solid in every episode. Check out Nancy's denim jacket worn about halfway through episode two, and the Army fatigues and dress uniforms seen in various places throughout the season. The color is great, and the stitches, buttons, patches, and adornments on clothing all stand out wonderfully. Background detail is a bit soft, but the overall quality here is very high. Flesh tones are somewhat pink, and the image is somewhat flat. Grain isn't visible over most shots, but a few exhibit a rather heavy grain field. Check out the 25:40 mark in episode one for an example. Lionsgate has delivered another winner, and this is the best looking season of Weeds on Blu-ray yet, barely surpassing season two.
Weeds: Season 3 passes on smoking your system despite its full-fledged DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack, arguably overkill for a dialogue-heavy television show, but give credit to Lionsgate for going all the way on this release. As expected, this track is front heavy. Dialogue, focused in the front and flowing from the center speaker with grace and authority, at an approriate volume in relation to the music, is always audible and crisp. Minor ambience and atmospherics are heard at times, like the chirping of birds, but such niceties are placed squarely in the front of the soundstage, leaving the rears mostly barren. The popular music heard in the show lacks punch and fidelity, evidenced by the rather flat sounding song heard at the end of episode two. The end of episode nine does provide a bit of bass, finally, but it is more the exception and definitely not the rule. Unfortunately, there is little to say about this dull soundtrack. It does nothing more than move the show along, sonically, but as a half-hour comedy/drama, this one sounds fine.
Weeds: Season 3 deals out some serious extra dope for this release. Extras are spread
across both discs in the set, and I'll list them by disc.
Disc One
Five commentary tracks are available on the first disc for the following episodes: Doing the
Backstroke with Jenji Kohan, Sh*t Highway with Mark Burley, Bill Sussman
with Justin Kirk, Grasshopper with Hunter Parrish and Alexander Gould, and The Two
Mrs. Scottsons with Craig Zisk and Michael Trim. Kohan, the creator of the show, is the
most
interesting listen, particularly concerning how to resolve the cliffhanger from season two. In fact,
nobody had a clue what to do when it came time to get back to work on filming season three.
Three episodes -- A Pool and His Money, The Brick Dance, and He Taught Me
How to Drive-By -- offer pop-up trivia tracks. Following the commentaries and trivia tracks is
an enjoyable gag reel (1080p, 5:57). Little Boxes Montages (1080p, 3:47) is a series
four brief psychedelic montages featuring stills and characters from the show. Little Boxes -
Randy Newman (1080i, 2:32) is a brief promotional piece that examines the use of this
famous song in the show. Next is a Mary-Kate Olsen biography (1080i, 2:47), followed by the
final extra on disc one, a sampling of various tunes from the soundtrack (complete set available
now!).
Disc Two
Three more commentary tracks are to be found on this disc for the episodes Release the
Hounds with Ernest Dickerson, Protection with Roberto Benabib, and Go
with Jenji Kohan. Also, four more trivia tracks are available on the episodes Roy Till
Called, Cankles, The Dark Time, and Risk. Next is a feature entitled
Kush Kush and Away, presented in 720p. This is a basic interactive game where players
move Nancy Botwin around the screen, collect marijuana, and return it to another individual
while avoiding authorities. It is fun for a few levels but not worth spending more than several
minutes playing with. Uncle AWOL (1080p, 7:00) is a humorous short with the show's
star, Justin Kirk, and a look at his character's best moments from the show. Finally, G.M.A. --
Good Morning Agrestic (1080i, 33:04) is a six-part mock morning show that brings you
several humorous vignettes with the stars from the show, from cooking Bake Apple Potbellies
with Andy and Silas Botwin to a discussion about illegal immigration with Nancy Botwin's
housekeeper.
Weeds: Season 3 is solid entertainment that is decidedly adult-oriented and likely to offend more conservative and faith-based audiences who may choose to give the show a chance. A fantastic concept to be sure, the excellent cast, generally solid writing, and entertaining plot lines keep the show mostly fresh and highly watchable, and Weeds is solid entertainment for mature audiences. Lionsgate continues their upward trend as one of Blu-ray's best studios with a release that offers fantastic video quality, a serviceable lossless soundtrack that does all it can with the source material, and a generous helping of extras. Weeds: Season 3 is recommended to fans of the show who come into it having seen the first two seasons.
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Exclusive Bonus disc
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Special Edition with Flair!
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