Maybe I’m just feeling charitable because I spent most of the day at the beach instead of in front of a glowing box, but Entourage has been on a little bit of a roll for the past few weeks. I think we can all admit—even those of you that are defending every bum joke every week—that the first couple of episodes this season were total bummers, but they seem to have hit a groove in the last couple of weeks. (Just no more montages of Eric doing stupid stuff, okay? Actually, no more Eric having a personal life…)
And who would have guessed, after that terrible affair with the French chick, that Johnny Drama would ever have a decent plotline again? It’s almost like they’d given up trying completely. But he had some of tonight’s best moments, right from the jump, when he was overacting out in the rain. (Let’s call it the Mark Wahlberg effect, wherein some actors are only good at playing really stupid characters, but man, they play those guys incredibly well.) Anyway, it took forever to get this Jamie-Lynn Sigler plotline rolling, but it was all a setup to prove that Johnny still has loyalty to Turtle, even those he gives him shit all the time. When the studio suit starts putting the moves on Jamie, it’s Drama who steps up and puts his job on the line but putting hands on the slick honcho. Good exchange: “Big mistake, John. I can have you killed.” “Oh yeah, by who?” “The writers.”
The other solid plotline, which was delivered with the kind of witty brevity Entourage sorely needs, was the Andrew vs. Ari one. After the scarily skinny Mrs. Ari finally forgives him, Gold thinks he’s in the clear, until Jami Gertz comes storming into the office, screaming this memorable line of dialogue: “Where is the nasty slut who’s fucking my worthless piece of shit husband?!” Amen, sister. Ari barely handles it, firing both of the sluts but then backing down. His joke when the mistress walked out of the room was totally unworthy of Ari Gold though—total groaner about shipping her to the Taliban, naked.
Meanwhile, poor pitiful little Eric can’t keep his shit together with Ashley, who realizes he still has feelings for Sloan. Boring.
Less boring: Eric accepting the job from George Segal that will pay him a smaller salary but will offer him the chance to work with different clients. Attaboy, Eric. Get out of the Vince ghetto and find some real action. (Vince isn’t working anyway, he’s off at Turtle’s school making girls drop their pants and pull out their video cameras just by showing up.)
Overall, a pretty decent episode, which makes a run of, what, three now? Not bad, Entourage.
Grade: B
Stray observations:
— “You called Ashley Sloane and you weren’t even mid-fuck?”
— You know what sucks? That Vince actually says, “Yo E,” a couple of times per episode.
— “I got rid of her before the island did.”
— Hey look! An NBA player who can’t act!