Maybe You Can Have It All

"Maybe you can have it all," is the series slogan. This slogan perfectly describes the theme of the show. Vince is a poor boy from Queens with a dream to make it in Hollywood. Everyone loves this kind of story in which the protagonist rises from nothing and makes a life for himself. It is similar to the fantasy of winning the lottery.

They say that Americans love to see celebrities fail. Well I say that we love to see a success story, but hollywood tragically influences people to make poor decisions. Entourage is refreshing because Vince is an actor that keeps focused and handles his fame well. Vince is a likable character because he is grounded. He remembers where he came from and he has the same childhood friends. His friends are his family and he is loyal to each of them. In the last episode of season six, he even starts getting involved with charities.

Because Vince is the star of the show and he is a good guy, viewers cheer on his success. In a society that is obsessed with fame, shows like entourage will always thrive. People like to live vicariously through Vince and they like to believe that this could happen to them. And why shouldn't they?

Friendship as the backbone for Entourage? I don't think so.

The writers of the show claim that Entourage is a show about friendship because without the emphasis of brotherhood bonding the show wouldn't be relatable to viewers. This may be true, but it is definitely not the backbone of the show. If it were just about a bunch of guys hanging out all the time, no one would watch.

The real reason that this show is so successful is because it continues to push boundaries. The guys are constantly having inappropriate sexual encounters and referencing drugs. These two things are not normally talked about and that is why it is so entertaining to watch on TV. Entourage first caught my attention because of the pure shock value. I often found myself saying, "did that really just happen?"

I will never forget the first episode that featured guest star Bob Saget. He mentioned his coke addiction and love for prostitutes. He then hooked the boys up with some action from the neighbors. And then later appeared asking Eric if he could have sex in his office in exchange for E being his agent. This was definitely disturbing to me because I always had a sentimental sense of nostalgia for Danny Tanner in Full House.

The boys are also constantly shown bonding around smoking a marijuana joint. One episode in particular shows the love they have for weed when the town goes dry and they have to go on a journey to find a sherpa so they can have their marijuana fix.

Another shocking element of the show is all the sex in random public places. It seems all Vince has to do is show up at a restaurant, store, or bar to get laid. One episode shows him with a girl he met for the first time at a bar, rocking in his escalade in the parking lot outside during sex.

The actual characters and friendships are not what makes this show popular. It is the sex and drugs that draw in viewers that are mesmerized by their ability to do whatever they want without any consequences.

Season 6 Finale

This past Sunday, October 4th was the season finale for Entourage. It was jam packed with celebrity guest appearances (Matt Damon, Bono, Lebron James) and yet I was disappointed with the way things ended. The finale was predictable and the show is becoming repetitive.

Here is a short recap of what happened on the finale: Vince got hassled by Matt Damon to help his charity for kids by donating his time and money. He left for Italy to start filming his new flick. Drama decided to return to acting and auditioned for the new Melrose Place, but was turned down. Instead he was offered a holding contract while a script is being written for him and flew to Italy with Vince in the meantime. Turtle hooked up with the college coed, but ultimately decided he wanted to be with Jamie. He hopped a plane to New Zealand to be with her, but while on the plane she told him not to come because she didn't want to date him while she was filming. After arriving in New Zealand Turtle took the next flight to Rome to meet up with Vince and Drama. Eric took Sloan out on a date. They fought the entire time and then Eric proposed to her and she said yes.

It sounds like there is a lot of content for this finale but I was left disappointed because all of it was extremely predictable. Everyone knew that Eric and Sloan had to get together for good because there can only be so much back and forth before it gets too annoying. As soon as Jamie got the part on a new series it was obvious that her and Turtle would break up. Drama had to go back to acting or what else would he do with his life? And as for Vince, what did he even do this season? He wasn't working and he wasn't dating anyone. I feel like he was barely even on the show. The few scenes that include him show him playing pool at the house or drinking at the bar with guys. I would like to see something new from Vince in the next season.

The only enjoyable parts of this episode were the celebrity appearances in which Matt Damon ruthlessly campaigned for his charity along with Bono and Lebron James. And my favorite scene in which Ari bought out his former boss's company and walked in with a paint ball gun shooting all of the "dead weight" aka people that he has hated throughout his entire career including Adam. Lloyd was offered the role as an agent for Ari's new company and he apologized for taking Lloyd for granted.

Another aspect of this episode that bothered me was the sign that Ari had made for Lloyd to congratulate him on his promotion. The sign read, "Congratulations, now you're a real Asian." Then as he showed the office to Lloyd he jokingly said, "That's supposed to say agent." The sign was offensive and unprofessional.

This show is cyclical and I'm getting bored with the repetitiveness and cheap jokes. Next season I would like to see Ari's wife have a more prominant role in a couple episodes. I also hope that they show the wedding between Eric and Sloan. Also, Vince needs to be a main character again and hopefully something unpredictable will happen on his movie set. I look forward to seeing Lloyd as an agent and how Eric will balance his life as a married man with all the guys. I hope this next season is better and the writers come up with some fresh ideas. If I had to rate season 6 on a 1-10 scale, I would give it a 6. I will anxiously await season 7 with optimistic hopes that it will be better than the last.