See Spot Fix: Entourage

If I think back far enough, I can remember a time when I was fascinated with the HBO series "Entourage." I remember thinking it was some of the best and most original entertainment on television. I remember longing for the next chance to see the sex-and-drug-filled exploits of E, Drama, Turtle, and Vince (in that order). I remember not being able to wait to hear the newest hateful banter between Ari and Lloyd. I remember becoming filled with excitement as the opening credits rolled, beaming as I heard the iconic "Yeah, oh yeah" at the end of the intro music. Yes, there was indeed a time when "Entourage" was an unstoppable TV force to be reckoned with, sitting atop my list of must-watch programs. But that was long ago. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

It's no secret that the past few seasons of "Entourage" have been less than stellar. Sure, I still watch the show, but more so as a result of feelings of obligation to a social phenomenon than a true desire to catch up on the characters' newest happenings. And with the show signed on for one more season after the one airing now, I figured it might be time to try my hand at remedying some of the show's biggest stumbling blocks. So follow along as I try and pull "Entourage" from the ashes and turn it back into the entertainment powerhouse it once was.

• Drama: No, I'm not talking about Johnny "Drama" Chase. I'm talking about actual, palpable drama. Yes, I understand this show is primarily a comedy, but as a serialized show with an ongoing storyline, there needs to be some underlying tension in order to keep the viewer interested. Last season's storyline with Andrew Klein came close, but preferred to err on the side of laughably ridiculous (like Andrew driving through the side of his house) rather than really and truly emotional. I'm not saying this show has to bring me to tears. And I'm not saying that it has to sacrifice it's sense of humor in the process. Look at "True Blood" for example. That show is a drama, through and through. However, I still find myself laughing out loud very often during an episode of that show, even more so than recent episodes of "Entourage." You know why? Because the characters have realistic emotions and struggle with believable problems that I can relate to, and I connect with them emotionally whether they are being funny, serious, melancholy, or furious. And that show is about vampires and werewolves, for crying out loud! The bottom line is these characters need to be in some serious trouble, and not just Ari-hunting-Lloyd-with-a-super-soaker trouble. Perhaps Turtle's upcoming trip to Mexico may harbor some ill-advised choices that land the money-strapped lad in a spicy situation. Maybe Vince's recent brush with death pushes him further and further towards a career-threatening nervous breakdown about his current lifestyle. Either of these would be preferable to the childish, guilt-free gallivanting these super rich man-children do from week to week. "Oh no, E's coworker is trying to steal Vince from him. Oh no, Drama doesn't have a job. Oh no, E is settling down." WHO THE HELL CARES!?
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  Maturity: I honestly cannot fathom how anyone over the age of 30 can watch this show without wanting to violently tear their hair out. Heck, I'm not that old and I even want to sometimes. The characters and conflicts on this show are just too damn immature. Maybe E and Turtle have done some growing up, but Vince and Drama (and Ari a lot of the time) literally act like high school students. And this new character Scott Lavin is the worst offender in the group. Maybe the draw of the earlier seasons of the show was watching these suddenly rich young idiots buy expensive things, party way too much, take cheap-shots at each other and fondle unbelievably gorgeous women. But in its seventh season, not only does this come off as old news and lazy writing, it leads me to believe that these characters, now in their mid thirties (Vince is 33 and  Drama is definitely over 40), are just sad immature douches. Sure, it is fine for someone in the spotlight to enjoy a Hollywood party from time to time, and it made sense for them to live lives of debauchery and excess seven years ago. But many 30-something actors in the real world (Ben Affleck, Josh Duhamel, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Tobey Maguire, Jimmy Fallon, Orlando Bloom) are married and many have children. How much longer am I expected to beleive that this is how men of that age, even rich Hollywood men of that age, really want to carry out their lives? It's depressing, and as a result, I feel childish even watching it.
• Talent: One of my favorite things about this show was getting to see clips of the fictional movies and TV shows the characters starred in. Scenes from Queens Boulevard, Aquaman, Medellin, and Smoke Jumpers were a lot of fun to watch. Not only was it cool to see how the writers and directors of the show framed these fake productions, but it was also interesting to see the characters of Vince and Drama perform on screen as actors. It validated what they were doing, made me beleive that they deserved to be where they were because they had real talent, and helped me overlook their otherwise childish exploits. So where are these fun snip-its? I don't remember seeing much of anything from Vince's extremely successful Gatsby film, and we also know nothing about the Ferrari film he went to shoot at the end of last season. Give me some more cool shots the Nick Cassavetes action flick Vince is currently in. And I'm not just talking about watching it being filmed from behind the scenes; I want to see it as it would appear on my TV if I was watching the actual film itself. And if we don't get to watch actual footage of the comedy show Drama is about to star in, I might cry. These are great little moments that are too few and far between for my taste.
• Celebrities: My other favorite moments of seasons past have been watching real life celebrities play themselves on the show. But I'm not talking about the ho-hum cameos from Mark Wahlberg, Tom Brady, and David Shwimmer from last season, where they simply acted like they do in reality. I am talking about the actors who play absurd characterizations of themselves for the show, like Gary Busey, Jeffery Tambor, Seth Green, and, of course, Bob Saget. We saw Saget on last week's episode, and he was hilarious. Let's hope we see more worthwhile cameos of a similar flavor instead of boring walk-ons like the one we saw from Adrian Peterson last week. Sure, it's cool Vince got to talk to a famous football player. But did it really add any humor or narrative to the story? Me thinks not.

Unfortunately, my list of grievances goes on: the lack of any character development or growth, the lack of strong female characters (besides Mrs. Ari), the retreading of familiar plot points, the copious amounts of free time they guys seem to have, but I think you get the idea. The bottom line is "Entourage" has fallen quite far from its once high spot on the TV totem pole, but I think that with the proper plotting, it could get back on track. Here's hoping that before the series comes to a final close, the show can recapture some its old magic.