Entourage-Season One

As of late I’ve been catching up on shows I’ve missed over the past couple years since I’ve been cable free.  Being an enormous fan of the work HBO has put out there and hearing the buzz on Entourage it was something I had to see.

Show Synopsis

Entourage is a satirical show structured around the character of “Vincent” played by Adrian Grenier who is in the early stages of a successful young actor.  With him are his three friends Turtle (Jerry Ferrara), Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon), and Eric.  The guys grew up together and all serve Vince in one form or another.  Eric (Kevin Connelly) is the only one who actually functions with a real self serving purpose as Vince’s manager, while Turtle hangs around to mooch off Vince’s extravagant lifestyle, and Johnny Drama expoits himself through Vince by using him to get parts.  Vince doesn’t really enjoy making any decisions about his own career, he prefers to bask in the life of a celebrity and so relies on the opinions of his “entourage” instead.  This is a point of great disdain for Vince’s agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), a real spitfire of a man.  The show essentially pokes fun at the over the top life that is Hollyweird but still maintains enough integrity for the show to seem virtually realistic.

Mrs. Popcorn’s Reflections

This is definitely a show geared toward the male gender, and while it’s satire is obvious it really boils down to a story about comraderie of a group of guys who have been friends since they were kids and just happen to have a best friend that is a surpreme movie star.  It’s my understanding the show is loosely based around Mark Wahlburg’s entry into the world of Hollywood and celebrity.

The first season was a lot of fun, with each episode seeming like they were over before they even began.  One episode stood out among them, and that was “The Scene”, the ep where the directer is trying to get Vince to do a Gay Scene.  It’s exemplifies the promise the show has for the future.  It was clever, funny, and entertaining.

The actor’s are pretty well molded for their roles.  Jeremy Piven’s interpretation of Ari Gold is a stand out, brilliant performance.  He is a scene stealer, and most interestingly a very unlikable guy, yet somehow likable.  Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama is a fantastic character delivered with a very genuine performance by Dillon.  Drama gives the Entourage an extra zap of pleasure.

All in all it’s a pretty good show that shows it has promise to grow in the seasons to come.  I’ll keep you updated on my opinions and thoughts as they come.  This one is definitely worth a watch.