By Zack Gutin · July 25, 2011
It’s rare that you’ll hear me say a negative word about HBO’s Entourage. After college, when the series launched, it was the first television series that spoke my language. I felt like I knew those guys so well because they reminded me of my buddies. I know I’m not alone in those feelings about the early years of the series that follows Vincent Chase’s life as a movie star and his homeboys that go everywhere with him. I regard the episodes in those early seasons as some of my favorite in recent television history. That said, it wouldn’t be fair to those first few seasons to try and draw a comparison to where the show stands today, those early seasons were in a league of their own; let’s call that league “Early Entourage.” The other league will be called “Recent Entourage,” and that league is far less competitive.
At the start of Season 8, we’re watching Vincent Chase’s emergence from rehab, the airing for which coincidentally landed on the day that “Rehab” singer and known drug abuser, Amy Winehouse, was found dead in her London home. As has been true throughout the series, Vince’s life mirrors that of familiar Hollywood celebs, not excluding their downfalls from drugs and alcohol. In season 7, with a porn star girlfriend and a new cocaine addiction, Vince plummeted into dark waters. The season ended with him getting beat up by Eminem, only to have the police at the hospital find a bag of coke on him. That presented the writers with an enormous challenge, as audiences seemed disappointed by the ugly character turn, so Doug Ellin and his team decided to start the new season on the up-and-up. It was the right idea, but there was an overwhelming sense of laziness to the delivery of it and somewhere, I think I heard the voice of the great Jon Hein whispering the phrase “jump the shark.” Can they make Vince cool again?
As the episode progresses, the questions build – and not the “carefully laid clues causing the audience to keep guessing” kind of questions. The questions circled around why Vince is being handled so delicately, as opposed to with tough love, in the case of his obsession over a weakly-developed story for a new movie. Questions were raised as to why they felt they needed to crow-bar a house fire into the plot – and, further – why Ari felt so much emotional from the turmoil of his marriage that said fire would cause him to begin crying. Also, how much more of the Eric and Sloan love saga must we endure? While at one time an interesting and fun relationship, it has since rendered what was one of the most enjoyable characters, stale and repetitive.
There were glimmers of hope sprinkled throughout. They came in the form of Vince’s frequent collaborator, Billy, aligning nicely with Vince in his current state – both on the mend from their addictive lifestyles. Despite my criticism of Ari’s end-of-episode tears, the turn for his character to be experiencing the onset of divorce is intriguing, as it is causing his character to experience some emasculating; the type of soul crushing experience he’s usually on the dealing end of. Additionally, Scott Caan’s character (also “Scott”) has been a great addition since last season and is delivering once again.
In so much as I love “Early Entourage,” I really hope that some of these questions become more clear in subsequent episodes, because the season got off on a really weird foot. In interviews with the cast and writers, as well as my own personal conversations with some of those same folks, the promise for this final season was a return to the old way of doing things; to the happier times of Vincent Chase. The cliché trajectory from here would include Vincent Chase landing a nomination, maybe even a win, for an Academy Award. Can they get that far from this current vantage point without it feeling rushed, forced or – as I fear most with that storyline – cliché. I’m curious what decisions have been made for the future and finale of Entourage, I just hope the already-shot conclusion finds its way back to “Early Entourage,” the good Entourage.
