I felt like I was going to fall asleep halfway through tonight’s episode, Ari had very little screen time, and we haven’t seen Sloan now for at least two or three weeks…and yet, this was one of the season’s best episodes. Bar none.
I mean, come on, Vince hooks up with a chick he meets at a bookstore only to find out, while they’re naked in bed, that she’s getting married. But, hey, it’s cool because he’s on her “list.” You know, the “celebrities we’re allowed to bang” list that some people make with their significant others but very few actually have a chance to cash in on. Well this chick did and, I’m sorry, but that’s just fucking sweet. “Friends” did a list episode once upon a time but, even though Ross actually met one of his freebie celebs (Isabella Rossellini), you knew nothing would ever come of their lists. Not so on “Entourage,” though. For once, we get to see someone’s list in action, and the fact that we only found out about it after the fact made the payoff that much sweeter.
There is a lesson to be learned here, kids: If you live in L.A., you’d be wise to choose the names on your freebie list very carefully, because you never know when you’re going to bump into one of your choices at a bookstore. That and, while you may think you’re hot shit when you’re taking Sundance by storm or starring in your own summer blockbuster, you haven’t officially arrived until you’ve been listed by a soon-to-be-married hottie in the middle of the afternoon.
But that wasn’t the highlight of the episode. For the second week in a row, that honor goes to Johnny Drama. While his little brother was getting listed in one hotel room, Drama was getting Vanilla Iced in another hotel room. Watching that dude hang Drama over the balcony by his heels, a la Suge Knight, was priceless and will probably go down as one of the most memorable moments in the series’ history, especially since one of the guys recognized Drama from “Viking Quest.” Of course, the downside here is that Turtle’s career as a manager appears to be over before it really started but, hey, at least he got his $40,000, right?
Of course, the most significant development tonight was E stumbling upon what could turn into the signature role of Vince’s young career. For a while, that title seemed to be reserved for the lead in “Medellin” as Pablo Escobar, but playing Joey Ramone in “I Wanna Be Sedated” should jumpstart Vince’s suddenly cold career. The writing this season has been pretty damn good, despite some hiccups, and while the story stalled a bit early on (does anybody miss Dom?), they’ve set this up beautifully for a great final two episodes. Having Vince play Joey Ramone is a brilliant move, and doing it after he got booted from “Aquaman 2” and shutout of “Medellin” was even better. Maybe there’s an Oscar nod in Vince’s near future after all.
A few scenes later, it’s worse, with Ari and Vince now down more than $200k apiece. There was no official Ari Moment this week because he spent most of the episode spittin’ fire at the tables, cursing out dealers and fellow players as he watched his cash get sucked down the drain with each hand. He even took a couple shots at Seth Green, who was in town with his own entourage and, whenever possible, ribbing E about Sloan. The guys assume that Seth’s been with Sloan, which gets E all riled up. Meanwhile, Drama’s getting exactly what he wanted out of his weekend: he’s loose, limber and feeling fine after an afternoon with Ken. He’s also sending poor confused Ken, an ex-NFL receiver, mixed signals, and when Ken winds up naked in Drama’s bed, Drama snaps, leaves the room and heads for the stripper contest. Just in time, as it turns out, because Seth won’t drop the Sloan issue and E snaps too, only when the shit hits the fan, an amped-up Drama is the one who throws the first punch, knocking one of Seth’s boys to the ground while Turtle takes another and Eric drops Seth. That ought to help repair Vinnie’s rep, huh?
But the big story tonight came when Ari told E and Vince that “Queens Boulevard” was going to be released wide to 12,000 screens, with an announcement set to be made later that afternoon in front of the Hollywood Foreign Press. Just the kind of pub Vinnie needs in the aftermath of the “A2” debacle. But when E calls director Billy Walsh to tell him the good news, Walsh says he already knows about the plans and that he’s filing an injunction because he doesn’t want “those douche bags to ‘Aquamanifi’ my movie.” What’s he so worked up about? In preparation of the wide release, the studio has elected to colorize “Queens,” and it’s an awful colorization job at that (E says it looks like Willie Wonka, and he’s not far off). Walsh wants Vince to sign the injunction so the studio knows they mean business but E can’t get Ari on the phone to run the idea past him. Which means when Ari shows up, with new partner Babs in tow, he’s completely stunned when Vince tells everyone at the press conference that the studio “ripped out” Queens’ soul, “because, like all studios in this town, they don’t give a shit about art; they only care about one thing: money.”
