Quick spoilers for tonight's "Entourage" coming up just as soon as I start saving for my daughter's own Sweet 16... Much more than the previous two episodes, this one gave me some faint hope that "Entourage" might be at least decent again. Several things I liked, some big, some little:
• Vince has to literally sing for his supper (and his rent, etc.) with the humiliating Sweet 16 gig that almost turns out okay until Drama pukes on the cake. If they're going to treat Vince's career struggles as something he can't easily charm his way out of, then they need to up the mortification beyond the notion (from last week) that some hot famous girl would try to pawn him off on her slightly less hot and un-famous friend. Nice use of Kevin Pollak and Fran Drescher as the oblivious parents who are spoiling their daughter rotten.
• Ari's prank war with Adam Davies was actually funny, particularly once Ari went nuclear and slapped Davies in front of his entire agency. Mrs. Ari is a good character, but last season the writers tried too hard to get her involved, which took Ari away from the world where he works best. The prank was was crass and juvenile, but it was very Ari.
• Also funny? TI wanting to star in "Black Sabbath" -- about a black man who has an affair with an older Jewish woman -- with Meryl Streep.
• On a less important note, I liked that there were paparazzi following the guys as they were on their way to a meeting with Vince's business manager. The paps would be an everyday fact of life for a guy like Vince, and yet this show that prides itself on verisimilitude above all else has almost never acknowledged this annoying side of being a celebrity. They didn't need to do a paparazzi-fueled story (and they didn't), but simply showing them in action was a welcome touch.
What did everybody else think?
8 comments:
Was indeed a good ep, especially Ari's arc. I can already see the theme that I hope the season is going: you can have success or your friends, but not both. Eric's loyalty to Vince will screw him out of representing the writers and launching him as an independent entity in Hollywood. Vince's constant need to have Drama & Turtle around will push him deeper into the black hole as they embarrass him around town.
I think there is some meat to this type of theme. If they just paper that over and all get to make a great firefighter movie to put Vince's career back together it won't be nearly as interesting.
Solid episode. Ari had a lot to do.
I could see it coming to a head where Vince would finally have to make the decision to cut Drama loose in order to save his own career.
I liked the episode except for the end of Ari's arc. Are we really supposed to believe that Ari is physically intimidating?
I think I would have liked this episode a couple of years ago, but the characters have all become so loathsome that I was actually rooting against them for most of the episode.
Ari's constant screaming was funny at first, but it's long since worn thin. He's so cocky and arrogant that I was actually hoping Adam Davies would beat the crap out of him. And that car chase was so irresponsible I was hoping they'd both crash and burn.
Vince having to sing for his supper was good, but Drama stealing a bottle of scotch was out of line for someone who's now a successful actor and maybe instead of only ordering an appetizer Turtle should get a f***ing job!
I liked it as much as I can like an Entourage episode, but I can't get behind the end of Ari's story. Are we supposed to be rooting for him to beat up a rival agent? As I recall, Ari threw the first proverbial punch with the feces bag. I know we shouldn't be taking this show very seriously--considering the writers don't--but I don't like the implication that Ari gets this big climactic scene (and a euphoric denouement with his family) because he fought some pipsqueak.
I liked seeing Ari vs Davies. Not quite as good as him tearing down Josh Weinstein in season 1, but satisfying nonetheless.
Say what you guys will about "Entourage," but the reason Piven wins that Emmy year in and year out is because every season he gets an episode like this.
If he wins the Emmy next year, I guarantee it'll be because this was his submission episode.
That being said, I'd much rather see Neil Patrick Harris win it for the amazing work he did on the "Mother" premiere.
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