Weeds Series Finale: The Highs and the Lows

Recap of the Showtime series' final episode

Talk about a smokin' finale.

After eight seasons of hazy escapades, Weeds wrapped its Emmy-nominated run on Sunday with an hour-long finale that both honored its past and offered a revealing glimpse of its characters' futures. Here, a breakdown of Nancy & Co's buzziest moments:

The Future: Taking a page out of Lost's season-four playbook, the Showtime comedy flashed forward in time to reveal that Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker)—who'd long gotten a contact high from breaking the law, had become a legitimate businesswoman, thanks to an empire built around (now-legal) marijuana cigarettes called Puff Dragons. (Hey, it's the future--anything can happen!) Nance's biz had become such an undeniable chain-spawning success that Starbucks wanted to buy it—an offer she initially balked at, though ultimately accepted. While the time jump was initially a bit jarring, the futuristic touches—from the sleek feather-light clear smartphones to the automated dry cleaners—were clever, and the plot device allowed fans the chance to see where the show's dysfunctional characters had landed. Thankfully, not everybody was living the dream. (Seriously, what fun would that be?)

Mazel Tov: The final episode's central storyline revolved around a now junior high-aged Stevie's bar mitzvah, an event in prim Connecticut that neatly allowed for the return of several beloved peeps from the show's past, from Sanjay to Guillermo, who used the opportunity to fill Stevie in on the truth about his biological gangsta father, whom li'l Stevie had grown up believing was a law-abiding politician. Hands down, the best flash-forward reveal was that Dean and Celia's snarky daughter Isabelle had undergone a sex-change operation and was now a dude named Bruce. But, um, where was Celia? For much of the series' run, the Emmy-nominated Elizabeth Perkins had been a brilliant thorn in Nancy's side, and it was definitely disappointing not to see her (or even hear her name mentioned!) in the final episode. 

Nancy and Andy Forever: Befitting a woman with a long history of being bad news to men, Nancy was once again a widow, thanks to the car-crash demise of her latest hubby, Rabbi Bloom. No matter: It was clear from the start of the episode that Nance's heart really belonged, as it always had, to Andy (Justin Kirk), whom she'd (finally!) hooked up with in the penultimate episode. Unfortunately, the two hadn't spoken in several years, and one of the episode's driving questions was whether Andy would return for Stevie's celebration. He did, though fans hoping for a happily-ever-after romance for the pair (myself included) were met with disappointment. We probably should've seen it coming, considering what Kirk told us while shooting the finale. "[It's] not satisfying in necessarily a way that you would want to be satisfied," he said. "It's bittersweet." Indeed, the poignant scene where a teary Nancy threw herself at Andy—and promptly crashed and burned—was heartbreaking. Andy, now living a low-key life as a restaurant owner and single dad in Renmar, calmly told his former sister-in-law that while he'd always love her, he couldn't be anywhere near her (ouch!) and encouraged her to make the most of her freedom. "There's no one to hold you back from becoming the person you wanted to be," he gently told her. But who was that exactly? Sadly, after all these years, Nancy still didn't seem to know. 

The Kids: Nowhere was it more evident that Nancy's professional success had come at a steep personal price than in her relationships with her kids. Silas (Hunter Parrish), while happily married to Megan and raising their baby girl, made it clear to Mom that she was no longer the most important woman in his life when he told her he wasn't about to force his wife to play nice. While Shane (Alexander Gould) had made a career out of being a cop, it was clear from his drinking problem and hair-trigger temper that his dysfunctional upbringing was taking a major toll. (One can only hope he'll follow through on his promise to Nance to go to rehab.) Only young Stevie—freed by a blistering speech about his upbringing at the synagogue—seemed grateful to his mom, offering up a handful of heartfelt words in her honor at his reception. But even he couldn't wait to get away by heading off to boarding school. 

Happily Ever After? We're of two minds about Weeds' final scene. On the one hand, it was nice, after so many years of high-wire antics, to see the show's core group—Nancy, Silas, Shane, Andy and Doug (Kevin Nealon), now the filthy-rich leader of a cult and newly reconciled with his son Josh (Justin Chatwin)—enjoy a moment of peace (and one final joint) together on Nancy's front porch. Still, for a show whose trademark was always high drama, the scene felt a little too quiet. We kept expecting gunfire to suddenly ring out, or one of the many disgruntled people from Nancy's past to reappear hell-bent on revenge, but that moment never came. Instead, the show softly faded away amid contented smiles and a cloud of pungent smoke. Which, it seems, is just the way its star wanted it. "I cried when I read it," Parker told us of the finale script. "It was beautiful. [Creator Jenji Kohan] managed to bring things together in a way that isn't necessarily a happily-ever-after thing, but there is hope."