Last week, we learned that Showtime has become really close to sealing the deal on an eighth season for Weeds. Mary-Louise Parker’s recent love letter to Nancy Botwin, her character, can be read as either a send-off or a hope for more . . .

Well, here are five reasons why it should be the latter of the two.

1. No satisfying end, yet:

When season 7’s finale was on the way, I made a few predictions as to what would happen, and while several of them did come true, a big one did not. Nancy did not die; she did not go to jail; she did not lose her children. Quite the opposite, actually. She and her family entered a Utopia-esque little cottage in the country, intent on making a better situation for all involved. This is not end-like, not for Weeds. This is not satisfying as the end. The creators of Weeds are too clever to send us away hunky dory-style a la Entourage­. At worst, we can expect is something in the vein of The Sopranos . . . and that’s not what we got with season seven’s finale.

2. New rivalries have come along, obviously:

As with every season finale in Weeds history to-date, season seven’s brought along a new (well old, really) conflict. The man with the rifle pointed straight at Nancy in the end was obviously Peter Scottson’s son. There’s been enough zooming and comparing done around the web-o-sphere to confirm that fact. Peter’s death was early in the show, and I suspect there are a few demons of the past left in Nancy’s future. Oh, and Shane’s a secret cop now. Remember when he bit Peter’s kid in the karate tournament, leading to Nancy’s involvement with Peter? I predict there’ll be a rematch of some sorts between Shane and that kid worth exploring in season eight. I hope Shane bites him again . . . and then writes a curse-laden rap song about it.

3. Andy really needs a win:

Andy got his way, sort of, when he got to take part of the family to Copenhagen for a few years while Nancy was in the pen. It wasn’t enough to satisfy though because he came back to New York the second Nancy was released. As soon as he got there, he went back to being unsatisfied and thought a successful bike shop would fill his little unconquerable void, but that didn’t happen . . . Ultimately, it boils down to him being in love with Nancy, I think. He has been for years, and while that was more seriously explored in seasons five and six, the seventh season gave him pretty much the perfect woman for him to be with, and of course that didn’t work out . . . Andy needs to win out at some point with Nancy. I think he will . . . but that’ll only happen if we have another season or two of the show.

4. More Silas:

Hunter Parrish won’t be Peeta in The Hunger Games, which isn’t worth re-hashing here, so we need to see him somewhere. Right, ladies? I think that suffices for point four.

5. The machines!:

At the end of season seven, we saw what the biggest treat of the new cottage included – a new handy dandy laboratory for Silas, outfitted with fancy equipment and all set up for new business. Silas failed to prove himself a capable partner to Nancy, again, but all hope is not lost. Here’s a shiny new vehicle for success . . . We aren’t really expected to believe it just *poof* will be, right? I’d like to see where that leads the gang, wouldn’t you?

What about you, Weeds fans? What would be your reasons for wanting to see a season eight of the show?