Entourage 5.1 – Fantasy Island
After the semi-disastrous season four, the “Entourage” writers were in desperate need of a longer vacation. After all, there’s nothing like a little R&R to get you back to full fighting strength, and though that much-deserved break came in the form of the writers’ strike, it may have just been a blessing in disguise. It should come as no surprise, then, that as the new season opens, Vincent Chase is also on vacation following the disastrous performance of “Medellin” at the box office. It seems not even Harvey Weinstein could save the film, and to make matters worse, Richard Roeper has just proclaimed it as one of the worst films of the year. Better yet, he says that Vince’s make-up job made him look like “the love child of Jimmy Glick and a bag of Twinkies” and then rips into him even more by declaring that “Al Pacino called and wants his accent back.” Ouch.
Still, all the negative publicity doesn’t appear to be affecting Vince quite like it should. He’s down in Mexico with Turtle jet skiing, lounging around, and having sex with lots of beautiful women, while Eric and Ari desperately attempt to save his career back in LA. Eric’s management company has even expanded to include a secretary and a new client – Charlie (Bow Wow), an up-and-coming comic who has yet to land an actual gig. When word comes in from Ari that producer Carl Hurtz is anxious to meet with him for a new genre film called “Danger Beach,” however, the duo head down to Mexico to convince him otherwise. Vince couldn’t care less (despite the fact that Hurtz is willing to pay his full asking price), but after some rather discouraging words from Eric (who feels responsible for messing up “Medellin”), Vince agrees to give the whole movie star thing another shot.
Upon returning home (sans bushy beard) and taking the meeting with Hurtz, however, Vince is upset to learn that he was only being used in order to drive down Emile Hirsch’s (the original star attached to the film) asking price. This is probably the last thing I expected to happen, but it actually makes sense considering Vince has been MIA for the past six months and his last movie tanked. Also, did Warner Brothers just void the contract they had with Vince and Walsh for “Silo,” or is that still happening? I guess if I was a betting man, I’d choose the former. That would also explain how Vince is able to live so lavishly down in Mexico after investing everything he had into “Medellin.” Sure, $79/day may not sound like much, but it has to start adding up when you’re unemployed.
Nevertheless, while Vince is top priority amongst the characters in the show, Eric has always been the real star. His arc has remained the most interesting of the five men, and this season promises to flesh it out even more as he stops relying on Vince and becomes a success on his own. Drama and Turtle still need to break the comic relief mold and get some meatier storylines, but where their silly antics were a bit tiring in the past, they delivered some of the best moments in tonight’s episode. Turtle blasting the porn from the Escalade was hilarious, but Drama’s retaliation against Hurtz was even better. After taking a golf club to his Mercedes and leaving a fish on the hood, Turtle asks him if he’s leaving some sort of message, to which Drama replies, “Yeah. Aquaman is back.” It’s unclear whether the same holds true for “Entourage,” but if the season premiere is any indication, it’s certainly on the road to reclaiming its former glory.
Season 4 certainly had some weak moments, but overall I still liked the show. Ari was on fire for most of the season.
The Richard Roeper stuff was hilarious in this episode. I hope they bring him back for another cameo – it would be hilarious if the gang ran into him at some point.
I agree — last season wasn’t the best we’ve seen from “Entourage,” but it was still pretty entertaining. Let’s hope the consistency returns this season. Either way, it’s good to have the show back.
Good point about “Silo” — no mention whatsoever. Ari sold it to a desperate Warner because they suddenly found themselves without a summer tentpole (since Walsh didn’t write the script they paid for), so it would be a little surprising to see them bail on that project. Then again, if Vince was as cold as they made him out to be last night, maybe Warner didn’t like the risk/reward of “Silo,” especially right on the heels of the “Medellin” catastrophe.
The writers spent a fair amount of time with E’s storyline last season, and it would be great to see them really develop that this season. In fact, with Vince’s career floundering, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that become one of the biggest points of conflict going forward. As for Turtle, well, I think we can abandon any hope that he’ll ever be more than comic relief. Drama is kind of in the same mold, though his newfound fame on “Five Towns” at least gives him some potential. That and his French honey.
And, as usual, Ari was great. His tirade in the office about Richard Roeper was vintage Ari, and he capped it by threatening to fire Lloyd if he didn’t “answer the fucking phone!!!” Beautiful.
Yeah, that’s why I called it a “semi-disaster.”
When I rewatched season four, it wasn’t as bad as I remembered either, but it was still a step down from previous seasons.
I’m really hoping this year remedies that.
It was nice to see Vince finally show a little bit of fire at the prospect of his career ending.
Another hilarious part of the episode was when Turtle found out they were leaving the island; he asked for an hour so he could fit in one last quickie.
I love Entourage, I’m a die hard fan and last season wasn’t that bad, it was just a little unorganized. I thought the premier was great, but it was a little too fast paced, and it could have bee done slower. I am still very excited for hte rest of the season, escpecially next episode. I was also curious about the no mention of Silo, and i concluded that if its not brought up in the next episode, Warner Bros. must have exterminated the deal. Anyway, Entourage rocks, and Ari Gold is God….
I’m just glad Ari is back. No one can hurl an insult like he can. I forgot how much I’ve missed him!
The next episode was leaked, check out http://watch-entourage-online.com/
Is there new a writing staff this season? I am a very loyal viewer and I could not wait until the premier. However, I am so far, not too impressed. I feel that there is a trepidation. There seems to be no direction instead of an anticipation of this season. Where is the plot layout? I have been waiting for Mark W to show his faboo face but the interaction with Ari was not believable. The stellar cast is not unttering the dialogue I am accustomed to. Am I wrong? I also can’t believe there hasn’t been a “divorce” thread for Ari? I am glad, on one note, since I do feel that most of my friends growing up are exactly like them, I do feel that his wife could do so much better and women are upset that she takes his x@#$%.
I am still with you all but, please, I arrrange my Sunday night around this show and I want 110%.
Thanks for everything!!