'Entourage': 'Is this an ambush?'

We've reached the second to last "Entourage" episode of the season, folks. And while last week saw a lot of posturing and threats, in this episode -- titled "Porn Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" (and directed by Kevin Connolly, aka E) -- push really came to shove. Let's put it this way: Sasha wasn't the only one being ganged up on during this half-hour.

Vince was still as unstrung and high as ever. Shaking off his shackles, the actor relayed to Ari that he doesn't need a babysitter and told E that things weren't OK between them until Sasha got a part in the "Air-Walker" movie. Luckily, potential "Air-Walker" director Peter Berg (whose straight-shooting no-nonsense was much appreciated) was amenable. The guy behind "Friday Night Lights" smoothly played off his Sasha awareness ("I'm familiar with her work"), was able to see a part for her as a secretary, and found a way to fit in the Under Armour brand ever so subtly on his shirt to boot. Well played.

Sasha Grey, however, refused to bow down to Vince's controlling ways. We learned a lot about Sasha in this episode: First, she was "a very shy conservative" and the last of her friends to lose their virginity. Second, she's kind of a snob ("Why did you invite him?" she pooh-poohed about dinner companion Scotty. "The conversation's lacking a little depth."). Third, she was once engaged to a fellow porn star –- some dude who just so happened to be one of the guys involved in her upcoming onscreen gang-bang. Finally, she doesn't like to be told what to do. Oh, but we knew that already. Vince offered Sasha an "Air-Walker" part with the hopes that she would quit her adult film. When that didn't work, he went for plan B and told her that he loved her. "Sounds more like you’re trying to control me," she responded. Angry, passionate bathroom sex ensued.

'Entourage': Is that a threat?

Good morning, everyone. How’s everyone feeling? Why don’t we start the day off with some hugs and kisses?

Be sure to take your niceties when you can get them, because despite Ari’s attempts for a “softer, quieter, gentler regime,” the gloves came off in this “Entourage” episode, charmingly titled “Sniff Sniff Gang Bang.”

Power struggles were erupting all over the place, and gauntlets were being thrown down left and right. Take Ari and Mrs. Ari, for instance. After suffering the embarrassment and public humiliation of everyone discovering that her husband has the worst potty mouth in the history of the world, Mrs. Ari had found her voice and lashed back with her own list of demands. She asked to banish BlackBerrys and increase therapy (and props to Nora Dunn for her entertaining mediation). Initially to Ari, however, it was like his wife was expelling a lot of hot air. That is, until she threatened to reevaluate their relationship that if Ari broke another promise or lied to her one more time.

Vince didn’t want Sasha to do the adult movie because he didn’t want other guys having their way with his girl. “Relax,” said Sasha. “It’s a five-guy gang bang, so no one gets any one-on-one time with me.” Surprisingly enough, that didn’t allay Vince’s fears. But Sasha doesn’t like to be told what to do, and she saw Vince’s offer to pay her $200K to not do the movie as a controlling ploy. So Vince is now trying to get Sasha to do his bidding in another way: By getting her a role in “Air-Walker” instead.

 

'Entourage': Coke and a smile

And the hits just keep on coming for “Entourage” boys in this episode, titled “Tequila and Coke.”

The half hour started buoyantly enough, with babes in and out of bikinis at a sex- and drug-fueled after party, sponsored by Avion tequila, which saw Vince, Scotty, Sasha and another girl riding high on talk of jumping out of planes and blow, and Chris Bosh offering a bartender $1,000 to get his girl a drink made out of vodka. This bacchanal was lost on domesticated E, who was already settled in bed, outfitted in an old ratty NY t-shirt and who merely called in like a dutiful spouse to make sure Vince got enough rest for his second meeting with writer-director Randall Wallace the following day.

But true to hedonistic Vince, the importance of his Air-Walker meeting took a back seat to other more timely and imminent pleasures. The actor ended up arriving on his Harley Davidson high on a cocktail of Vicodin and coke, and Vince’s jittery right leg, inability to focus and giggles of “my fingers are sealed” did not do anything to allay Wallace’s fears.

 

'Entourage': Down for the count

As Vince told a glum and unemployed Drama during this half-hour, the nature of this business called show is a lot of up and down, up and down. One day you’re on top of the world, and then next you’re passed out naked on the side of the pool. And this episode, titled “Hair,” saw most of the “Entourage” boys dwelling in their valleys.

Remember just a few episodes back, when Ari was the king of the world and practically did the "Titanic" pose at the bow of the Miller Gold Agency? Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Big name players Jerry Jones, Jeff Katzenberg and Mike Meldman — all of whom got the boldface treatment when they last were mentioned on the show — were placed on hold and given a backseat to a threat of a lawsuit from ousted agent Lizzie Grant and the vindictive (and loving it) Amanda Daniels. And while Ari at first dismissed the threat as a my-word-against-yours battle, Daniels revealed that she had recorded Ari at his verbal worst to prove it. (Incidentally, how great did Carla Gugino look upon entering those cold TMA halls? With that killer red coat and that tight dress, it was as if Daniels was a black widow personified.) “This is like arms control,” asserted Daniels. “You’re like Iran, and I need to take away your weapons because you’re reckless.”

But with the NFL deal now a little bit more tenuously on the line, Ari can’t afford to court controversy. So this pesky threat to his good name sent the agent into a tizzy.

 

'Entourage': No bro left behind

Everyone was getting some sort of bum deal (for better or for worse) in this episode, cheekily titled “Bottoms Up.”

Part of that may have to do with the casting of adult film star Sasha Grey, who arrived this week for a multi-episode arc as Vince’s new bed buddy. Apparently, Grey is known to be an “anal specialist.” But this episode made sure to reveal that the independent film actress was fleshed out to be more than just her profession. She also reads books (“some of them don’t even have pictures”)! She starred in Steven Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience!” She got her porn name from an Oscar Wilde tome! (Though not to be, ahem, anal about it, but the name of Wilde’s protagonist was spelled “Gray,” not “Grey.”) She can craft pancakes into many shapes!

She’s also quite the morning drinker. “What better way to start the day?” Grey asked when Turtle hauled in a case of Avion tequila to grease Vince’s wheels and get his buddy to sign on as a spokesman. Too bad uppity E was having none of it — Vinnie is no Aunt Jemima (and thank goodness for that).

Vince was, however, a soused-up lush who was clearly intoxicated by Sasha’s presence … and by those tequila shots. The possible Air-Walker took a Vicodin for his ailing back earlier in the day, which, along with the Avion, made him very touchy-feely with his adult companion and very loopy during his meeting with “Braveheart” writer Randall Wallace and Marvel Comics legend/porn watcher Stan Lee.

Wallace, however, wasn’t as charmed by the unprofessional Vince and his companion as Lee was.

'Entourage': Couples therapy

Characters were pairing up in this episode, titled “Tequila Sunrise,” faster than hormone-addled teens at a school dance. Drama and John Stamos tested their on-screen brotherhood, while Turtle and Alex went south of the border to continue their will-they won't they connection. Ari was trying to get into bed with an entire conference room full of deep pockets. Vince immediately became attached to that Korean ping-pong player.

And E and Lavin were slowly but surely circling around their own burgeoning partnership. First of all, let me state again how much I’m enjoying Scott Caan as E frenemy Scotty Lavin. And Caan did not disappoint tonight; he injected a refreshing, much-needed jolt of braggadocio into every scene he's in. What’s more, it just looks like he’s having a blast doing it, and his high energy and rat-a-tat line delivery are an enticing and infectious mix. It certainly is a welcome shot in the arm to staid E’s storyline, giving Vince’s right hand man a capable and worthy rival both at work and in his friendship with the movie star.

And bless Scotty for pointing out how boring E is. E’s sore about Scotty introducing Vince to the Air Walker script -- especially because it’s a great story that can potentially lead to a huge franchise. Looks like E and Lavin might be seeing more eye to eye lately, however -- and I’m not just talking about what Turtle deemed their “dueling Napoleonic complexes.” Lavin appeared to have a scheme he’s cooking up that will pit him and Eric against Murray Bernstein himself. How this fits in with E’s fiance Sloan, however, remains to be seen. Already the rift between E and the boys has grown bigger, with the nuptially-minded E begging off a spontaneous trip to Vegas because he has to meet with the wedding planner. It’ll be interesting to see if E will choose his boys or his girl for the long haul.

Drama’s trying to get in some bonding time as well, with potential sitcom brother John Stamos.

'Entourage': Bid for greatness?

Up until now, we've had a pretty entertaining season of "Entourage." There's been some new work for Vince, some feisty exchanges and a crackling energy that has been quite enjoyable to watch. So it was inevitable that we would come to a half-hour that didn’t quite fire on all cylinders. And this episode, titled "Dramedy," is that one.

It still set up some promising story lines, though. First, Vinnie is continuing his rebellious streak, pulling a Wild One by taking a pit stop at the Harley-Davidson dealership and sidling up to the gang’s usual Urth Caffe outing on a new hog. It was a good thing Vince got that haircut – his mop top would have lost an unsightly battle with the tenacious helmet head under that tight-fitting hood. Vince is also clearly enjoying the new friendship that he’s forged with Lavin, that guy who represents the flash and dash of the unconventional and new, and who serves as a classic yes man to help Vince have fun with his honeys and make him feel like he’s living on the edge.

Because glum Turtle sure isn’t playing the part. The erstwhile driver received word that he’s running out of capital for his beloved business and now has to go through drastic cost-cutting measures, washing his own cars and slashing salaries by half. The reduced pay sent his short-skirted and babelicious staff walking, and poor Turtle was left drowning his sorrows with the only girl he had left, mary jane. That is, until Alex came into the picture (again) and presented him a (groan) money-making opportunity down in Mexico. And there can be no good that comes out of this road trip down south; this whole Alex-Turtle story line has been a bit deflated, and fingers are crossed that this sojourn doesn’t turn out to be some “El Norte” saga. Mostly though, I wish someone could wake me up when it’s over.

Drama, on the other hand, is quite the comedian.

'Entourage': Dazed and confused

When we last left the summer series, Vince was hot and bothered and walking away from a fiery stunt crash. Turns out the explosive car stunt has since left our “Entourage” star, as Ari said, “a little off since the accident.” The inevitable fallout reared its head this episode, titled "Buzzed," in odd ways: First, he slept for 18 hours straight. Then, he couldn’t get his moppy hair off his mind (though truth be told, that thing was starting to reach the outer limits of acceptable moppiness), so he pulled a Felicity and chopped it all off. While Drama immediately took to the new streamlined ’do (“we look more alike than ever!”), an angry Nick Cassavetes likened the crop to “Tobey Maguire from ‘Brothers.’” Which still may be better than publicist Shauna’s comment: “I thought you were Samantha Ronson from behind!” Ha!

Vince’s transformation only started there. It seems the movie star’s near-death experience has launched him into an existential state where he feels the need for speed and jump out of planes or heli board in order to feel truly alive.

He’s also saying things that he shouldn’t. Like when he did the ultimate PR no-no and told Maria Menounos that the Cassavetes movie would “probably end up sucking” during the “Ferrari” junket, thereby sending E and Shauna into a tizzy. It’ll be interesting to see how Vince will deal with this whole world of trouble that he set up for himself by bad-mouthing his new movie, getting that hair cut and jumping on the Scotty Lavin bandwagon.

Turtle suffered a snag in his bumping babe business when his corporate AmEx was embarrassingly rejected by the cute waitress at the diner.

'Entourage': Men at work

The kids are on vacation, white has returned to fashion and traffic to the beach has reached its hilt. It’s officially summer, folks. And lucky for us, we’ve got a fresh batch of “Entourage” episodes straight from the cooker and ready for our viewing pleasure.

After a year filled with Byzantine plots and heavy drama, it was nice to return to a light and refreshing summer program that goes down as easy as a well-made mint julep. And the Season 7 premiere didn’t disappoint. Doug Ellin and Co. seem to be starting the series’ second to last season not with a whimper but a big blazing fireball of a bang.

So Vince has taken to doing his own stunts in the new Nick Cassavetes movie. And despite those odd-looking goggles that he sported while filming (left over from his Enzo Ferrari biopic, maybe?), it was nice to see the movie star at work and questioning his measure as an actor and as a man. As we witnessed in last year’s lackluster season, all wish fulfillment and no work makes Vince a very dull boy. I like how the writers have decided to make this season (or the start of it, anyway) revolve more around the industry itself — in my opinion, that's when the series works best.

'Entourage': Pay it forward

So now we’ve reached the end of the sixth season, and “Entourage” has packed it with a wallop of revelation and eye candy. Not only that, they serve it all up with an extra special helping of Matt Damon too. How many kinds of funny was he? The actor's agitated version of himself kept me giddily amused from beginning to end.

But more on him later. The end of the season also marked the end of Vince’s long, hot summer holiday. Now that our resident movie star is finally ready to journey to Italy and start work on his next film, Vince is looking for  tagalongs.

Turtle has things to work out first. Despite UCLA coed Brooke’s best efforts to get Turtle’s mind off Jamie-Lynn and into the gutter (and with open shades, no less -- it seemed as though  they were making out in front of the entire campus), Turtle couldn’t even manage to get his gray-toed Hanes ankle socks off. The tryst was cut short when Turtle made up his mind to take the 14 1/2-hour flight (In the uncomfortable middle seat, no less! That's love) to surprise his long-distance girl in New Zealand. Only, the surprise was on him: Jamie-Lynn decided she didn’t want to see her ex-beau at all: “It wouldn’t work, and if we’re ever going to have a chance in the future, we shouldn’t try.” The explanation sounds a bit hollow, but it looks as though Jamie-Lynn is out of the picture for good, leaving Turtle to high-tail it to join Vince in Rome and lick his wounds.

Drama also had every intention of following his younger bro to Italy for a Roman holiday. Only, “Melrose Place” kept on knocking: First by asking him to test again, and then by sweetening the pot and adding a couple more Gs to his bid. Drama wouldn’t have any of it and wanted to sever the strings completely. But you can't have Drama without acting! Luckily he realized that, too, recommitted himself to his craft and delivered a rousing speech to the "Melrose" crew that seemed worthy of an audition itself. And though the network deemed him too old for the “Melrose Place” slot (duh), they set him up with something better: a holding deal in which they develop a starring vehicle. So Drama got bumped up to leading man, and he got to savor la dolce vita. Sweet.

Also driving a starring vehicle: E. And by that, I'm talking about that beautiful car that seemed to inhabit every scene he was in. Oh, and he did his best to woo back his long-lost love, Sloan, too. He took her on a scenic drive up the coast, arranged for a perfectly sunny day, and returned to one of their old waterfront haunts overlooking the Pacific. But once Sloan cottoned on to E's attempt at reconciliation, she balked and insisted he take her back. And after a couple miles of stony silence, they conveniently pull over on the side of a picturesque cliff. And we were treated to another round of he loves her, she can't trust him drama. Only, E was prepared for the rebuff and up the ante with a diamond ring. And Sloan, sun-kissed and glowing with her end-of-the-summer tan, melted. And judging by how he turned down a trip with his boys in favor of his new fiancee, it seems like E's serious about the relationship this time. Will it last?

'Entourage': Kiss kiss bang bang

Alas, I had my numbers wrong: This is the penultimate episode of the season. Aptly titled “Scared Straight,” this half-hour is filled with enough entertaining plot twists and gross turns to keep one's interest piqued until the season ends.

Many of tonight's story lines revolved around girl troubles. Such as Jamie-Lynn, who was devastated at the thought of leaving Turtle for New Zealand. Turtle, for whatever reason, kept a dry eye and a practical outlook: He said they'd talk 10 times a day, that tuna rolls and lobster mashed potatoes would help to fill the void and that he’d miss her but this was too good an opportunity to pass up. Jamie-Lynn, however, wasn’t convinced, and her fears were confirmed when the sexy UCLA brunette befriended Turtle on Facebook.

Turtle just thought he was being nice, but JL saw it as a dangerous omen. What played out was a pretty realistic and affecting turn between two people who cared about each other and were dealing with separation in their own ways. Jamie-Lynn chose to push Turtle away, while Turtle wanted to stay the course and be straightforward. But things got emotional when Jamie-Lynn gave Turtle her blessing to see other people. “Is this 'cause I didn’t cry?” a dumbfounded Turtle asked. To which a teary Jamie-Lynn simply said: “This is because I love you.” And darn it if I didn’t get misty-eyed myself during that exchange: Kudos to Jamie-Lynn Sigler for stretching what was supposed to be just a guest spot into something that had some depth and felt real. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Turtle now that she’s gone. For the time being, he was in a tailspin. “I don’t even know who I am without her,” he insisted. To which Drama aptly responded: “I’m going to puke.”

E freaked out because he’d been enjoying the single life but feared he may have caught something. The girl he’d been out with, Tara, had apparently been keeping herself very busy, with stopovers at Drama’s (“E, I’ve had most of this town, so it’s bound to happen that our trees will dabble in the same park at some point”) and various other cads around town, and now E was running to the doctor and swearing off women (“L.A. is a cesspool”). And if that herpes poster at the doctor’s office, the full disclosure of E’s sexual history and the atrocities that occurred during the examination (“What are you going to do with that thing?” “Exactly what you’re hoping I don’t do”) weren't enough to get one to swear off dipping into Petri dishes without the proper protection, I don’t know what will.  I can understand how E would want to swear off women after this, but suddenly deciding that he wanted to be with Sloan? Haven’t we been on this merry-go-round long enough?

'Entourage': Get the freak out

Paranoia has reached a boiling point in this second-to-last episode of the season. There were potential hookups and a long-awaited breakup. And, perhaps most notable, Lloyd struck out on his own and showed he had the goods to swim with the rest of the sharks in this business.

But let’s talk about the other craziness first: Like Turtle, freaking out about that UCLA brunet. Jamie-Lynn was none too pleased about the girls harping on her boyfriend (“Are those the whores that stole your underwear?”), and Turtle himself seems to be conflicted about being attracted to this other woman when his hot girlfriend was in the Porsche right next to him. And for a second there I thought maybe he was going to take the high road, walking away from the brunet and focusing on what he has, which are solid friends and a strong, stable relationship. But no: “I’m in the middle of a freaking love triangle,” he moaned. And while Vince saw only the fun in it, Turtle is racked with longing and guilt. Which no doubt will get worse after Jamie-Lynn ships off to New Zealand for her new series.

And of course, Ashley really let her freak flag fly. Well, to be fair, E freaked out first, obsessing over why she wasn’t calling him back, and showing up at her place in the wee hours and rapping on her window like a maniac. Though had he known that she was just trying to package her paranoia in a way that wasn’t so bonkers, he might have been better off taking a nap instead. So her brilliant idea of reading E’s e-mail (E's-mail) to quell her suspicions didn’t sit very well with him. Or with anyone else, really: Vince even went illegal, gabbing on the cellphone while driving and telling E that Ashley had always been one boiled bunny short of cuckoo (though why Vince chose this moment to tell E is a little odd, given the fact that he’d been blandly accepting of E’s Ashley drama thus far). And assistant Brittany’s flat-out assessment that she’s certifiable gave E the momentum he needed to end this thing once and for all. I just can’t even believe he said, “You say you’re not crazy, but all signs point to the contrary.” Can you really call someone crazy to his or her face and get away with it? But he did, and the relationship finally made its final departure from Crazytown to Splitsville. And though Ashley did have her share of problems, I think both E and Ashley took turns driving the loco-motive on the way to this seemingly interminable end. I’m not sure I completely buy Brittany’s assertion that she’s strictly a career girl, though. Particularly as the boss-assistant line continues to blur while hanging out after hours.

But my favorite part of the episode had to be the all-out competition between Ari and Lloyd (and Adam Davies, by default). And over Drama, no less!