I hate to admit it, but for the first time in decades, probably, the U.S. is producing TV that doesn’t bite, and I don’t like TV. This started with The Sopranos (which I have never seen), and then went onto other more cinemagraphic style TV shows such as 24 and Lost. As I have mentioned, I am a huge fan of The Wire, and I am now just finishing the first season of Weeds, about a single mother (recently widowed) who tries to support her two children by selling pot in the burbs.
The opening seen of the show portrays American suburbs as being places where everyone dresses and acts the same. It’s kind of funny because when you live abroad that’s exactly how you see the people in your new surroundings. But after watching the the opening seen of Weeds, I almost enjoyed watching the stereotypical Americans doing stereotypical American things like jogging and wearing kaki shorts and baseball caps. The fact of the matter is that in any society, anywhere in the world, people always move towards homogeneity. It’s a fact of life.
I suppose the point about Weeds is that even in the burbs, people need some weed to get by. (Interestingly enough, the adult male characters tend to be more empathetic and understanding towards the widowed protagonist than they adult female ones.) Now I have never been into agriculture, but watching the show almost makes me want to light a fire — if only to have a good excuse for not getting stuff done.
Grave Error 