When season four was somewhat less than exciting, I wondered if the series was heading downhill. I thought it might be the location/setting change that caused the problem, or maybe it's that Guillermo wasn't a very interesting foil for Nancy, but this season managed to be good again without Nancy having to move the family a second time. In comparison, I think the character development was also stronger this season, as we saw changes occur in almost everyone: Celia hit an even lower rock bottom, Doug got even dumber and is still in his own downward spiral (though a different one from Celia's in that he occasionally attempts to get out of it but keeps failing), Andy and Silas became more mature and responsible, and Nancy seemed to stop selling weed altogether because she was too busy dealing with Esteban and the baby. As crazy as it is, I think Shane and Isabelle have become the most grounded characters on the show because they might be the only ones not to have changed since the show began. I think my favourite transformation to watch was Andy sobering up at the realization that he is in love with Nancy. While I did enjoy him as the show's second biggest fool (especially when paired with the biggest fool, Doug), these new feelings add a whole bunch of layers to his scenes with Nancy that automatically make them more interesting to watch. One thing I found a little strange was the use of Esteban, in that the show was always bouncing him back and forth between being someone Nancy loves and an antagonist from whose oppression she must escape. I guess you could say he wasn't going back and forth at all, he's just both of those things, but it almost felt like the writers weren't sure which one they wanted him to be. Maybe I'm not used to watching things where two people who love each other are making moves against one another.
Some other thoughts:
- It was a really funny series of scenes - and a nice wake-up call for Celia - when literally nobody wanted to pay a ransom to save her life. It will be interesting next season to see if she can get out of her slump by imitating Nancy (she's already got the wide-eyed expressions, dark hair, slushees, and pot-selling team.)
-Also funny: Doug and Dean mangling each other's genitals out of revenge. They are now the two biggest idiots on the show.
-Andy's beard now joins Nathan's on Heroes and Jack's on Lost in the exclusive club for TV depression beards. I thought I had a cool mental list going, but UGO beat me to it with an impressive 25 beards.
-The finale ending was unexpected but very welcome, no matter the consequences.
Best episode: I think I would have to go with "Glue", in which Andy and Nancy have a lengthy discussion about love while taking a magazine quiz in a waiting room, Dean poses as a black cop to freak out Celia, Shane and Silas rescue Esteban's daughter from date-rapists, and Pilar gets Esteban back under her thumb.
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