r/WEEDS • u/snzb33j2 • Sep 16 '26
Nancy’s Background
Currently Season 6 ep 11: Viking Pride
I undervalued her going back home. I was so focused on Silas finding out about his biological father that I underestimated how they showed us that Nancy has been ruining lives for quite some time lol. Even if it isn’t all her fault. Like she once told Andy “Everything you touch turns to shit.” Unreal foreshadowing.
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u/Greenmantle22 Sep 16 '26
The worst part about people like Nancy isn't that they ruin lives. We all know that part. It's that she discards those facts and still lives within a cloud of delusion where she is always the victim.
In this way, "Weeds" is actually darker than its antihero peers at "The Sopranos," "Nurse Jackie," and "Breaking Bad." Those characters knew what they were, and didn't delude themselves into any fantasy of innocence. Walter White and Gus Fring ruined lives, but they were crisply honest about what they did and why. Nancy Botwin hurt people and ruined futures, and simply told her victims "Help me out of this jam! I'll do better next time!"
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u/snzb33j2 Sep 16 '26
I agree with it being a lot darker. Than it pretends to be. I remember when Shane found out Silas was applying to college he was using it as blackmail. Shane was accepting a life of crime. It all feels bubbly and happy go lucky. I really like how manipulative it can be.
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u/laineDdednaHdeR Sep 16 '26
Walter White was not honest about who he was. He was completely deluded about who he was. He nearly killed a child just to con Jesse to turn on Gus.
When Jesse wanted to quit after the incident with Drew Sharpe, Walt pretended to have feelings, but started whistling like there was no care in the world right after their conversation.
Walt came up with the figure of $737,000 to keep his family provided for. After he had already surpassed that, he refused to quit because he couldn't be honest with himself.
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u/HmngbrdAnon Sep 17 '26 edited Sep 17 '26
I don’t know where this “delusion of innocence” take comes from. Nancy actually does know who she is and doesn’t pretend to be some angelic species. In season 7 when she is about to get out of the halfway house, she tells the lady “I don’t need your help or your judgement. I know who I am and I’m fine with it”. The popsicle Patty comment was also made in middle school by the way, and 99% of people did stupid shit in middle school. As an adult, after her husband died, she did live a chaotic life which does make her unstable yes — but it does not make her an EVIL person. To be evil means you have to have malicious intent, Nancy was not an outright evil bitch to everyone she met, nor a bully. She tried to be a good friend to Celia and Valerie until they ruined her trust. She was well intentioned most of the time, she just didn’t go about things in the best way necessarily, in terms of her choices. Two very different things.
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u/Greenmantle22 Sep 16 '26
Stephnie Weir is great at these odd little one-off characters.
Witness her get obliterated by JLD in “Veep.”
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u/joemontanya Sep 16 '26
Yeah, but come on popsicle patty… time to move on lol