Monday, April 09, 2007

Entourage: Glimpses of the Ari

Quick "Entourage" spoilers coming up just as soon as I admire my new billboard...

In my column on the new season, I complained that the Vince/Ari split exposed how badly Piven was carrying the other actors, and how vacant and dull the guys (save Drama) are when left to their own devices. Exhibit A: While Ari runs around plotting how to get back in Vince's good graces, the guys spend most of their time planning a massive, product-placed birthday party for Vince, and Vince vaguely toys with the idea of doing an Edith Wharton movie. Ever since "Karen Sisco," Carla Gugino can do no wrong for me, but Amanda doesn't understand her new client very well if this is where she's pushing him.

Drama had a few funny lines (""Nothing gets a girl wet like a calalily centerpiece"), but not enough to save the non-Ari portion of the show this week.

What did everybody else think?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

There's something missing from this show - I don't feel the same sadness when an episode is over that I had with Sex and the City. Last night's show was too vanilla for me. The Drama line Alan mentioned, and Carla's put down, were the only lines worth repeating. Two in a 30 minute show?! Where's the zippy Entourage of seasons past?

Susan said...

Sandi - I agree that there's something missing. I hate to sound cheesy, but I think what's missing is heart. On SATC, you always felt the love between the friends as well as the humor. On Entourage, I only feel the humor. (When there's a show of affection, it's something like, "Here, I got you all cars." "Hey, we threw you a birthday party with lingerie models.") At least with Ari, you feel some emotion coming from him, even if that emotion is desperation.

Susan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Old Man Snap said...

What's missing is there's no real fight in any of them anymore.

The thing that made this show for me when it first came on is it's attention to four nobodies from nowhere. Vince was psyched to make it and happy his buddies were there. Now, he's a walking ad.

Johnny was the only one with any "success," and he perpetually has to fight for respect anyway.

That said, I loved the whole break-up/friends/expectations dynamic between Ari and Vince. Their scene on the balcony ("I want to be more than just friends") was hysterical.

floretbroccoli said...

I first became aware of Carla Gugino when she starred in an adaptation of Edith Wharton's last (unfinished) novel, The Buccaneers, so was at least amused to have her pushing Vince into an Wharton adaptation.

Anonymous said...

Everyone has always talked about this show like it's the male version of Sex & the City, but to me that tile should have gone to Rescue Me.

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous:

Thanks for the Rescue Me shout out. I can't wait for that to come back. Maybe the Entourage boys have become complacent. Vince doesn't have any hunger in his belly and the story lines have become tired. There isn't much sense of discovery in them anymore.

Anonymous said...

It was never that great. It still isn't. Its just kind of fun and Ari is great.

Anonymous said...

Crewgrrl has it.

It's a fun and frivolous show. What distinguishes it from most 30 hour shows is that it is not insipidly stupid, like most sitcoms. It's fun, the characters are likable, and Piven is great. That's it. I think so much of the buzz is based on the fact that industry people watch it because it is about them and they love to talk about themselves. It just happens to be a good and fun show, too.

But not FANTASTIC.

Anonymous said...

I have felt since Season 1 that Ari and Drama are the best parts of this show and after them, Lloyd. The rest of the guys are fun but not nearly as funny.

Blankity-Blank said...

It's strange that suddenly something is missing from this show when this is really the first time anything has been at stake. Even when Turtle got in trouble with the gang/producer, it never seemed like there was any danger. But now that, at the very least, a major relationship is in trouble, real trouble, fans of the show seem put off.

Ted Frank said...

Well, the relationship is at stake, but it's hard to see why we should care. Ari is a big success without Vince; Vince is a big success without Ari, at least until the Edith Wharton movie flops. So there's still nothing at stake except Ari's pride. The show belongs to Ari and drags when he's not on screen.

Blankity-Blank said...

It's only Ari's show because everyone wants it that way. The show never made any such concession. But even if they did, it's not as if he is missing (so far), so that caanot be the problem people are suddenly having.

As far as why we should care, well, we shouldn't. But that's also never been an issue on this show before. In fact, it seems to out of its way to make sure you never do.