I'm filling in for Josh this week, thereby learning the major difference between just watching an episode of Entourage and reviewing it. The show is a guilty pleasure of mine normally, basically a boy-version of Sex and the City, which means I tune in, look at pretty people doing things I can't, feel nice and don't think for a half hour. Actually writing about it is slightly unpleasant since it's forcing me to acknowledge how little this show really moves at times. Maybe that's why it's so pleasant for zoning out—my brain doesn't have to do much work.
Tonight's episode opens with Vince in bed with a chick who wakes up and hears noises in the house. After investigating, Vince he locks himself in the bedroom and asks her to call 911. Of course the next day, Drama's first reaction is that it was a "fantasy rape sequence" set up by Vince’s overnight guest, so says the guy who wonders if he should bring a fruit basket to apologize to Dan the studio suit for assaulting him, since he's now persona non grata on the “Five Towns” set.
Over at Eric's first day at his new job, it was easy to spot his new enemy at work, Scott, since he sported a shirt opened up to douchebag-depth, wore his hair gelled back and clapped halfheartedly at Eric’s introduction to the meeting. Just in case Eric's new nemesis wasn't painted broadly enough, he cornered Eric after the meeting, told him to stay away from his new-client hopeful, Bob Saget, and in the ultimate burn, told Eric to throw away his apple core. He might as well have pointed to something invisible on Eric's shirt and said "Don't be so gullible, McFly!"
My friend Nathan Rabin opines that whenever a guest star appears on Entourage, he or she magically loses all talent, charm and persona although I think that Bob Saget was not half bad on tonight's episode, showing up for a meeting with Eric and Scottie with a bimbo, talking about doing lines off her ass, what Scottie would do for him if he committed murder, and then asking Scottie to leave his own office so he could talk to E. Saget reveals that he'll sign on the condition that Murray will let him have sex in his office (frankly I would have expected something much more perverted from Saget.) I liked that Bob kept repeating, "I'm serious. I'm not weird," over and over again, as if Saget is really concerned about coming off as weird.
I'm unclear as to why Drama thought getting Dan to admit that he bragged about banging Jamie Lynn Siegler on tape was going to help him in any way (this storyline got old really fast for me) but the good news is that he won't be kicked off "Five Towns"—but Dan promises to make his life a living hell. Meanwhile, Eric’s boss agrees to let Bob Saget bone in his office, thereby pissing off Scottie so bad that he probably will throw his letterman's jacket on the gym floor in disgust. Back at Vince's house, the entourage agrees to let Ari's security guy come over after Drama accidentally shoots out a window, which nobody could have seen coming.
I thought it was a ho-hum episode overall, but again, I was asked to think about it so the regular TV viewer in me would have declared it "fine" but as an AV Clubber I have to give it a "meh."
—Grade: C
Stray observations:
—This show is way more interesting when Vince is actually working.
—Are people in real life as incredulous about a waiting-period for buying guns as they are on TV?
—I thought Eric could have done something way more interesting to retaliate against Ari sending pizzas to his new office other than sending a pink dildo back to him.
—I just learned that the Scott in tonight’s episode is Scott Caan, son of James Caan, who stands five feet five inches tall. Make your own Kevin Connolly joke.