It’s probably been said more than a few times on this blog, but I can’t help myself: “Entourage” is having one of its best seasons ever. While last week’s episode was a little lacking in the story department, it still managed to entertain with hilarious subplots highlighting Drama’s shitty luck and his brother’s comparably better fortune. This week delivered a much more balanced half hour, including continued progress on the whole “Medellin” arc, a comedic night out with the guys, and one of the most over-the-top guest spots in the history of the series.
I’d like to begin by saying that Harvey is fucking crazy. The parallels to the Weinstein brother of the same name were obvious enough when his character was introduced in the second season’s Sundance episode, but it’s become all the more evident in these past few shows. After discovering that “Medellin” was accepted into Cannes, Eric schedules a dinner with Harvey to inform him that they’ll no loner be selling him the movie. Suffice to say, Eric is mighty scared, but he refuses to show it in front of the guys. Nevertheless, that impression of Turtle’s was dead-on.
In fact, Eric’s debating whether or not he should even tell him the news when he arrives at the restaurant to find Harvey already freaking about something. First, it’s the sight of a former employee who screwed him over, and then (after joining Vince and the rest of the guys for drinks) it’s a waiter who refuses to deny that he ordered a cranberry vodka. In the end, as a red-faced Harvey is literally dragged out of the joint, Drama decides to break the news. Harvey’s response? “I’ll eat you alive!”
Before all hell broke loose, the vibe at the bar was pretty laid back. In an attempt to schmooze the Mayor of Beverly Hills (Stephen Tobolowsky) into annexing his building so that he may lay claim to the posh zip code, Drama takes him out with Vince and Turtle to help the guy get laid… without paying for it, of course. When they arrive, Drama manages to find a girl for the Mayor without Vince’s help, but when one of the bodyguard’s informs him that the beautiful she is actually a he, Drama does his best to persuade the Mayor into stepping away. The Mayor won’t have it, though, and decides that transsexual or not, he’s taking her back to his house for a little fun. Of course, part of the date is caught on tape and posted on the internet by morning (which features the Mayor and his gal pal getting into his car), and though the Mayor openly claims that he has nothing to hide, the girl reveals that she most certainly does.
And though Harvey’s hilarious outburst and the aforementioned disturbing scene would have taken the cake any other week, the sheer fact that Ari hasn’t had much to do this season made his appearance tonight all that more memorable. After meeting with M. Night Shyamalan at a cemetery to pick up his latest script (which, by the way, Ari mentions is weird, even for him), he promises to have it read by the next morning with plenty of feedback. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out quite as planned, and after attending an engagement dinner with Mrs. Ari, temporarily losing the script when the valet returns the wrong car, retrieving said car from a man whose marriage he probably ruined along the way, and then getting pulled over by the police for going 140 mph, Ari finishes the script before his scheduled meeting with M. Night only to discover that the obsessive nut changed the whole third act… and wants him to read it (right then and there) all over again. Shyamalan’s caricature of himself was classic, but the look on Ari’s sleep-depraved face was the single best shot of the night.
