Entourage Keeps Coasting By

Coming into this season, Entourage was on probation for me. After the debacle of the Medillin and Billy Walsh focused fourth season, Entourage was low on my to-watch list. Which is why it took a Thanksgiving weekend at home for me to finish the season. Was it an improvement from season 4? Sure, but not by much until the finale.

The joys of Entourage are simple: The vicarious thrills of watching rich Hollywood actors have a good time. In the first few seasons, the biggest worry was that another actor might get Vince's multimillion dollar part. The show aired in the summer and was the perfect wind-down after a day at the pool. It was one of the least substantive shows on TV but a lot of fun.

I'm mentioning all this because the show has slided further and further away from that image. Since season 2's Aquaman, Vince's only movie role has been the straight-to-dvd Medillin. The point of this season was supposed to be a washed-up actor looking for a comeback. But the same could be said about the last few seasons. Then when Vince finally got work with Smoke Jumpers, the show made a cardinal mistake: it brought Vince's acting abilities into focus. The show has wisely kept footage of Vince's movies to a minimum, so we never had to think about whether he had any talent. But when a director calls him out over his poor acting, the show expects us to side with Vince. After all, studio heads, CEOs, and A-list directors all think he's amazing. Only one problem: the director's right. Don't try to convince us Vince is more than just a famous face if you can't deliver on the promise.

Vince wasn't the only character with an off season. Eric, arguably the show's lead in the past, felt more supporting than ever even while expanding his business. Drama went from comically annoying to unwatchably annoying this year with the whole subplot about his French girlfriend. Turtle's sub-plot with Jamie Lynn-Sigler actually wasn't bad, but when that's a highlight you know the show's in trouble. As for Ari and Lloyd, they're always great. Ari's offer of a studio head position could have been a big twist had he accepted it. But the last few episodes focused on him getting his friend a job, the effects of which we won't see until next year.

But although I considered dropping the show throughout the season, the finale was again just good enough to keep me going for season 6. That's because the show finally seems to be heading back to its original purpose. It was nice to see where they all grew up in Queens for the first time. The Gus van Sant and Martin Scorsese cameos were fun. But what really set the stage for next season was the word that Vince got the Nick Carroway part in a Scorsese remake of The Great Gatsby. That signals a definite comeback and promises next year won't be another season of bitching about not getting parts. And best news of all? Next season will once again air in the summer.