Summer TV Review: Entourage Lacking Its Ammo

When Ari Gold's son showed up at breakfast with a water pistol, Ari said to his son, "Jews don't carry guns buddy, you know that." That was the closest that Entourage has come to show any bullets this season. I wanted to go through and do reviews for my summer shows (Entourage, Dexter, Mad Men, Weeds, Californication, Eastbound and Down, etc.), but Entourage is slowly inching towards moving off my summer watching list all together. The show has gone from being a fun (and funny) look at a boy's club in Los Angeles to being unimportant. Like an upper-middle class teenage girl moaning about her life problems because boys don't like her and her mom grounded her for her C- on her report card, the problems of the entourage are not as bad as they seem and they are the same issues that they dealt with a week ago--and it all comes off as whiny and,  mostly, unfunny. That's the worst part about the show right now: in an effort to "mature" as a show and as characters, the show has lost it's sprinkling of humor to the point where watching the show has become more of a routine than an enjoyable Sunday experience.

Maybe the issue is that I'm expecting too much from Entourage. As Steven Kurutz from the Wall Street Journal wrote yesterday after the episode named "Dramedy":

We’ve been forced to confront something unpleasant since we began recapping “Entourage:” it’s not a very smart show. Perhaps on some level we always knew this but were sufficiently distracted by the male fantasy aspects: the beautiful, willing women; the free-wheeling lifestyle celebrated by Vince and his buddies; the fact that male friends can hang out together without requiring three weeks of advance scheduling.

Kurutz points out quite correctly that by making the characters grow apart and mature, "we’re left with slight plots that illuminate shallow lives." Not only do the characters seem bored by this (Vince doesn't seem all that excited to be having an awesome party at his place and Johnny finally seems to be getting his career off the ground but seems ambivalent towards it), but the writers and casting seem bored as well.

The celebrity cameos which were fun and cool in the first few seasons are now ingrained into the plot and too self-referential at times to be enjoyable. The celebrities they get dryly recite lines that are sometimes not even comprehensible (sorry A.P., you're a great running back, but that was you this past week). The only person who ever seems to make it work is Bob Saget*--but even his "dirty old man" bit has been overplayed (and I can watch him do his The Aristocrats bit multiple times so that says a lot). Entourage must have ran out of celebrities for walk on rolls so now their auctioning them off for us regular folk. They bring on new talent who can't act (Dania Ramirez as Turtle's former employee Alex is an awful actress). The stars on the show even seem so bored that they're investing in Albany restaurants to keep their lives occupied. 

*Side Note: With Bob Saget on board and John Stamos seemingly coming on as Johnny's co-star, can we just find Dave Coulier and make a Full House reunion happen? I think that would be an awesome way to save this season. The Olson twins so we can have someone the same height as E? Maybe even Kimmy Gibbler as Vince's new love interest if she's not doing anything with her life? Make this happen, Wahlberg!

Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club also pick up on the writers not really caring when he wrote this doozy:

First of all, I just have to say: It was really nice of Entourage to let that third grade Make-A-Wish kid write this episode. I mean, sure, it's bereft of subtext and totally self-indulgent. But the kid's gonna die, so—

Oh, wait, this one was written by Doug Ellin? The show's creator? Oyyyyyy…

So what is happening on the show? Eric is living with Sloane (finally saw her this week) and battling for Vince with Scott Lavin (who seems like he's about to get fired). Turtle's business of hot girls driving expensive cars is going downhill despite his MBA (surprise, surprise) and Alex seems to have a way for him to fix it which will almost definitely blow up in his face and leave him in her bed. Vince is on a wild streak and sky diving from planes, cutting his hair, buying expensive dinosaur skulls, and riding a motorcycle after his near-death experience on the set during the first episode of the season. Ari is tasked with bringing an NFL team to Los Angeles (which, after his confidence from the last episode will almost definitely fail) and keeping his wife happy by finally "getting rid" of Lizzie, the good-looking junior agent who led to Andrew's downfall and who Ari may have his eye on as well (more has to happen with this plot even after she quit). Johnny Drama--despite making one show in the history of Entourage and generally being seen as a washed-up has-been of a D-list actor--wants a writer to make a script about him and actually had someone comply.

Yawn. Sorry. I was bored just writing that. The best part of the past few seasons, Lloyd, has gotten one scene an episode. "Babs" finally showed up and provided just enough conflict with Ari to at least make us remember that Beverly D'Angelo still is on Entourage. Ari, despite all his success in running the biggest firm in the world, has been basically rendered neutered. Johnny Drama can only provide so much unintentional humor--though a lot of that is not so funny anymore now that everyone else realizes that Drama is unintentionally funny. Scott Lavin seems to be a good foil for E, but we're had them before from Walsh to Ari. Lizzie would seem to be a good foil for Ari and great source of conflict, but is this really going to be the girl that softens him up? Vince threatening to ditch Eric is nothing new--actually, it seems like a plot twist that's been reusued almost every season, but will Eric finally act on his feelings and set his sights on new clients?

The truth is that after three episodes of this season of Entourage, I want them to mercy kill it like they did to 24. Sometimes really good shows reach the point that it's better to end than to continue to try to recycle with the ruse of "reinvention". The problems on Entourage aren't new, aren't exciting, aren't funny, and aren't even really problems. I care more about LeBron, D-Wade, and Bosh's entourage than I do about Entourage (and I couldn't give two shits about The Three Am-Egos at this point). And, quite frankly, the show sucks right now. There's still plenty of time to turn around this season, but so far, so (not) good.

Season grade so far: D+. It's below passing at this point. It was tolerable last season because it was a half hour--now, it's not even a fun half hour.

Best Line of the Week: "Jews don't carry guns buddy, you know that." - Ari to his son

Best Moment of the Week: Someone parasailing a donkey. Oh wait, that wasn't on Entourage? Never mind...

Let us know your thoughts on the show in the comments below and whether you've stuck with it so far and/or plan to the rest of the season. Let us know if you like it as well and what is working for you.

Picture from The A.V. Club