Episode 1 - Stunted
22 March 2012
Synopsis: On his movie set Vince comes under pressure from director Nick Cassavetes to do his own stunts. Ari and Eric try to intervene but feeling like a coward Vince decides to go through with it. Turtle's sexy limo business is up and running but he has a crush on hapless driver Alex. Johnny's holding deal is about to expire and no one has a show for him.
The Good: Entourage returns for an astonishing seventh season and some of its strengths haven't changed at all. The banter between Eric and Ari over the phone is as amusingly and naturally scripted as ever. And neither man has forgotten how to play their role to maximum effect, one the apotheosis of Hollywood swagger, the other remaining grounded and reasonable.
It's difficult to tell how much continuity the show will keep from last season. But the fact that they bothered with the "On the last season" recap was an encouraging sign of investment in the shows ongoing plots. Turtle's limo company has been an idea in the show for a while (511) and after studying business he has gone ahead and launched it. Similarly Johnny's holding deal is nearing its conclusion and leaving him feeling tense.
The only developed plot though is Vince's car stunt. The playing on his ego is effective and certainly raises a new issue that actors have to deal with. Â
The Bad: Of course there is zero tension that Vince might actually suffer any long term damage from the stunt. Vince's character drifted aimlessly last season and he badly needs more development to give Entourage any chance of relevance. The show definitely feels long in the tooth after seven seasons. The appeal of the celebrity voyeurism or aspiration side can only carry the show a short way. Beyond that it needs to either have good stories or good laughs and the characters are so familiar and formulaic at this point that it is difficult to imagine either happening.
Johnny facing career problems again feels tiring to watch. We have seen him go up and down the roller coaster so many times that it's hard to find any enthusiasm for another ride. Speaking of which, did you know that Ari's busy job gets in the way of his wife's schedule? Yeah I was shocked too. Oh look there's Sloan in a short cameo with no character development. Just one surprise after another.
The jokes about Nick Cassavetes, a real life chick flick director being a hard ass action guy are probably too meta for most of the audience to follow.
Comic Highlight: Vince is thinking about doing a dangerous stunt but his friends doubt he could do it. Vince points out that Will Smith did all his own stunts while filming Hancock. Johnny retorts that "Will's an athlete bro" and to prove the point he adds "I bowled with him!"
Victory?: The boys are back but I doubt they are inspiring any new fans to jump on board.
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