‘Weeds’: A substantial human being

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Poor little Baby Boy Botwin. Not only did he spend the majority of the episode referred to as “it,” he is caught in the middle of a power struggle between Mommy and Daddy. And Daddy No. 2. Baby Boy Botwin started his existence as an ultrasound that kept his mother from dying, and his birth only complicated things further.

Nancy wakes in the hospital to find Pilar standing over her newborn son. After Pilar lays down all the reasons she herself would never have children, she lets Nancy know how it’s going to be. Esteban will not be putting his name down on Baby Boy Botwin’s birth certificate. And no matter how much Nancy argues, her baby-daddy won’t go against his … I’m on sure exactly what Pilar is to Esteban. Let’s just say advisor.

Since she cannot put down Daddy No. 1 on the birth certificate, Nancy opts for Daddy No. 2: Andy. Maybe not anyone’s first choice to help raise a child, but as Nancy herself says, she doesn’t have anyone else. Though I have to wonder if the decision was made for the best interest of Baby Boy Botwin or for the best way to anger Esteban. Even if that wasn’t Nancy’s intention, it worked pretty well anyway.

Andy doesn’t jump at the opportunity to be the father of Nancy’s baby. He has other things on his mind. Mostly hooking up with Dr. Alanis Morissette. Like so many times before, I can’t really argue with Andy’s decisions. I’d definitely be right there with him, hanging with the antiabortion protester waiting to catch the good doctor on her smoke break.

The date doesn’t really go as plan. Dr. Kitson (Morissette) doesn’t even want to stick around for the combo platter. Apparently ‘Friday Night Lights’ seems more appealing that spending more time with Andy. She’s passed him. She’s an adult. A doctor. Andy’s … well, Andy’s Andy. But he doesn’t want to be just Andy anymore. He wants to be a substantial human being. His first step: helping Nancy raise this baby. Well, that’s the second step. The first step was shaving (Finally!)

Andy isn’t the only person Nancy recruits to help out with the new baby. Lupita, the Botwin housekeeper from Agrestic, is back. Apparently she spent her multiple-season vacation doing a little work for Aaron Kaplan. But now that he’s on the job market, so is she. Perfect timing to come back to the drama of the Botwins. Plus she can get a little surfing in. Sweet deal.

Outside the baby fever, Doug and Silas recruit Dean to help them get their marijuana back from the Internal Affairs agents holding their onetime partner/extorter, Deputy Jones. Dean is more than happy to help for a piece of the product and a small request from Doug involving a desk drawer and … well, let’s just say “some junk.” Though once Dean has a hold of the product (the weed, not Doug’s whatever), he quickly falls prey to the conniving mind of his ex-wife. Celia isn’t having any luck selling her “You’re Pretty” products, but maybe she just has the wrong free samples. She quickly recruits Dean and his office full of pot to fix that.

But the episode ends with Baby Boy Botwin’s bris. A little whitefish, a little chop chop, and Baby Botwin finally receives his name. Stephen Ray Botwin. Stevie Ray. Though the name is a slam at his biological father. I’m not going to even try to spell his Hebrew name, but it means “My Father the King.” Just like Esteban Reyes, which he brags also means kings. I feel sorry for Stephen Botwin. Every part of his life has been fodder between his mother and father, and I have a sinking feeling it isn’t going to end soon.

-- Andrew Hanson