Monty Brinto/ShowtimeWith Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) knocked up with a drug lord's son, the D.A. out to get her, and Celia (Elizabeth Perkins) stuck in Mexico with no apparent way out, this season looks bleak for the Ren Mar-via-Agrestic clan.
"We've become a pretty bleak show, which I like," says Justin Kirk, who plays Andy Botwin. "I think it's kind of fun. I don't see a lot of hope, but we do have another season, so I'm guessing we're not going down in a hail of bullets any time soon."
No hail of bullets, maybe, but a ton of personal drama goes down as the season unfolds, and Justin was kind enough to fill us in a bit…
Before we get to Weeds, what made you decide to do the University of Andy webisodes?
Last season, we had this Good Morning Agrestic fake public access show online and that did really well, so the marketing peeps came up with this idea to have me in character teaching different things in five-minute episodes. We have five up now and did 12 total, including "How to Start a Band," "How to Satisfy a Woman," "How to Survive a Bear Attack" and others.
Which is your favorite?
The one with Kevin Nealon: "How to Score with Foreign Girls." Anything with Kevin is hilarious.
Everyone's talking about Alanis Morissette's seven-episode stay on Weeds. Do Andy and her character, Dr. Audra Kitson (for more info, click here), become boyfriend-girlfriend?
Ah, it's spoilers you want. I don't even tell my mother this stuff. I'll tell you the truth: At this point, she's only shot a couple of episodes, maybe three for far, and honestly I don't know what the writers are going to do until we get the scripts. I hear where it may be going, but they change their minds a lot.
We already know you have some sort of fling with her.
Well, if you bring an attractive female of note onto our program, odds are she will be rolling around with me.
What is her character like?
Well, she's a monster in real life. No, she's shockingly pleasant, and it's been a delight to work with her. Her character, as we know, is Nancy's ob-gyn, and she's very nurturing and very good at what she does. And then she becomes fascinated and interested in the goings-on with Nancy and the rest of us, and she wants to see what happens next. But she doesn't have anything to do with any illicit activities, except for—well, you'll have to watch.
We hear she gets nude in an episode. Do dish.
I read that as well. I have no idea where that info comes from. It may or may not be true. I haven't asked her, "Hey, I read on the Internet that you're going to be nude. I hope I'm going to be there." But I will say it's a good sign that stuff gets printed that is not in any way related to the truth— like Mary-Louise leaving the show. It means we're of note at this point.
Last we saw, Doug (Kevin Nealon) and Silas (Hunter Parrish) were talking about opening a pot store. Does that happen?
Yes. Indeed, Silas and Doug do start a medicinal marijuana dispensary this year. It goes pretty strong. This one is a pretty lengthy storyline. But you know what's funny, there's not a lot of pot smoking going on onscreen this season.
What about offscreen?
I'll tell you the truth, there is less pot smoking on the set of Weeds than most jobs I've had. It's a pretty chaste place.
Where does the story with Andy and Nancy go?
I don't know what's going to happen. But I like exploring that world. I would like that relationship to go on. I think their relationship, whether it's consummated or not, remains to be seen. But it's one that is a lot of fun to do, and I like working with Mary-Louise, so I hope it goes on. Sometimes it's heartbreaking and sometimes it's funny.
What about Andy and Jennifer Jason Leigh's character, Jill? You hooked up last time we saw her—what's next?
It will go further. She's only with us for another episode, so we only have sex five more times that you see. We would love to have her back. There's always a chance of people returning.
What can you tell us about Kate del Castillo's character?
She is a hard-core woman who does not seem to be particularly thrilled with Nancy's presence. And I believe it gets in the way of Esteban's burgeoning political career.
Who else might be returning?
Actually, we have an old Weeds favorite who returns to the show this year. I was so excited to see that in the script. There, that's a big spoiler.
So, which past Weeds favorite do you think is returning? Post your guesses in the comments below.