‘Entourage’: Bid for greatness?
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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.
Of course, we’ve known that all along: Johnny Chase has consistently been one of the most fleshed-out characters in Vince’s posse, and Kevin Dillon has been the only one of the boys nominated for an Emmy (and three years in a row, no less). But now it seems like art is imitating life imitating art, as Lloyd has brought in wry Hawaii- and mani-pedi-phile writer Roger (Jeff Garlin) to cook up a laffer about two brothers who work at the Four Seasons Maui. Which sounds promising. More promising: that John Stamos showed interest as the better-looking brother (“You think he’s better looking than me?”). With Bob Saget as a sometimes guest star, are we just one Dave Coulier away from a full-fledged “Full House” reunion? As Uncle Joey would say: Cut. It. Out!
Which is basically what Ari said to Lizzie Grant when she lobbied for Andrew’s old position as head of the TV department. Despite Babs’ insistence to give the star agent the position, Ari couldn’t go against an angry Mrs. Ari, who was still upset to find her husband chummy with the minx who broke up Andrew’s marriage, “pinning her around like you won ‘Dancing With the Stars.’” To which Ari classically responded, “I would have spun Lloyd around if he was in front of me. And if I could lift him.” Ari, still riding high on the prospect of bringing a football team to L.A. (“Mike Ovitz couldn’t do it. I will!”) refused to concede to Babs’ or Lizzie’s wishes, and Lizzie promptly quit.
E is trying to be zen with Vince’s burgeoning relationship with the leechy Lavin, but push came to shove when Lavin infringed on E’s territory, introduced the actor to “Braveheart” writer Randall Wallace during a wine auction and set up a potential new Stan Lee superhero project with Vince as the Air-Walker. E now feels like his territory’s been encroached, so he removed himself from grown-up domesticity (read: dinner with Sloan) and dropped by the frat-house bacchanalia over at Vince’s to defend his honor. Of course, Lavin wasn’t having any of it; egos and shoulders got bumped and bruised, Lavin was pushed backward and that huge dinosaur head, put on the market by NFL-er Adrian Peterson and bought as a surefire investment to get into the auction girl’s pants, got ruined as a result. I’m kind of enjoying this brewing Scotty-E battle; Scott Caan injects a nice energy into every scene that he’s in, and it’ll be interesting to see how far Vince will go with his newfound buddy.
Though, should Vince be bothering himself with fossils when there are so many newer and fresher things to consider? Do we need to see Vince in another superhero movie, even if it is written by David Benioff? Did Ari do the right thing in not promoting Lizzie? Does Lloyd look more distinguished now with that his sideburns are tinged with a shade of grey? Who’s better looking: Drama or Stamos?
-- Allyssa Lee
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