As has been the case with most of this season, tonight’s episode revolved around Vince’s downward spiral – not just professionally, but personally as well – as his relationship with Sasha continues to affect his life. Although the guys don’t think Vince could ever be serious with anyone, they clearly don’t know the new Vince as well as they think, because he’s falling for Sasha… hard. So when she tells him about an offer to shoot a new adult film, Vince gets a little overprotective, offering her the $200,000 she would have been paid for the gig not to do it. Of course, not only does Sasha plan to the movie (maybe a little bit out of spite, but mostly because she’s a freaking porn star), but she also informs him that it’s actually a five-guy gangbang. Ouch, for both involved.
And while Vince is busy trying to persuade Sasha not to do the porno by getting her a part in his new movie, Eric is desperately trying to keep Vince attached to said movie. That’s because the studio wants Vince to take a drug test, and he flat out refuses, claiming that he’s never been in any kind of trouble that would suggest he should need to be tested. Thankfully, Billy finally confesses to Eric that he did witness Vince doing some coke with Scotty Lavin at that party, and after ripping Scotty a new one right in front of a prospective client, he then confronts Vince about his drug use. But instead of apologizing to Eric for lying, Vince just acts like a giant prick, warning Eric to stay out of his personal business and practically demanding that he find Sasha a part in “Airwalker” or else.
Personally, this behavior still seems a bit out of character for Vince (especially after everything he’s already gone through following the “Medellin” debacle), but he’s still attached to the movie when it’s all said and done. Unfortunately, Randall Wallace is not, who chose to walk away from the project after the studio bent to Vince’s will. The real question isn’t whether they’ll be able to find a new director, though, but just how in the world Vince is going to bounce back a second time when Hollywood becomes privy to this scandalous behavior.
It certainly can’t end well for him, but at least Ari is trying to mend his broken relationships as he experiences trouble on both home fronts. Not only has Ari promised a “kinder, gentler” workplace to his current staff just as old employees begin to come out of the woodwork to sue him, but Mrs. Ari feels embarrassed by the entire situation, going so far as to call an emergency therapy session to try and work out their marital problems one last time. Ari would probably tell you that there’s nothing wrong with his marriage, but Mrs. Ari wants some changes (including a no-Blackberrys-in-the-house rule and no more broken promises) lest she have to reevaluate their relationship. Though Ari seems a little hurt by the ultimatum, he eventually agrees, if only because he’s already late for an important meeting with Mark Cuban.
Then again, it’s probably a good thing that he was, or Turtle would have never run into Cuban while waiting to speak with Ari at his office. Turtle’s in desperate need of an investor for the tequila business, because although the demand is high after Vince’s impromptu Twitter blitz of Avion, Carlos can’t fill the order. He says that they need $5 million just to build the kind of factory needed to produce that much tequila in that amount of time, but what exactly did he expect with Vince promoting it? He claims that they weren’t planning to expand the business until 2013, so why bother with any kind of marketing campaign if you’re not ready to supply the product? If these guys are as legit as they’re supposed to seem, they don’t know a thing about running a business. Thankfully, Turtle has his fancy degree from UCLA, and with a big investor like Cuban on board, it might just be enough to get Avion off the ground.
Meanwhile, Drama is still stuck in neutral after reconfirming to Eric that he has no interest in “Johnny’s Bananas,” despite the fact that the studio wants to go ahead with the project. In fact, the studio is so convinced that it could be the next “The Simpsons” that Phil is willing to recast the part if Drama passes. But as Eric is quick to inform him, that’s not going to happen as long as he owns the show. Of course, I’d be willing to bet that Billy would sell him out if it meant a second chance to make it in Hollywood, but it’s not going to matter, because Drama is going to do the show eventually, no matter how stupid it sounds. And I’m sorry, but “Johnny’s Bananas” would never, and could never, be as good as “The Simpsons.” Heck, it should consider itself lucky just to be mentioned in the same sentence as “The Simpsons,” because it’s one of the dumbest ideas I’ve ever heard. That’s not the first time I’ve said that, and it won’t be the last.
