It must have been birthday night on HBO, because not only did Tony celebrate his special day on the season premiere of “The Sopranos,” but so did Vincent Chase on “Entourage.” We already knew that Turtle would be in charge of the party planning, so the big question on everybody’s mind was if Vince would actually invite Ari to his big soiree. Some might say that’s not much of a question considering Jeremy Piven’s importance to the success of the series, but after the pair’s fallout at the end of last season, it seemed like we might never see Ari again. At least for a couple episodes anyways.
That wasn’t the case, however, as Ari was quick to strategize on winning back his number one client. It began with an awkward phone call (you know, the kind that a dejected ex-girlfriend has with the boy she’s, like, totally in love with) and ended with an even more awkward face-to-face at the aforementioned birthday party. Of course, the middle is the most important part, as Ari’s birthday gift to Vince was none other than the script for “Medellin,” the much sough-after Pablo Escobar biopic that Vince lost during the “Aquaman 2” scuffle with Warner Brothers. Ari claims that Benecio del Toro’s is about to pull out – despite the fact that Vince’s new agent, Amanda (Carla Gugino), says otherwise – and though he’s been offered a new period drama directed by Sam Mendes, Vince decides to wait it out. Just in case Ari is, for once in his life, telling the truth.
Meanwhile, Turtle discovers a way to actually make money from Vince’s birthday bash (a stroke of genius, really: he gets Victoria’s Secret and Skyy Vodka, among many others, to sponsor it), while Drama obsesses over his new billboard for the Ed Burns pilot that’s been picked up by NBC. It’s called “Five Towns,” and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t look exactly like the recently cancelled “The Black Donnellys.”
Overall, the big premiere wasn’t that great, but it did offer plenty of promise for the final six episodes of the season. Will Vince finally get “Medellin,” or will he lose both projects in the process? Plus, has Ari met his match in Amanda, or does Gugino’s appearance have guest star written all over it? It’s definitely an interesting rivalry, but one that will no doubt blow over much faster than it probably should.
