Showtime has a new show called Weeds, about a White suburban mother who starts selling marijuana to maintain her standard of living after her husband dies. The show walks a fine line between solid social critique and stereotype reinforcement. Take one of main character Nancy's sidekicks: "Heylia, the strong-willed matriarch of an inner-city family, is the pot supplier for Nancy's new business." Her initial behavior in this week's episode signified her as a modern-day mammy [according to some, a "matriarch" is a "mammy gone bad"], but as the show progressed we got hints that she has a deeper complexity...and that Nancy has more than a superficial understanding of Black culture (one telling line, delivered with an ironic smirk: "I'm just a bitch-ass...bitch!"). While Showtime will never be able to atone for cancelling Dead Like Me, Weeds could get really interesting....
Posted by wrjacobs at August 9, 2005 01:37 PM | TrackBack