Episode 2 - Buzzed
23 February 2012
Synopsis: Vince impulsively cuts his hair off, makes a rare media gaffe and begins craving more adrenaline fuelling experiences. Eric's colleague Scott takes him for some sky diving while Nick Cassavetes fumes at not being consulted about the haircut. Ari's pitch to the NFL fails but they offer him the chance to take a team to LA. Turtle continues running into Alex and trying to make things right with her. Johnny pushes Lloyd and then Eric into helping him uncover a good script.
The Good: Now we know where the Vince story is headed it might just become interesting. After years of playing it safe he is craving the kind of rush that only danger brings. It fits his character just fine but the writers need to go all the way with it. They need to delve into what it must be like to be catered to and pampered the way Vince has been for so many years.
I liked the way Vince's reckless behaviour spilt over into other aspects of his life. His hair has been one of his selling points as a star and so he recklessly and unprofessionally cuts it. Speaking of which he then makes a wise crack about how one of his films "will probably suck." Again it would seem he is looking for thrills wherever he can get them and this is completely at odds with his media savvy and charming behaviour for years and years. The way slimy Scott enables Vince's desires was entirely plausible and well acted. Of course Scott would do whatever he could to spend time with a big movie star and he has no problem annoying Eric in the process.
Lizzie Grant's reappearance was followed up on appropriately with Ari still making digs about her affair with Andrew and Ari's wife disgusted to see her cavorting around his office. I think it's a nice touch to see Ari getting on well with his new assistant. Look at it anyway you like (perhaps his relationship with Lloyd encouraged him to treat those close to him better), it makes a nice change of pace.
The old Entourage humour popped back up in this episode which was very pleasing to see. You had Turtle claiming he could recognise a girl who had only been visible from behind in a Californication sex scene. You had Vince asking if anyone wanted to go bungee jumping after reading out a story about someone who died and donated all their organs. You had a Johnny classic when Eric asked him if they had ever had any "downs" in their relationship "No but we probably will if we work together." And then there was Bob Saget (see Comic Highlight).
The Bad: We need to see why Turtle would be attracted to Alex beyond the obvious or it will become hard to care about their relationship. Seeing Eric and Johnny team up makes you wonder why Eric has never tried to help him before. The slightly awkward way their partnership came together not only raised those personal questions but also makes you think about how exactly Eric's new job works. Can Johnny just jump from Ari to Murray like that? Isn't that a conflict of interest? Does Murray now get ten per cent of Vince's money? It could use some clarifying.
I know Ari got only a few hours notice that the NFL chiefs were coming to town but he still seemed very unprepared. If his office had been calling and calling shouldn't he have had a pitch all ready to go? To invite Lizzie in at the last minute seemed slapdash and you would expect Ari to go into the meeting armed with a whole team to back him up. Also Vince admits he has never done any adventure sports before yet gets up and leaps out of a plane in a matter of seconds! An unaided jump as well. These sloppy moments should have been tightened up.
Comic Highlight: Always good for a laugh and a blue joke Bob Saget pops in to scold Eric for skipping a meeting they had. Eric claims it wasn't personal to which Saget replies: "You know what was personal. I got blown by two girls last night. And in the middle of it some guy comes home and says 'What are you doing with my wives?' Wives! Mormon shit, I'm serious."
Victory?: The haircut is a good visual to demonstrate that this is a changed and changing Vince. Whether or not he really is going through something interesting may determine if this season is remotely watchable. It was nice to have some comedy back.
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