Weeds: Season Four

The fourth season of 'Weeds' arrives on Blu-ray with a solid VC-1 1080p encode. Like the previous seasons, this one has many solid qualities, though a few turbulent issues.

Colors for this season are much the same as before, with an obvious bit of oversaturation affecting skin tones and, well, everything else. Greens, not so ironically, are a dominant color once again, popping off the screen whenever present, never going neon despite the array of shades on display, while the few episodes that feature orange jumpsuits display that color beautifully.

Edges are very clean, noise is not obvious in the least, and there doesn't appear to be any post-production tweaking visible. Contrast is sharp, and detail is on high alert. Artifacting isn't as prevalent in this season, but the issue still pops up from time to time. In darker shots, eyeballs can turn blue, while there is some light banding in sky shots. One sequence had me concerned about a stuttering issue, but the use of it again in the same episode lead me to believe it was intentional, though it did throw me off quite a bit.

• Audio Commentaries - There are six commentary tracks on this Blu-ray release (that means not all of the tracks from the DVD release found their way over). The first track is for "Mother thinks the birds are after her" with Jenji Kohan. Kohan is very soft spoken, and difficult to hear, though she does provide decent insight when she isn't sympathizing with her characters. Next up is "Three coolers' with Roberto Benabib. Benabib praises the work of guest actor Albert Brooks, then praises the other actors, and, well, praises everything short of the karaoke singing in this episode. A total homer track. Also included is a track for 'No man is pudding" with Kevin Nealon and Justin Kirk, but that track is also on the PIP enhanced track found in the exclusives section. To start disc two, there is a commentary for "I am the table" with the same duo, and again it is presented as a commentary track or a PIP mix. Next up is "Head cheese" with Hunter Parrish. Silas himself discusses his viewing habits for the show, the logistics of the tunnel set, his interest in what chemical doubles for coke, and his curiosities on other screen secrets. There are some fairly prolonged gaps in coverage in this solo track. Rounding out the commentaries, a track for "If you work for a living, why do you kill yourself working?" with Jenji Kohan is included. Kohan is back for one more, the finale of the season. She talks about how each season themes its final episode after a film, with 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' as their inspiration for this capper, and gives a few generic hints at future episode themes. Another weak track from Kohan.
  
• Gag Reel (HD, 8 min) - A series of flubs, intentional gags, and flat out tomfoolery. If you've seen one gag reel, you've seen them all, and there's nothing that redefines the feature here.
  
• Little Titles (HD, 5 min) - Get your mind out of the gutter, it didn't say THAT! This extra covers all of the opening title images, spoken over by Kohan, and explains the process surrounding the change. No more "Little Boxes!!!"
  
• Moving Weight (HD, 9 min) - Guillermo talks about moving quantities of marijuana, going so far as to seek legal counsel concerning the repercussions and methods of the movement of narcotics. A nice, thoughtful supplement to the show, though it would have been golden if Guillermo performed in character.
  
• I'm a Big Kid Now (HD, 9 min) - A look at the three young actors, how they age with the show, their thoughts on working on the show growing up, and their thoughts on the show in general and their characters.
  
• The Real Hunter Parrish (HD, 6 min) - A fairly lame brained feature/interview with Parrish, where he discusses his dog, the story of his life, his rap preference (East Coast vs West Coast), and his description of a typical day working on the show. One to pass if ever there were one.
  
• Tour of Bubbie's House (HD, 7 min) - The set designer for the show gives a tour of the house through which much of this season of the show takes place. The home is so overly decorated, especially compared to most other shows or movies, that this feature was a must. A good thing those in charge recognized this and gave it its respect here.
  
• One Stop Chop Shop (HD, 5 min) - A look at the Mexican portions of the film, stories about how the crew learned about the border area, where they replicated Tijuana, and how they made the automotive shop and the tunnel that played integral roles in this season.
  
• The Weed Wranglers (HD, 6 min) - A look at the "weed" on the show, from a room full of fake plants, where the "drugs" are made (including a list of what ingredients concoct the ganja), and some actors thoughts on the fake stuff and their experiences (or lack thereof) with the real stuff.
  
• Burbs to the Beach (HD, 6 min) - This featurette covers the change in scenery, from the tiny boxes to the border. The cast and crew discuss the move, of course all positively, in this very EPK little blurb.