Weeds: Mother Thinks the Birds are After Her (season premiere)

(S04E01)

With the exception of the pork pie hat, I'm liking Albert Brooks as Lenny so far. Nancy can wrap most men around her little finger, but she can't win when it comes to her former father-in-law. It's funny to watch Nancy deal with a man who doesn't find her charming. Mary-Louise Parker and Albert Brooks already sold me on the strained relationship between Nancy and Lenny. Lenny wasn't happy to see any of the Botwins, including his son and grandsons. Nancy knew that she had nowhere else to go, acknowledged Len's hatred of her, and made the best of things. Now that the drug operation and Agrestic home are gone for good, I look forward to seeing the new Nancy. She's doing a much better job of rolling with the punches.

The Botwin family reunion also gave us some insight into Andy's past. So many aspects of his personality make sense now. With a neglectful father and a grandmother who might be a dog-killer, he had no chance of being normal. I enjoyed his moment of nostalgia with Nancy as they reminisced about Judah. Naturally it progressed into a conversation about wall stains, but it was still sweet. I'm glad that the writers have never forgotten about Judah and the family's struggle with loss. Shane is extremely sensitive, and his conversation about the family photos was a great reminder of that. He may be a diabolical genius capable of destroying a teacher's entire lesson plan, but he's still a vulnerable kid.

That brings us to Isabelle, another kid who's too smart for her own good. In a way she's become the new leader of the gang in Nancy's absence. She talked Sanjay, Doug, and Dean into naming Celia, and now Celia's in serious trouble. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we get some scenes with Dean, Doug, and Isabelle sharing a "dude suite" while Agrestic is rebuilt. Several members of the gang were missing, however. I was prepared for Conrad and Heylia's absence, but I can't believe that they're gone for good. The concept of a spin-off for those characters is encouraging, though. Ultimately, Nancy's new life was never going to include all of the old faces. Her old operation is finished; she has a new job now.

It would be easy to regard Guillermo as U-Turn 2.0, but there are some significant differences. Yes, he's the guy who made Nancy do that humiliating brick dance, but he's definitely a step up from a drive-by. Nancy's position in the Tres Seis gang doesn't require her to do menial tasks. She's going to be trafficking now, and that puts her in a higher pay grade. How long will it take for Nancy's "rules" to fly out the window? When will she get her own business up and running again? Season four is off to a fantastic start.

My favorite quotes of the night:

• "The black guys never get arrested." --Doug
• "You're sitting in my mother's living room eating German food and smelling like gas. She was at Auschwitz, for Christ's sake. What kind of a monster are you?" --Lenny
• "Get real. It's all downhill from 30 on." --Shane, on accepting the aging process