Has Entourage Lost Its Way? Or Did It Suck From the Start?

After HBO pulled the plug on Deadwood, I got rid of the pay service for six months in protest.  (A lot of good that did since now cast members are admitting publicly that they hold out little hope for the previously announced Deadwood movies - a move seen by some at the time to be merely a face-saving measure on HBO's part). 

But I came back for The Sopranos (and its unbelievably brilliant denouement) and I've stuck around for David Milch's latest, John From Cincinnati and the very funny Flight of the Conchords (which Shirley is convinced is channeling They Might Be Giants).  And I watched the new season of Entourage, a show that I had always found a pleasant diversion, even if I didn't really remember anything about it (sort of like a pay cable Three and a Half Men).

However, this "season's premiere" episode - a faux behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Medallin - was probably one of the most shit-tacular things I've seen in a long time, filled with atrocious acting and directing from all involved.  Had any of them ever seen a documentary before, behind-the-scenes or otherwise (and yes, I know that Adrian Grenier directed one)?  And it made me think that the show should probably be put out of it's misery.

Cut to Wednesday in the A.V. Club and Nathan Rabin's "Say Goodbye to Hollywood: Confessions of an Ex-Entourage Fan".  Rabin's piece is good, but it's the pile-on in the comments that really entertain.   And while the commenters have a special disdain for Kevin Connolly's character Eric (or E), I think that for me, the notion of never having to watch the character of indie filmmaker enfant terrible Billy Walsh is reason enough to take it off the Tivo season pass.  A small sampling:

Could not agree more. You forgot to mention how terrible Kevin Connolly is in the show. I never thought a threesome involving 2 gorgeous looking girls could be repulsive until I saw "E", Sloan, & friend wrestling in a bedroom.

The thing that annoys me the most is that Vince and E act like assholes and yet nothing bad ever happens to them. It drives me crazy. They ignore every piece of reasonable advice from Ari and it all works out wonderful in the end. I just want to yell at the screen, "Act like adults!"

Entourage is not fun. I don't give a shit whether you like it, but it is not fun at all. Seriously, how many times can one person say the word "suit" in one episode? It's like having a friend that calls everyone, "Chief". It's mildly entertaining until you realize that's all they've got. Then you feel shame, for yourself, for them, and for anyone that has ever met that person.

Watching 15 minutes of E and his girlfriend gently argue about not being able to go on a romantic vacation together, because Vince wants to tag along and bring some random hottie? Really, I would rather watch The Comeback, which had more cringe-inducing humor in 5 minutes (Valerie's hairstylist, the husband, hot-but-annoying Juna) than 3 episodes of Entourage combined.

Comments

[Shaun Huston]

I've always read Entourage as being about celebrity rather than filmmaking. While watching the episode you mention, I also did not feel as if the documentary conceit was being used or executed especially well, but didn't think much of it because I don't really expect that kind of verisimilitude from the series. At its best, I think that the show gets the idea of stardom, or star potential (the truth is Vince is always "arriving" never "arrived"), and how having it not only lets you get away with things that "regular" people can't but those same regular folks will still be drawn to you in spite of what you can get away with, at least for awhile. I think that the venom being spent on the series over at the AV Club is indicative of the ambivalent relationship audiences have with stars - people will put up with their antics to a point, and then they become irritating, especially if there never seem to be any consequences. Pretty soon fans are dividing into love and hate camps. I think you see this with female stars in particular.

What I think this adds up to for the show is that it probably shouldn't/can't realistically continue for much longer, not without taking a more dramatic turn towards the consequences of celebrity. I doubt the series could sustain that maneuver. Best to end it before Vince really gets launched into stardom or has a serious fall from grace. Given that Adrian Grenier is nowhere near Vince's stature in real life, the former seems implausible, while the latter would just be too grim.

I do like the fact that Vince is consistently written as wanting to be an artist (whether he is or not is a separate issue). I prefer to believe that most filmmakers have some kind of artistic aspiration, and I appreciate Entourage's willingness to present Vince in that way. To me that quality makes the show more complicated than, say, IFC's The Festival which, while much sharper edged as satire, seems to have little but disdain for people who want to make and exhibit films, especially films that are meant to be seen and enjoyed by others.

[Sujewa]

I like Entourage, yet I am not crazy about anything Hollywood, but I do like the fact that the lives of the characters in that show revolves around making movies.
The earlier seasons were better, before the success of the Aqua Man movie, but the new season is trying to make things interesting again I think. The fake doc thing was interesting, didn't seem like it was done too well, as others have said. Billy Walsh is funny to me because he is someones ill-informed vision of an indie filmmaker OR because that character is some Hollywood filmmakers hidden self/simple version of it at that; but the actor that plays Walsh does a good job I think.

On the negative side - where are the minorities??? (aside from Roy) - in lead roles is what i mean. What happened to Turtles black girlfriend storyline?

Anyway, Entourage is still a fun Sunday night 30 mins. Although it is not as good as it used to be.
But definitely better than most shows & movies about Hollywood & filmmaking - if nothing else for reminding people that there is a lot of fun in the endeavor, even if we overlook it or get used to it over time.

I'll probably keep watching it 'till it goes off the air :)

And yes, Corporate Filmmaking Still Sucks :)
well, except for some HBO shows maybe.
and Seinfeld.
and...

- Sujewa

[entourage mania]

Entourage is a work in progress, as are the characters on the show. Vince, Eric, Turtle and Drama are all growing from boys to men. Vince is trying to be the anti-star, while still enjoying the benefits of notariety. Eric is always the voice of reason, and gets the brunt of the sh*t for it, but usually ends up being right (hello, Medillin). Turtle keeps trying to establish himself in the music industry, but then gets picked on for doing nothing.
Drama finally has a tv show, but still comes over to cook for his brother.
All of the characters are flawed and human. Even Vince's belief that it will all turn out ok or his need to spend every penny he makes are flawed characteristics.
Vince has trouble commiting to women, too. He has to always be in motion and can't sit still.
Eric's neurosis and need to worry over everything is very human and something people in the everyday workforce can relate to (should I have said that in the meeting earlier?). As mentioned earlier, he is always right, but needs to work on his delivery to get his point across. People see his backing off Clouds (later, Silo) as a weakness. I see it as his first big boy step to independence.
Turtle is always looking for the next big idea- aka- short cut. He hasn't learned that hard work pays off.
Drama is self-depricating and insecure. Who can't relate to that? He wants success so badly, and can't even enjoy it when it comes.
Now, what makes these guys so wonderful- how much they love and care for each other. And, how they aren't afraid to say it to each other!
I'll keep watching Entourage, because I am not looking for perfection. I enjoy the show, even during the "bad" episodes, because the guys are a work in progess and I enjoy the ride.

[Displayed]

I'm not going to argue your points at all. Basically because you have none you hack. Why don't you write your own thought instead of stealing others? Oh because you're unoriginal (coincidentally what you're making fun of the show for???) Anyways what I will point out is that you liked John From Cincinnati... a terrible show that pissed me off. I watched all nine episodes and really do wish I would've quit after the first. Unfortunately I'm a surfer so I had to because let's face it how many surfing shows are there out there? Not many. I was so happy to find out they canceled it early. THANK GOD. Oh and tried to like Flight of the Concords. I really did. I wanted to. It should be "my humor", or so I have been told. I couldn't. Only because the show is not funny. Not funny at all. Entourage however, is as Gold as Jeremy Piven's character. So to end things as I started them: HACK!