Every now and again, there’s an episode like the one that aired tonight. Sometimes it’s because the show is contracted for so many episodes, but the main story arc requires fewer than the agreed amount, and other times it’s the writers just having fun. Unfortunately, tonight’s filler came at the most inopportune time, as the fourth season has begun showing signs of wear. Then again, perhaps this was a much-needed break from all the Eric-Walsh drama, because it looks like things are going to pick back up again next week with Eric trying to take over as Vince’s agent.
There wasn’t any connection to the main story arc in this week’s episode, but when the guys begin to tease Eric for his inability to have a non-emotional relationship, Drama ups the ante by making a little bet with his kid brother: Turtle can bed a girl (without paying) before Eric can (without calling her the next day), with 5,000 bucks going to the winner. Vince takes Eric under his wing and hits up all the poolside hot spots. It doesn’t take too long to find a couple girls who want to party, but while Vince is upstairs getting a little workout, Eric stays downstairs chatting up a hot British girl about his last girlfriend Sloan, who he unfortunately runs into during the middle of his conversation.
Meanwhile, Drama shops around Craigslist to find a girl desperate enough to sleep with Turtle, but when they reply to an ad and discover the girl is drop dead sexy (and horny), the bet is practically won. The only thing Turtle needs to do is pick up her dry cleaning and meet her later that night, but when the duo arrive at the dry cleaners to pick up her item, it turns out to be a pink bunny suit. Drama knows right away what Turtle’s gotten himself into – the girl is a furry, or a person who likes to dress up in furry animal costumes and have sex. Turtle looks downright ridiculous in the outfit, but he agrees to follow through with it in order to win the bet. That is, until Eric comes back with pictures of Sloan dancing through his head, and the bet is determined a forfeit. Turtle is happy and so is Drama, but when Eric learns that Sloan is with someone else, he quickly changes his mind (and his clothes) and heads back to the hotel to “fuck that British girl.”
Turtle couldn’t care less – even if Drama gave him all $5,000 for the winnings – and so, knowing full well that he’s already lost the money, Drama grabs the bunny suit and heads to the furry’s house to get what he paid for. When Turtle does a little reconnaissance to find out just what they may be, he finds Drama (dressed in a pink bunny suit) slamming the girl (wearing a brown squirrel outfit) doggystyle over a coffee table. Oh yeah, and for comedic effect (if there wasn’t enough already), Drama has to lift the squirrel’s tail in order to do it. Not exactly the direction we were all hoping Drama would be led in, but if you’re going to waste an entire episode on shit like this, you might as well make the best of the opportunity.
The “B” story of the episode found Ari desperately trying to find a way to get his son into a private school. He’s already tried buying out the headmaster, so he moves on to the next best thing: blackmail. Mrs. Ari wants to be kept in the loop, but as Ari says, “This is like ‘The Godfather’ baby. Sometimes you can’t ask me about my business.” Unfortunately, the guy’s clean as a whistle, and so Ari decides that, well, maybe he’s looking at it all wrong. It’s not the school’s that decide whether a child grows into a good person, but the environment at home. His son doesn’t seem to agree, as all he really wants is to be able to attend the same private school as his best friend. As a result, Ari is forced to do something that we’ve never (or rarely) seen him do: beg. It was a defining moment in Jeremy Piven’s four-year performance as the super-agent, and as the dude began to cry, I couldn’t help but feel for the guy. He deserves an Emmy for that performance, which is too bad, since Kevin Dillon (who’s just as deserving) is nominated in the same category.
This was a split panel, in a sense, because many of the film’s crewmembers appeared in person to discuss their work on the second installment, but director Andrew Adamson was unable to get away from the set long enough to pop in. He was, however, able to appear via satellite video (along with a two second delay, ugh) so that he could intro a never-before-seen trailer for the new film and show off the Boy That Would Be Caspian, Ben Barnes (who’ll also appear in the fantasy film “Stardust” this August). Though he didn’t stay for very long, Adamson was the only interesting thing about the presentation.
What if humans evacuated Earth but forgot to turn off the last robot? This is the story of “WALL*E,” a movie about a trash-compactor robot who continues to perform his one function even after everyone has left. Of course, WALL*E is eventually picked up by a spaceship where other (more advanced) robots roam, and it’s there that he falls in love. Now, from the footage that Andrew Stanton showed to the Comic-Con crowd, I have to say that Pixar is taking a HUGE risk with their latest film. Sure, the five-minute clipped that was shown was charming as hell, but will mainstream America be able to sit through a two-hour long film with almost no dialogue? Perhaps, but only because we don’t know all the details just yet. What we do know is that the robots can only say their own name (as well make a few reactionary noises), the humans have turned into lazy slobs (a la “Idiocracy”), and that there is a live-action element that plays into the film. Of course, Stanton wouldn’t get into specifics, and that’s the only reason why I haven’t completely condoned this movie. Well, and it’s Pixar.
Groening started the panel off in grand fashion by introducing a never-before-seen deleted scene from the aforementioned “Simpsons” movie. The clip in question features Homer as he treks back to Springfield by way of a sausage truck. After letting Homer off at his stop, the driver (voiced by Hank Azaria) heads back to check on his sausages (and singing “checking my sausages”) only to discover that they’re all gone.
Zack Snyder: (continuing his conversation from the previous roundtable) One of the things that I think is important about “Watchmen” is that it have resonances of cinematic pop culture, as well as superhero culture, because I believe there’s a relationship between Rorschach and Travis Bickle in “”Taxi Driver.” I believe that there’s a relationship between the war room in “Doctor Strangelove” and NORAD. There are cinematic relationships in the graphic novel, and I really think that the movie, this movie, “Watchmen,” is able to comment on both things in a way that other movies can’t, because it really does observe pop culture all the time while it’s telling the story. And I think that part of the influence on the characters themselves is the culture that they’re in. And for that part it’s something hugely fun to explore and, just from a visual standpoint, is hugely fun to say ‘Well, what does that mean?.’ Like, when you’re in the war room, how do you make it “Doctor Strangelove,” without making it “Doctor Strangelove”?
Though many were there to see Smith do his thing for all 90 minutes, the writer/director had a little surprise for those in attendance: the pilot episode of The CW’s “Reaper.” The show, which is a mix between “Ghost Rider” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (and possibly “Ghostbusters,” but I can’t make that assessment based on one episode), is the perfect replacement for those still mourning the cancellation of “Buffy,” “Angel” and other fantasy-based programs. For more on the show, be sure to check out our very own 
