Bloggers Aren't Always Right: Entourage

so, after that post on Entourage, i've kept watching the show. and, i have to say, i was surprised enough by it that i felt the need to write this little...well, it's not really a retraction, i'll just call a takesies-backsies. in fact, i think i'm going to start a series called BAAR: Bloggers Aren't Always Right just for these occasions where i form an opinion and then find evidence to contradict it. it happens often enough, and i like to keep an open mind.

well, at least partly. everything i wrote about guest stars and hating Eric and Drama and Adrian Grenier's hair and Turtle losing weight...that still stands. but i wanted to go back and talk a little more about the character of Ari Gold and about the presence of female characters on the show.

first, the wimins. historically on Entourage, women have only existed in relation to the main male characters. fans, starfuckers, starlets, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, wives, studio execs, publicists...basically as tools the men use to achieve their needs and desires. the women who did have power (Ari's wife; Ari's partner, Barbara; Vince's publicist Shauna played by Debi Mazar; rival agent Amanda Daniels; Dana the studio head) were generally portrayed as one-dimensional bitches and/or shrews.

now, with this new season, we have some actual women development going. first, there's Ari's wife, who has some actual agency and is shown to not only love her husband but also stays on top of his shit. next, there's Sasha Grey. while the version of herself she plays may be a bad influence on Vince, the ideas she espouses in relation to sexuality and society are really spot on. it's nice to have a smart, sexy woman be taken seriously on this show.

we will not discuss Alex. i still hate her.

finally, there's Lizzie Grant. after starting an affair with her boss and basically causing his downfall, it was clear that Ari couldn't promote her. but, following her stunt resignation, her maturity in the way she handled Ari (and the unbearably cunty Amanda Daniels) was nuanced and real when i was so afraid that situation was just going to descend into bitch-baiting. the exchanges between Ari and Lizzie in last nights episode are riveting because it's one of the first times in the history of the show that we're seeing two characters who live and survive on the surface opening themselves up in an honest and vulnerable way. Lizzie acknowledges that she fucked up with Andrew without giving bullshit double standards a pass; Ari acknowledges that he can come off like a total asshole but is actually a human being inside. kudos to The Piv and to Autumn Reeser for their outstanding performances.

and this brings us back to Ari Gold. i dismissed him before as one dimensional, but i guess the writers realized that they had to show more of his compassionate and human side to keep people interested. and it's working! Ari was on top of the world three episodes ago - snore. now he's using the few authentic personal connections he has to try to save his family. "I am mean with words" is a great line that says so much.

i never meant to suggest in my last post that Jeremy Piven wasn't a great actor. i think he is (again, saving my "why the Emmys suck post" until the Emmys are a little closer), but i stand by my ire at all his trophies. still, his performance in last night's episode made it clear why people are still tuning in, and awarding, the work being done on Entourage. while i'm sticking with it for now, i'd probably want to watch more if they just made the show all about Ari. in fact, i bet a lot of people would want to watch that. with buzz of Entourage ending soon, there's something for HBO execs to think about...