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.
