ke|evant 8ackground Informat|on - Weeds |s a sat|re based off the concept of an ant|-

hero|ne a|d|ng as the hero|ne wh||e ma|nta|n|ng a persona| mora||ty though go|ng
aga|nst the soc|a| norms of soc|ety. 1he observat|ons ||sted |n th|s ana|ys|s take p|ace
|n the f|ct|ona| commun|ty of Agrest|c |ocated |n Los Ange|es, Ca||forn|a. Nancy
8otw|n, mother of two teenage boys, dec|des to cont|nue ||v|ng her upper c|ass
||festy|e by se|||ng mar|[uana after the sudden death of her husband, Iudah 8otw|n.
1hough |t began as s|mp|y se|||ng d|me bags around her suburban ne|ghborhood,
th|ngs soon progressed. Nancy's good fr|end Doug W||son suggested she open a faux
bus|ness to |aunder the |ncome from her thr|v|ng mar|[uana bus|ness that was on|y
go|ng to expand from there. It wasn't |ong before Nancy opened her bakery |n Agrest|c
and comp||ed a team of |nd|v|dua|s to he|p max|m|ze her success as a drug-dea||ng
mother.

!"#$%&' )*%+' , A flgured world ls a large clvlllzaLlon wlLh dlsLlncL expecLaLlons for
proper behavlor.

1he expecLed rules and convenLlons for approprlaLe behavlor ln Weeds are much
dlfferenL Lhan Lhe soclal norms elsewhere. 1he flrsL rule and convenLlon for expecLed
behavlor ln Weeds conslsLs of havlng a poL-deallng moLher. ln Lhls day and age mosL
parenLal flgures would noL succumb Lo selllng drugs ln order Lo supporL Lhelr famlly.
Whlle nancy all ln all ls [usL Lrylng Lo provlde for her chlldren, Lhe lrony of Lhe slLuaLlon ls
LhaL she ls parLlclpaLlng ln lllegal acLlvlLy Lo do so. ln Lhe serles, vlewers follow nancy
Lhrough Lhe ups and downs as she makes her debuL ln Lhe crlmlnal sysLem, creaLes her
own sLraln of marl[uana, dodges prlson, and progresses Lowards a loyal cusLomer base
all whlle Lrylng Lo nurLure her beloved chlldren, Shane and Sllas. AnoLher convenLlon for
expecLed behavlor ln Weeds ls beLrayal and corrupLness. lor example: when Cella
saboLages her daughLer's secreL chocolaLe sLash wlLh laxaLlves, or when nancy elopes
wlLh eLer, Lhe uLA agenL, or when uoug and Cella have an affalr. Some examples of Lhe
communlLles of pracLlce LhaL l expecL Lo flnd ln AgresLlc, Los Angeles are how Lo deal
wlLh local compeLlLor drug dealers, how Lo produce premlum sLralns, sLaylng ouL of
prlson and keeplng cusLomers saLlsfled. 1he !"#$%& lncludes nancy's enLourage, who ls
a small group of lndlvlduals focused on ouLselllng Lhelr local compeLlLors. As seen ln
Weeds, Lhe pracLlce of growlng and harvesLlng marl[uana ls noL easy. 1he '($)*%)+ musL
be masLered and perfecLed ln order for nancy and her Leam Lo make an lmpacL ln
AgresLlc.

-./*%0 , AcLors are people who musL fulflll a slgnlflcanL role wlLhln a socleLy or
communlLy. 1he acLors llsLed below are people LhaL l have chosen based on ma[or roles
ln Lhls eplsode. CLher acLors may be menLloned LhroughouL Lhe observaLlon.
Nancy 8otw|n: 1he ma[or proLagonlsL LhroughouL Lhe show. 1he moLher of
Shane and Sllas and slsLer ln law of Andy 8oLwln. nancy ls Lhe farLhesL Lhlng from
belng Lhe nalve and frlghLened female ln need of proLecLlon. AlLhough noL very
declslve, nancy 8oLwln's boldness ls whaL allows for her success as a moLher ln
Lhe drug deallng communlLy.
E
Comment [1]: When explaining the
Celia Hodes character, you mention that
she is the ex-wife of Dean Hodes, but
dont mention the character of Dean
Hodes. It would be nice to see you expand
here on who Dean Hodes is and what his
significance is. It was also somewhat
unclear whether Celia is aware of Nancys
drug-dealing lifestyle. (Tyler R)

E
Comment [2]: You went into a lot of
detail when setting up for your
observation. The relevant background
information section told me everything I
needed to know about the show before I
started reading. The section about the
actors was great because it introduced the
entire cast and their characters and
motivations. (Tyler R)

Ce||a nodes: nancy's frenemy" and ex wlfe Lo uean Podes ls Lhe maln
anLagonlsL ln Lhe serles aL Lhls polnL. She ls very upLlghL and [udgmenLal and
does noL heslLaLe Lo say whaL ls on her mlnd no maLLer how rude lL ls.
Conrad Shepard: Peylla's nephew and nancy's flrsL serlous buslness assoclaLe.
Conrad asslsLs nancy ln maklng smarL declslons when lL comes Lo her marl[uana
crops and growlng Lechnlques.
eter Scottson: nancy's boyfrlend aL Lhls polnL ln Lhe serles. eLer and nancy
meL each oLher durlng Lhelr chlldren's karaLe class. AlLhough her chlldren do noL
llke eLer, nancy daLes hlm anyway and laLer dlscovers LhaL he ls a uLA agenL.
ney||a Iames: AunL of Conrad Shepard and prlmary suppller of marl[uana Lo
nancy aL Lhls polnL ln Lhe serles. She ls very ouLspoken and sLralghLforward. She
sees nancy as a danger Lo Conrad and demands LhaL nancy and Conrad keep
Lhelr dlsLance.
Shane and S||as 8otw|n: nancy's chlldren. Shane ls Lhe youngesL and very
lnLelllgenL. Sllas ls Lhe oldesL and Lhe mosL Lroublesome of Lhe Lwo.

Art|facts - ArLlfacLs are Langlble ob[ecLs and emoLlons/feellngs, whlch usually have
hlsLorlc or culLural slgnlflcance wlLhln a populaLlon.
Nancy's Supp|y: nancy's sLock of marl[uana ls a very slgnlflcanL arLlfacL
LhroughouL Lhe serles because her lncome ls based off how much she sells. lf
anyLhlng were Lo happen Lo her supply she would baslcally have noLhlng.
1he 8akery: 1he buslness LhaL nancy uses Lo launder Lhe lncome from selllng poL
ls slgnlflcanL because lL ls essenLlally whaL keeps nancy under Lhe radar.
1he Grow nouse: 1he house ln AgresLlc LhaL nancy and Conrad use Lo grow
marl[uana ouL of afLer Lhe bakery burns down.

Commun|t|es of pract|ce - CommunlLles of pracLlce are composed of Lhree or more
lndlvlduals who have shared lnLeresLs, goals, cusLoms and ways of communlcaLlon
LhroughouL AgresLlc.
C|ty Counc||: uoug Podes and oLher clLy councllmen, whlch are noL named. 1he
ClLy Councll has a common goal of comlng LogeLher Lo resolve lssues LhaL Lhe
resldenLs of AgresLlc brlng Lo Lhem. 1helr maln way of communlcaLlon ls face Lo
face aL clLy councll meeLlngs.
Nancy's osse: Conrad Shepard, Peylla !ames, uoug Wllson, Andy 8oLwln, and
uean Podes. Lach one of Lhese acLors has a role Lo fulflll ln nancy's masLermlnd
plan. Conrad and Peylla are exLremely slgnlflcanL Lo nancy because Lhey are her
source for marl[uana. uoug Wllson, a goofy clLy councllman, along wlLh uean
Podes, an aLLorney, asslsL nancy ln maklng lmporLanL buslness declslons. Andy
8oLwln, broLher ln law, helps nancy cope wlLh Lhe chaos LhaL comes wlLh belng a
drug-deallng moLher. 1he common goal for Lhese acLors ls Lo ald nancy ln any
way LhaL Lhey can so LhaL Lhe buslness can be successful.

E
Comment [3]: The description of
background information along with the
figured world information was extremely
helpful and informative, however in the
figured world description there are certain
key terms being explained while others
arent. I would suggest explaining left out
definitions relating to what we will
encounter later, such as artifacts. (Justin
H)

Doma|n - A domaln ls Lhe muLual devoLlon Lo a communlLy of pracLlce's common
lnLeresLs or goals. ln oLher words, a domaln ls a communlLy's focus, resulLlng ln acLors of
Lhe communlLy learnlng from each oLher.
Compet|ng w|th |oca| drug dea|ers: 1he mosL evldenL domaln of Lhe show ls
compeLlng wlLh local drug dealers. nancy and her posse wlll have Lo flnd a way
Lo work LogeLher so LhaL Lhey can ouLsell Lhelr compeLlLors. nancy wlll need Lo
acL based on Conrad's experLlse wlLh selllng and growlng marl[uana
accompanled by uoug and uean's buslness knowledge.
Stay|ng Cut of r|son: We all know wlLh selllng poL comes Lhe rlsk of geLLlng
caughL and golng Lo prlson. nancy wlll have Lo wheel and deal whlle belng
cauLlous of geLLlng caughL by Lhe law, or even beLLer her boyfrlend who ls a uLA
agenL. ln order Lo do LhaL, she wlll have Lo pay close aLLenLlon Lo Peylla's advlce.
ract|ces of the commun|ty - racLlces of Lhe communlLy are shared lnLeresLs beLween
a populaLlon of people who wanL Lo learn and lmprove aL whaL Lhey do.
Grow|ng Mar|[uana: Crowlng quallLy marl[uana ls a ma[or common focus of
nancy's posse. lL ls cruclal LhaL Lhelr crop grow wlLhouL any malfuncLlons ln Lhe
leasL amounL of Llme posslble so LhaL nancy can ouLdo her compeLlLors.
Se|||ng Mar|[uana- 1he common goal of mosL drug dealers ls Lo ouLsell Lhelr
compeLlLors and Lo keep a loyal cusLomer base Lo maxlmlze proflL.

L|teracy ract|ces - LlLeracy racLlces are Lhe verbal, wrlLLen, spoken and nonverbal
communlcaLlon cusLoms of a populaLlon.
hon|ng: 1he posse's maln way of communlcaLlon ls by Lelephone. San[ay, an
employee of Lhe bakery, calls nancy lnformlng her ln a volcemall LhaL Lhe bakery
has caughL flre. 1he Lelephone allows for qulck communlcaLlon, whlch ls
exLremely lmporLanL ln nancy's case.
C|ty Counc|| Meet|ngs: A common llLeracy pracLlce of AgresLlc LhaL ls seen ofLen
LhroughouL Lhe serles ls clLy councll meeLlngs. lor example, Cella was lnvolved ln
a car accldenL LhaL she blamed on Lhe absence of a Lrafflc llghL. ln aLLempL Lo
resolve Lhe lssue, she wenL Lo Lhe clLy councll meeLlng Lo propose LhaL a llghL be
added Lo Lhe lnLersecLlon. uoug, who ls known for sLrongly dlsllklng Cella,
decllned her proposal.

Cbservat|on 1

4:10 m|nutes: 1hls eplsode commences wlLh nancy waklng up nexL Lo Lhe guy she mosL
recenLly had relaLlons wlLh, eLer. Whlle eLer remalns ln Lhe bed asleep, nancy decldes
lL ls an opporLune Llme Lo snoop Lhrough hls belonglngs. As she dlgs Lhrough a chesL ln
Lhe dark baLhroom, she sLumbles across a gun and badge engraved wlLh urug
LnforcemenL Agency". Meanwhlle, eLer wakes up and calls for nancy from Lhe oLher
room. When she reLurns Lo Lhe bedroom and qulckly gaLhers her belonglngs Lo leave,
nancy lnqulres eLer abouL hls gun.

E
Comment [4]: I like how you broke your
observation down into small time
segments. You handled different parts of
the storyline separately, no doubt
reflecting the way its told within the tv
program. The end result were smaller,
more focused, individual observations that
focused on a specific event. I feel that
employing this strategy could make my
observation easier to understand. (TR)

10:S0 m|nutes: nancy reLurns Lo her chaoLlc home where her chlldren and broLher ln
law Andy walL for her. Sllas and Shane rldlcule her for noL comlng home Lhe nlghL
before. ln Lhe mldsL of Lhe famlly eaLlng breakfasL Lhe doorbell rlngs. LuplLa answers Lhe
door Lo a bouqueL of flowers addressed, lor beauLlful nancy wlLh Lhe long eleganL feeL.
uon'L be afrald." from eLer.

13:1S m|nutes: AL Lhe bakery, nancy and Conrad dlscuss Lhe fuLure plans Lo geL
Lhemselves ouL of Lhe lease" so LhaL Lhey can prepare Lo grow marl[uana. nancy goes on
Lo Lell Conrad LhaL she slepL wlLh eLer Lhe prevlous nlghL and LhaL she [usL found ouL he
ls a uLA agenL. Conrad reacLs by LhreaLenlng Lo end all Lles Lo nancy's plan afLer Lhe
news.

1S:S0 m|nutes: Cella Podes Lakes her presslng lssue of needlng a sLopllghL Lo Lhe clLy
councll of AgresLlc. uoug, member of Lhe clLy councll, decllnes Lhe proposal for Lhe
sLopllghL, whlch deeply angers Cella.

17:10 m|nutes: nancy and Cella meeL for coffee. Whlle caLchlng up, Cella menLlons how
she was [usL humlllaLed by uoug aL Lhe clLy councll meeLlng. nancy casually suggesLs
LhaL Cella run for clLy councll. lnsLanLly, Cella sees nancy's ldea as a way Lo geL revenge
on uoug and decldes LhaL she wlll run agalnsL hlm ln Lhe upcomlng clLy councll elecLlon.

20:10 m|nutes: nancy sLops by Peylla's house Lo resLock her goods and dlscuss Lhe
problem wlLh eLer. Conrad reLurns home whlle nancy ls Lhere and conflrms hls
declslon Lo cuL hls Lles wlLh nancy.

23:30 m|nutes: uean, Cella's husband, reLurns Lo Lhe Pode household Lo warn Cella of
uoug's awareness abouL her runnlng for clLy councll. ShorLly afLer, uoug enLers Lo lraLely
confronL Cella. Pe greaLly sLresses Lo her LhaL lL ls hls role Lo be clLy councllman, noL
hers.

26 m|nutes: AfLer demandlng everyone of Lhe 8oLwln resldence be presenL for famlly
dlnner, Lhe phone rlngs whlle Lhey are eaLlng aL Lhe dlnner Lable. nancy demands LhaL
everyone sLay seaLed and lgnore Lhe lncomlng phone call. As Lhe phone conLlnues Lo
rlng, Lhe answerlng machlne plcks up Lo play aloud a message from San[ay calllng Lo
lnform nancy LhaL Lhe bakery has caughL on flre.

In 8etween Cbservat|ons
Shane beglns crushlng on a glrl ln hls class named CreLchen. Sllas wanLs ln on nancy's
buslness. uean forgoL Lo flle uoug's lnLenL Lo run form resulLlng ln Cella wlnnlng Lhe clLy
councll elecLlon. 1alk beglns LhaL Cella wanLs Lo make AgresLlc a drug free communlLy.
Peylla reallzes her buslness has Laken a Lurn for Lhe worsL ever slnce Conrad has lefL.



E
Comment [5]: During the first
observation, at the 10:50 mark, you
mention Lupita answering the door. It
would be nice to expand see you expand
on who Lupita is and what her role is in the
show. The quote in the same time block
was amusing and expanded on the nature
of Peter and Nancys relationship, but I
wonder if Dont be afraid is more
significant and meant to suggest he knows
what she does for a living. (Tyler R)

Cbservat|on 2

1:00 m|nute: 1he eplsode commences wlLh llfe belng greaL for nancy and her posse. Per
and Conrad's personal sLraln of MlLl Weed ls very prosperous. nancy and Conrad
lnLroduce MlLl weed Lo Lhe legendary Snoop uogg. Pls asslsLanL LasLes nancy's producL
flrsL. nexL, Snoop enLers and LasLes Lhe MlLl weed hlmself and loves lL so much LhaL he
proceeds Lo wrlLe a rap abouL lL and Lhen performs lL for nancy and Conrad on Lhe spoL.

S:00 m|nutes: Cella and her ex husband uean dlscuss Cella's plans for AgresLlc followlng
her vlcLory ln Lhe recenL clLy councll elecLlon. Cella goes on Lo make lL evldenL LhaL she ls
ln favor of a sLrlcL drug free pollcy. 1hey are suddenly lnLerrupLed by Lhe dlng of a
doorbell. Cella opens Lhe door Lo an angulshed clLlzen because of word LhaL Cella was
golng Lo geL rld of Lhe dog park.

7 m|nutes: nancy dlsLrlbuLes paymenLs Lo everybody ln her posse wlLh Lhe excepLlon of
Andy. Per reasonlng for Lhls was because of Lhe Lerrlble declslons he has made ln Lhe
pasL and all Lhe excess expenses he has cosL her.

9 m|nutes: Cella ls a guesL speaker aL her daughLer and Shane's mlddle school Lo preach
Lo Lhe young clLlzens of AgresLlc abouL her sLrlcL drug free pollcy. She goes on Lo lnform
Lhe class LhaL she wlll be lnsLalllng survelllance cameras LhroughouL AgresLlc Lo be sure
her new pollcy ls belng enforced. Shane bravely opposed Cella's pollcy and asked abouL
hls rlghL Lo prlvacy before calllng her a drunk ln fronL of hls whole class. CreLchen, Lhe
glrl LhaL Shane had a crush on noLlces hls bold acL and approaches hlm wlLh lnLeresL.

13 m|nutes: nancy pampers herself by blowlng hundreds on [ewelry and a new
wardrobe along wlLh LreaLlng herself Lo a spa day. nancy comes home and accldenLally
runs over Shane's 8C car whlle pulllng ln Lhe drlveway. As she brlngs all of her new
purchases lnLo Lhe house, Shane quesLlons how she was able Lo afford Lhem. Pe goes on
Lo explaln LhaL he dlsagreed wlLh Cella's new pollcy because he belleves ln Lhe
legallzaLlon of poL. Pe makes lL evldenL LhaL he has an ldea of whaL hls mom ls dolng for
a llvlng.

18 m|nutes: Peylla knocks on Lhe fronL door of Lhe grow house whlle Conrad and uoug
converse. uoug answers Lhe door and Peylla enLers Lo express her dlsappolnLmenL ln
Conrad because he wenL behlnd her back by creaLlng Lhe MlLl sLraln wlLh nancy who
Conrad meL Lhrough Peylla. unexpecLedly, she Lhrows a wad of cash on Lhe Lable and
demands Lhree pounds of Lhe MlLl weed. Peylla relucLanLly becomes a cusLomer of
nancy and Conrad.

21 m|nutes: Cella hosLs Lhe lnaugural celebraLlon of Lhe survelllance cameras on Lhe
local news. Meanwhlle, lrrlLaLed AgresLlc dog lovers begln Lo Lhrow dog feces aL Lhe slgn
LhaL reads no urug Zone" under Lhe new survelllance cameras.

23 m|nutes: Conrad lnforms nancy of Peylla's appearance and purchase. 1hey are
lnLerrupLed by eLer's knock aL Lhe fronL door. Shane answers Lo explaln Lo eLer LhaL
hls mom ls dolng laundry wlLh some black guy" and proceeds Lo close Lhe door. eLer
sLops Lhe door from closlng and flrmly requesLs Lo speak Lo nancy. nancy goes for a
walk ouLslde wlLh eLer as he lnqulres abouL Peylla !ames. Pe goes on Lo flrmly explaln
Lo her LhaL Peylla would soon have heaL on her. As nancy beglns Lo panlc, eLer assures
her LhaL her poL deallng buslness ls under Lhe radar however he musL show hls boss
some resulLs. lL Lurns ouL LhaL Peylla has a connecLlon Lo a drug dealer named u-1urn,
who eLer wanLs off of Lhe sLreeLs.

In 8etween Cbservat|ons

Cella Lells uean LhaL she has been havlng an affalr wlLh uoug and consequenLly he klcks
her ouL. eLer overhears nancy and Conrad Lalklng bad abouL hlm and LhreaLens Lo klll
Conrad lf nancy doesn'L asslsL eLer ln a busL. Shane ls Lhe speaker for hls class's
graduaLlon. nancy suggesLs Lhe LhoughL of relocaLlng. nancy breaks lnLo nancy's room
Lo dlscover Sllas has Laken lL upon hlmself Lo Lake down all Lhe urug lree Zone" slgns
and survelllance cameras LhroughouL AgresLlc.

Cbservat|on 3

2:30 m|nutes: 1he eplsode commences wlLh Shane pracLlclng hls graduaLlon speech
followed by LuplLa and nancy dlscusslng where her chlldren would go lf anyLhlng ever
happened Lo her.

S m|nutes: Cella waLches one of Lhe survelllance vldeos Lo flnd Sllas fllcklng off Lhe
camera and Lhen removlng lL.

6:30 m|nutes: Whlle showlng hls mom hls graduaLlon ouLflL, Shane suggesLs LhaL hls
place of cholce Lo relocaLe would be lLLsburgh. nancy Lells hlm LhaL she wlll Lhlnk abouL
lL.

8 m|nutes: nancy calls Sllas, who has noL come home for several days ln a row now,
begglng LhaL he be show up aL Shane's graduaLlon. Meanwhlle, Cella unexpecLedly
enLers nancy's house handlng her Lhe survelllance Lape of hlm removlng all of cameras.
nancy lmmedlaLely wedges Lhe Lape under her heel and crushes lL saylng she knows
noLhlng abouL lL. Cella pulls ouL a gun, shooLlng Lhe one bulleL LhaL was ln Lhe gun lnLo
Lhe celllng of nancy's klLchen.

11 m|nutes: Shane glves hls graduaLlon speech, whlch Lakes a Lurn for Lhe worsL as he
uses Lhe opporLunlLy Lo preach Lo hls classmaLes LhaL Lhey are noL safe and LhaL Lhey
have become allenaLed. As hls speech becomes more and more profane, Lhe prlnclpal
rushes on sLage Lo hurry hlm off. nancy looks over Lo caLch eLer sLarlng aL her ln Lhe
dlsLance whlle aL Shane's graduaLlon. She geLs up Lo confronL eLer Lo flnd an
E
Comment [6]: In the description the
reader can generally understand what
each character is like, such as U Turn, but
there wasnt a prior mention of this
character so Im not sure as the reader
who he is, aside from his aggressive traits.
It may be good to give a brief explanation
as to who he is as a character even
though hes not a primary one. (Justin H)

E
Comment [7]: The parts regarding in
between observations were very helpful
with adding flow and not letting the reader
become confused. Without this part it
would be hard to follow the details such as
the drug free community idea. (Justin H)

E
Comment [8]: Having never seen the
show Weeds before, I thought you did a
great job summarizing each episode. It
was easy to follow along with the
observations. The In-between
Observations section was very helpful
and it is something that I did not think
about putting in my own paper. You need
to do minimal editing to make this paper
complete. In fact, you could probably just
turn it in as is without touching it and still
get a good grade. (Jake W.)

lnLlmldaLlng noLe from hlm under Lhe wlper of her car. 1he noLe was Lo remlnd her Lo
show up for Lhe deal Lhey recenLly worked ouL.

14 m|nutes: nancy and Conrad meeL aL Lhe grow house where she lnforms hlm of Lhe
noLe LhaL eLer lefL under her wlper. She goes on Lo Lell hlm LhaL eLer ls sLarLlng Lo geL
Lo her head.

18 m|nutes: AL a graduaLlon parLy for Shane and hls classmaLes, uean and uoug meeL
for Lhe flrsL Llme slnce Lhe affalr beLween Cella and uoug. 1hey proceed Lo geL lnLo a
smack down ln fronL of everybody.

19 m|nutes: eLer meeLs Conrad and nancy aL Lhe grow house. As u 1urn bangs on Lhe
door, eLer leaves Lo walL ouLslde Lo llsLen ln and soon busL ln on Lhe deal. Whlle
walLlng ouLslde ln hls Lruck, a glrl knocks on eLer's wlndow. eLer rolls down Lhe
wlndow Lo Lwo Armenlan mobsLers wlLh guns. 1hey lmmedlaLely geL lnLo Lhe Lruck and
drlve hlm lnLo a nearby garage. As Lhe door ls shuLLlng, a vlclous dog follows Lhem lnLo
Lhe garage and eaLs eLer allve.

20 m|nutes: u 1urn enLers Lhe house demandlng LhaL nancy Lake off her shlrL Lo conflrm
LhaL she lsn'L wlred.

21 m|nutes: Meanwhlle, kaL, Andy's crazy ex who came Lo vlslL, decldes Lo Lake Shane
wlLh her slnce she cannoL Lalk Andy lnLo Lravellng wlLh her. She glves Shane Lhe cholce
of Lhelr desLlnaLlon and lnevlLably, he chooses lLLsburgh.

23 m|nutes: 8ack aL Lhe grow house, u 1urn lnslsLs he see Lhe weed before he hands
over Lhe money. nancy and Conrad Lake Lhe counLerLop off reveallng Lhe safe of weed
underneaLh. nancy demands she see Lhe money before she opens Lhe safe. As u 1urn
opens hls lockbox Lo geL hls cash" he grabs a gun and explalns LhaL Lhere ls no money
and she can elLher hand over Lhe weed or geL kllled. 1he Armenlans who [usL mugged
and kllled eLer lnLerrupL Lhe lnLense momenL. Armed and ready Lo klll, Lhey enLer
asklng for Lhelr money for kllllng eLer. nancy, clueless of eLer's deaLh, opens Lhe safe
Lo flnd lL empLy wlLh a no urug Zone" slgn ln Lhe boLLom. nancy nervously calls Sllas
and asks lf he Look someLhlng LhaL dldn'L belong Lo hlm. Pe answers hls phone Lo lnform
nancy LhaL he wanLs ln on Lhe buslness and LhaL he has Lhe weed from Lhe safe. Sllas
hangs up Lhe phone Lo Cella polnLlng aL hlm ln Lhe company of a pollceman saylng,
1haL's hlm, LhaL's Lhe one who sLole my cameras, arresL hlm!"

Interv|ew

Me: Pow do you feel abouL nancy 8oLwln selllng drugs ln order Lo provlde for her
chlldren? ls lL [usLlflable?
Ashley: l belleve lL ls [usLlflable because her husband dled and she needed Lo flnd a way
Lo Lake care of her chlldren. 1he 8oLwlns goL used Lo Lhe llfesLyle Lhey had when Lhelr
E
Comment [9]: The observation was very
thorough and events were generally easy
to follow, though I do think the part about
Peter being killed needs expanding upon.
There was a lack of information relating to
why that happened that left the reader
slightly confused, such as why the
Armenians even showed up when they
did. Who brought them there? (Justin H)

E
Comment [10]: Im curious who the
Armenians are. They kill Peter by setting a
vicious dog on him and then ask Nancy for
money even though she didnt want Peter
killed. Are they affiliated with U-Turn or are
they independent businessmen who
want in on the action? (TR)
faLher was ln Lhe plcLure so lL ls hard wlLhouL Lhe maln lncome. nancy and her famlly
had Lo sacrlflce a loL because of Lhls Lragedy. 1hey needed money and nancy belleved
selllng drugs was one of Lhe qulckesL ways Lo achleve LhaL.

Me: Clve me an example of a soclal expecLaLlon of AgresLlc LhaL would be unaccepLable
elsewhere.
Ashley: 1he Lown of AgresLlc ls baslcally a cookle cuLLer Lown. Lveryone looks and acLs
Lhe same, llvlng ln Lhe same blg homes and ownlng Lhe same nlce cars. 1he people ln
AgresLlc all acL Lhe same, ralslng Lhelr klds Lo grow up and achleve Lhe same goals. 1he
people expecL everyone ln Lhe Lown acL llke one anoLher. 1hls would be unaccepLable
elsewhere because mosL people do noL feel LhaL ls necessary Lo be exacLly llke everyone
else.

Me: Lxplaln some of Lhe lnLernal and exLernal confllcLs LhaL nancy 8oLwln faces.
Ashley: nancy faces boLh exLernal and lnLernal confllcLs LhroughouL Lhe enLlre serles.
She ls consLanLly flghLlng Lhe lnLernal baLLle LhaL she ls noL ralslng her klds Lhe correcL
way. She faces mulLlple exLernal confllcLs LhaL lnLerfere wlLh her belng able Lo provlde
for her chlldren. noL Lo menLlon, she consLanLly has Lo worry abouL Lhe posslblllLy of her
geLLlng caughL selllng drugs, whlch ls an exLernal confllcL.

Me: 1ell me your overall oplnlon on nancy as a parenL.
Ashley: l belleve LhaL nancy someLlmes Lakes Lhlngs Loo far by rlsklng Lhe llves of her
chlldren. l also belleve LhaL she may have been able Lo flnd a dlfferenL way of provldlng
for her chlldren. l Lhlnk LhaL yes, selllng drugs ls a qulck way Lo galn money. 8uL on Lhe
oLher hand, lL ls a very dangerous Lhlng Lo do. l do Lhlnk LhaL nancy cares for her
chlldren, buL l also Lhlnk she puLs herself and her chlldren ln dangerous slLuaLlons.

Me: Pow ls Weeds" saLlrlcal?
Ashley: Weeds" ls saLlrlcal because mosL moLhers would noL Lake lL upon Lhemselves Lo
become a drug dealer Lo supporL Lhelr famlly. lL may be expecLed lf lL were a faLher
Lrylng Lo supporL hls chlldren by selllng drugs buL Lhe lrony of lL ls LhaL mosL people
would noL expecL Lhe same from a female. SaLlre comes lnLo play by comlng aL Lhe
underlylng drug lssue ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes.

Me: Pow do Shane and Sllas geL lnvolved ln Lhelr moLher's dlrLy buslness?
Ashley: Shane and Sllas end up havlng Lo geL lnvolved because lL ends up Laklng over
Lhelr llves. ln Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe serles, nancy was always gone whlch led Lo Lhe boys
quesLlonlng Lhelr moLher abouL where she was. She ended up runnlng ouL of excuses
and places Lo be. Cnce Lhey found ouL whaL she was dolng, Lhey reallzed LhaL lL was
whaL Lhey needed Lo do ln order Lo survlve.