(S03E13) "This town's not safe for a bitch."
It certainly isn't. What we have here is a good thing. Something you don't often see on television. Usually after a mediocre run of episodes, you expect a show to keep heading in the same direction. No matter how much you may love it, you expect the same mediocrity. Entourage has gone ahead and blown away all my expectations. This show feels new again. The way it did when it first premiered. Suddenly, there's this extremely serious tone and to top it off? It's just as funny as it ever was.
No exact time frame was given since we last left our Fab Four, but a lot has happened. Vince has moved on to another agent. Amanda (played by the ridiculously good looking Carla Gugino) takes her job far more seriously than Ari ever did and it appears that some of that work ethic may be rubbing off on Vince. Drama's Ed Burns pilot (Five Towns) got picked up by NBC. OK... so not a lot has happened. Turtle still smokes weed like it's oxygen and Eric is still dating Sloane. Things actually seem to be pretty good for everyone. Except Ari. All those years where he took Vince for granted have finally come back and smacked him in the face.
What the show has developed into is a much more sophisticated look into Vince's life. Career now carries the same weight as partying for the former Aquaman and if you think about it, that's a huge step for Vince. An even bigger step? He's interested in doing an adaptation of Edith Wharton's The Glimpses of the Moon. Just the idea of that sounds painful. Medellín it isn't and Ari knows this. So he dangles the possibility of Vince still being able to get his dream role by claiming inside knowledge that Benicio Del Toro is losing interest in the part.
You have to hand it to Ari. He really does know Vince better than anyone else and if he's going to create a power struggle between himself, his old client, and his old client's new agent... this is the way to do it. Personally, I think Ari is full of it and just likes to think he can wish these things into reality. If the film were really on the verge of being up for grabs, I think Amanda would have heard something. She strikes me as being good at what she does.
Elsewhere, Drama has taken to searching for himself on the billboards of Hollywood in some sort of whacked out individual version of Where's Waldo. Of course, it's amusing because nobody has any idea who the hell he is.
Turtle continues to prove himself more business savvy than you'd expect from someone who's constantly stoned. How do you throw Vince the biggest birthday bash without maxing out Eric's credit cards? Sponsorship and lots of it. Some of it I got. Victoria's Secret? Um... hell yes. Skyy Vodka? Makes sense. Carvel ice cream? Huh?
Despite all that's changed though, some things haven't. Vince is still a dreamer. Lazy? Maybe. Slightly gullible? Definitely. However, what he sees as cautious patience, Amanda sees as potential disloyalty and annoyance. Amanda takes her job seriously. Vince can't be taking tips from Ari and expect her to just roll with it.
In closing, my new thing withe this show isn't quotes. It's ways it makes me jealous. This week?
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I want Eric's Schlitz beer tee-shirt. I have a Pabst Blue Ribbon tee and the Schlitz one would complete the collection of crappy, cheap beer apparel.
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Drama got a hand-job from the Friendly's girl who makes the Fribbles? Wow. That man is an icon.
Seven greatest hand cannons in TV history
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-09-2007 @ 5:40AM
MacGuffin said...
To some, this week's episode may have been a little disappointing. But we were redeemed in the last few minutes of the show.
I really liked how the producers have quickly set up this 'season' with the fight between Amanda and Ari, as well as the complex friendship between Ari and Vince. I think we are going to see the best season and the best arc yet.
Once again . . . kudos for bringing us some of the most satisfying 24 minutes on TV today.
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4-09-2007 @ 5:40AM
radwimp said...
this was great, it definitely felt like old entourage. i'm so excited to see the rest of the season now!
hope to see more of amanda as well. the scenes between her and ari were awesome.
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4-09-2007 @ 5:41AM
Borat said...
This really is the most "fun" show on TV. Drama is great as always.
Also, they used actual Victoria Secret models didn't they? When Vince was blowing the candles out I recognized the model standing on his right as someone who has been on Conan O' Brien's show multiple times.
And damn, Carla Gugino is ridiculously hot.
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4-09-2007 @ 5:41AM
ScreenwriterGuy said...
I agree, great episode.
The addition of Vince's new agent is a fantastic touch, and I liked how they let some ambiguous amont of time pass. I especially like the hint that Vince is into Amanda, evidenced by, among other things, the fact that he read a screenplay cover to cover.
The dynamic between Ari and Amanda is great right away. It's fantastic that for all the things he's done to deserve having been fired, he's not wrong when he claims to be a better agent for Vince. Still, Amanda's doing a better job listening to what Vince actually wants, and she doesn't shrink away from Ari.
Good stuff. I'm looking forward to this season.
http://www.screenwriterguy.com
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4-09-2007 @ 5:41AM
dukrous said...
I think Ari is telling the truth. If he's just blowing smoke up Vince's ass then he loses all credibility and a key part of the show is gone. He has to win Vince the role in Medellin to be more than just a footnote in the TV.com cast list.
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4-09-2007 @ 5:42AM
bgdc said...
Subpar episode at best. The timing seemed off on everything. Glad I forgot about it and watched it late tonight on Tivo.
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4-09-2007 @ 5:42AM
BigTed said...
The posters for "Five Towns" make it look exactly like "The Black Donnellys." And I bet it'll be canceled just as quickly.
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4-09-2007 @ 7:31PM
Seth said...
They had me at Carla Gugino, I love that they had her bring the girls out at the party.
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4-09-2007 @ 7:31PM
Terri said...
What was the reason Ari gave Amanda for the guy already casted for Medellin backing out or not being able to do the part therefore allowing Vince to get the part? Can't remember, driving us nuts at work...
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4-09-2007 @ 7:32PM
Eric J. said...
Vince has no real interest in "Glimpses," he just wants to sleep with his agent. (And who can blame him? I'd show interest in starring in a snuff film to sleep with Carla Gugino.) I give them until about episode 3. And once he's slept with her, he'll be back with Ari within a few weeks.
I enjoyed the irony of all of the corporate sponsorships for Vince' s birthday party also being product placements for HBO.
And what is up with these product placed Cisco Systems PCs that show up on all kinds of shows lately? I first noticed them on Eureka. Ari had one on his desk last night. Cisco doesn't make PCs. They make networking equipment. They're product placing products that don't exist.
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4-09-2007 @ 7:32PM
Steve said...
Those aren't Cisco PC's they're Cisco IP Video Phones
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4-09-2007 @ 7:32PM
Justin said...
This was a sub-par episode and I'm very close to throwing in the towel on it. We're back to recycling the whole "Medellin" thing again?! The banter between the boys is not funny, and while Carla may be hot, every scene with her (especially the first) is awkward and forced. And the product placements (Victoria's Secret, Carvel, Skyy, etc) were meant to be ironic but were just plain sad. Ugh.
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4-09-2007 @ 7:33PM
Parker said...
This is astounding to me. I hardly ever air my opinion this way, but just couldn't resist after watching that poor excuse of an episode. On top of that everyone is singing it's praises. Did anyone of you actually watch and listen or was everyone just so hung up on Carla. Please, lets remember that her previous resume highlight was co-staring with Paulie Shore (which even the show makes fun of). I could names thousands of starlets who could fake having an edge needed to respond to Ari's quick wit.
Oh, and you writers, you bunch of weakkneed schoolgirls aren't off the hook either. We wait over a year and you hand us this garbage. Let me guess, you replaced Ari's writers with one's that used to work at the "WE" channel. I've seen harder and smarter dialouge from Bollywood!!!! I found it more convincing to watch the freakin Masters.
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4-09-2007 @ 7:33PM
Parker said...
one word...crap
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4-09-2007 @ 7:33PM
floretbroccoli said...
I'm particularly amused by Carla Gugino pushing an Edith Wharton adaptation, since she starred in an adaptation of Wharton's last (unfinished) novel, The Buccaneers, more than ten years ago.
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4-09-2007 @ 7:33PM
Slider said...
Yeah I thought this episode was mediocre. Of course the series is brilliant so that saves it, but i don't enjoy the bringing back of Medillin or buy the Edith Wharton movie being something vince would read. They need a new edge as to why Vince would pick his next movie. Im not sure what it would be, but he needs to get on the set so they can move the story setting elsewhere. Big fan still.
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4-09-2007 @ 7:34PM
Bill said...
I'm not up to Parker's level of hate for the episode, but I didn't care for it either. I love Carla Gugino (and she has some real highlights on her resume... Karen Sisco was a pretty cool show, the Spy Kids series were successful family movies, and she was in Sin City!), but she wasn't enough to save the episode from the fact that it wasn't funny.
I do like the setup for the competition between agents, but I thought they could've done something more entertaining to get us to where we are now.
As for whether Ari's got a bead on the Medellin part for real or not... I don't think he needs to. If he can get Vince to realize he's only considering this lame part cause he's hot for his agent, that should be enough to get him to jump ship. He'd be pissed at Ari for lying to him if it turns out not to be true, but if Ari comes back with an almost-as-good part, all would be forgiven, I'm sure.
http://popculturejunk.blogspot.com/
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4-10-2007 @ 10:23AM
Kelly said...
I didn't hate the episode at all. I caught Rex Lee with Charlie Tuna on KBIG. He spilled a few secrets. Check this link out.
http://www.kbig104.com/cccommon/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=DailyTunaCast.xml
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4-17-2007 @ 6:32PM
molly said...
Is this show about Eric and his relationships? I am getting tired of seeing this bland face midget on almost every scene. Pls. Hbo, let see more of Vince, Drama and Turtle, they are more interesting, stop selling 'E' as this egoistical, powerhouse, nailed pretty girls, attractive guy, and it's unbelievable!!!! (Yeah, I am aware he nailed the Hilton girl in real life, no glory there, maybe, except for gold diggers, after all, no decent guy would date the Hilton girls, money or no money). Besides, everyone has issues in their personal life, being a bland a face midget is one, quoting Ari, "little man complex"; so why is Doug Ellin pushing this guy as a hot property? For crying out loud, the guy only takes one picture, just that bland look, BORING!!!! It is beginning to creep me out.
As for Ari, he's overactive, overacting one liners is fun but it's getting too clichéd. Let's have some balance here!!!! And pls. hbo, you are killing Vince!!! He is the star after all, so why are you making him out to be so pathetic. It's one thing to be a womanizing, co-dependant pussy, which, I have to say he is acting very well. But to lump him off in a relationship with a middle aged agent while bland face midget like 'E' gets all the young hoties and a threesomes???? And now Vince has to find girls to please E and Sloan? What's that? Pls, pull the other foot, I am not buying it, hello, Vince is the star!!! Let's get some reality here!! For those of you who said Sloan is a decent girl, yeah right, decent girls don't do threesomes. There are some viewers out here who watches the show because of Vince; we want to see more dept, more heart to him. All in all the show is great.
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4-22-2007 @ 4:54PM
Kate said...
what was the name of the song that was playing for the ending credits of the season premiere..(Vinces' Birthday)?
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