So what was the point of bringing Dom onto the show? I don’t see it. I suppose it could’ve been simply to compare where Vince, E, Drama and Turtle came from to where they are now, but the payoff was meager at best. Of course, maybe Dom’s going to hang around but, after this week’s episode, it sure seems like his role has run its rather meaningless course.
“Aquaman” is the biggest movie on the planet and, as such, Vinnie is now the planet’s biggest movie star, which means everybody wants him in their film. There’s “Flight,” which Ari describes as “‘Dead Poets Society’ in space” (sounds an awful lot like his “‘it’s Spider-Man’ underwater” synopsis of “Aquaman”), and “The Sandman,” where Vince would play “a retard in a Red Cross tent in the Sahara.” “Flight” is offering Vince $8 million, “The Sandman” $9 mil, but Ari’s got something even better: “Medellin,” Vinnie’s dream role as Pablo Escobar. The only thing is, first Vince needs to convince Phil Rubenstein that he’s the guy for the part.
Enter Dom, whose sole function on the show (at least thus far) is to fuck things up. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, assuming that things getting fucked up actually serves a purpose. Dom, on the other hand, apparently fucks things up for the simple sake of fucking things up. After dropping an f-bomb in front of a bunch of kids at the opening of the new “Aquaman” ride last week, Dom lifted an original Shrek doll from Rubenstein’s house during a party this week. When the doll is discovered missing, Ari and Rubenstein point their fingers at Dom (thanks to a story Dom told during the party) and, after repeatedly denying that he did it, Dom confesses to the boys to (hopefully) save the role for Vince. The doll is returned and the movie, apparently, is Vinnie’s, only now it seems Warner Bros. plans to start filming “Aquaman 2” the same day that “Medellin” is set to begin.
Yawn.
Here’s my problem: How ‘bout having something actually derail Vinnie’s ride? “Aquaman” became the highest grossing film in (make-believe) movie history despite statewide rolling blackouts a couple weeks ago which, as Eli Cash pointed out in a comment, should’ve made it impossible for the movie to rake in $116 million. And now, apparently, Vince is still going to get the “Medellin” role even though Dom pocketed the Shrek doll. Conflict makes for more compelling television, but so far this season the conflict hasn’t altered the path of the story at all. Sure, the blackouts and the Shrek heist have served as speed bumps but, in the end, Vinnie and the boys wind up exactly where we thought they’d be. There was genuine uncertainty last season: would “Queens Boulevard” shine at Sundance, did Vince want the “Aquaman” role, did James Cameron want Vince for “Aquaman”? Granted, “Queens” killed and, despite all the Mandy Moore drama, Vince rode “Aquaman” to superstardom, but this season I get the feeling that everything is a foregone conclusion and all the other stuff is just filler, distractions. I didn’t get that sense last season. What purpose did Dom serve? He was in and out in two weeks and his presence didn’t affect the outcome of anything. And what about Drama and Turtle? Is Drama out of work? Did the writers forget about Turtle representing rapper Saigon last season? There’s no depth to the story, no tension, no uncertainty. It’s all too linear and, frankly, I’m bored.
But the writers have a chance here: How will the scheduling conflict work out? Please, please tell me Vince won’t figure out a way to get both roles. Maybe he passes on “Medellin” to do the sequel, or maybe the Pablo Escobar role is too tempting and he bails on the next big movie franchise. Either way, I’m hoping the writers show some balls and creativity here because, so far in this third season, I haven’t seen much of either.
