ENTOURAGE
Season 4 Episode 6
“The Weho Ho”

E and Vince want Billy off Lost in the Clouds, but Ari sold the Dream Team to the studio, and to have a split at this point in the game, when Medellin isn’t even out yet could reflect badly on both projects.
But Billy apologizes to E (it turns out someone else leaked the trailer) and E reluctantly agrees to have a four-way meeting with Dana Gordon to seal the deal.
The meeting goes well enough, despite Billy’s massive ego. E however, is convinced he cannot work with Billy again. But Vinnie still wants to do the movie, so E steps down as producer. But he does go on the record as saying he thinks Vinnie shouldn’t do Lost in the Clouds, and that he thinks Billy’s best days are behind him.
In the end, Vinnie still pushes on with Lost in the Clouds.

There are two subplots in this episode, one more effective than the other.
The first involves Turtle and Drama getting sucked into bidding for a Sandy Koufax jersey under the mistaken assumption that Koufax is dying and the jersey is soon to appreciate in value. It turns out it’s Koufax’s dog that died recently, and the baseball player is in the best of health. Of course, the boys find this out after they’ve already bid on the jersey.

The second subplot is particularly good, involving Lloyd’s break-up with his lover Tom.
Depressed, Lloyd takes a leave, throwing Ari’s office into a lurch. Needing to restore order to his work life (and because he really does care for Lloyd), Ari ends up playing matchmaker, and we get to see Tom, who reveals to Ari that Lloyd cheated on him, and that was the reason for the break-up.
Ari however, covers for Lloyd and says that during the night in question, Lloyd was with him at The Bourne Ultimatum premiere. Lloyd and Tom get back together, but Ari warns Lloyd that though he may like liars, he doesn’t like cheaters.
There’s also what seemed to me to be a passing insinuation that Lloyd’s dalliance with the barrista at the Coffee Bean may not have been a one-time thing.
Say it ain’t so, Lloyd!

(Images courtesy of hbo.com.)

ENTOURAGE
Season 4 Episode 5
“The Dream Team”

The episode’s subplot has Johnny trying to look young—since he’s the old fogey on the Five Towns set—by buying a cap that requires him to get a certificate that proves he needs to take marijuana for medicinal purposes. (Yes, all for the cap.)
The episode’s meat however, lies in the main plot, involving the Medellin triumvirate.

The simmering antagonism between E and Billy comes to a head when E is accused of leaking the Medellin trailer onto YouTube, and the smackdown that we’ve all been waiting for erupts.
But E and Billy still have to be civil to each other, at least for an interview with former New York Times critic Elvis Mitchell. E manages to keep it together during the interview, but is called out by Billy just as Mitchell drives off. They’re about to do Round Two but Vince takes things in hand and makes E walk away.
In the car, E says he’ll put up with the sh!t for as long as it takes to get Medellin done and out, and then he never wants to see Billy again.

Meanwhile, Ari zeroes in on Vinnie’s next project: the film adaptation of Lost in the Clouds, which is on the fasttrack under Dana Gordon, whom Ari inadvertently got fired due to the whole I Wanna Be Sedated debacle.
But when Ari drops by her office with drinks and cupcakes, it turns out that the project is locked, with Heath Ledger topbilling and Curtis Hanson directing. So Ari goes into stealth mode and discovers Ledger is being handled by his former-assistant-turned-rival-agent Josh Weinstein. With Lloyd’s help, Ari manipulates Josh into thinking this is a bad career move for Ledger by implying there’s some homosexual subtext in the material, and that with Brokeback Mountain still in the public’s minds…
So Ledger suddenly drops out of the project, but then so does Hanson, who only wanted to work with Ledger in the first place, leaving the film dead in the water.
But Ari works his magic behind the scenes, and gets the project up and running again by selling “the Dream Team” to work on it: E producing, Vinnie starring, and (uh-oh) Billy directing.

This is a great episode, as it brings back familiar faces like Josh Weinstein and Dana Gordon (who I loved in her past appearances). There are also quick cameos from Snoop Dog and Brian Grazer, as well as the slightly longer one by Elvis Mitchell.

(Images courtesy of hbo.com.)

ENTOURAGE
Season 3
Episode 15
“Manic
Monday”

As Mrs. Ari and Lloyd worry about Ari (he’s not eating and he’s sleeping in a little too much), Babs senses something amiss with her partner (he’s “weak” and “nice”; he isn’t himself).
And unknown to them all, he’s tearing up at the sight of wallpaper showing him and Vince in happier times.
An impromptu session on a golf course with Therapist No. 7 (or 5, according to Mrs. Ari) makes shrink and client realize that the break with Vince has really affected him, and that he’s “evolving.”
Of course, Ari doesn’t wanna evolve. He needs his anger and his edge, so he goes back to the office and does what he sees as a wonderful perk of his job: he fires someone.

Meanwhile, Amanda demands face time with Vince to find out why she’s getting the run around, a meeting that gets Vince to admit that he thinks she’s “cute.” And when Amanda confronts Vince and asks whether that means he wants to get in the sack with her, he says “Yes,” and they arrange for a one-time thing, after which, they can return to a strictly agent-client relationship. (At least that was the plan…)
Complication, anyone?

(Image courtesy of aol.com.)

ENTOURAGE Season 3
Episode 14
“Dog Day Afternoon”

Vince continues to dodge Amanda’s calls, holding out for Medellin, while Sam Mendes expects an answer soon.
With that biz bit as backdrop, this episode is pretty much relationship stuff: Eric tries to plan a vacation with Sloane without Vince as tag-along; Turtle and Drama pick up girls at a dog park, with Arnold as bait (finally! A subplot with Arnold playing a pivotal role); Ari gets Lloyd to help rope in a gay client.
It’s that last subplot that’s probably the most interesting, as not only do we see Ari maneuvering his way through a crowded dance floor in a gay club (“No touching! Civilian!”), but he surprises once again, showing us his humanity by rescuing Lloyd from a compromising situation.
All this, catalyzed by a Donna Summer song about a hooker!* Brilliant.
Ari whips out a fantastic metaphor, Lloyd has a great scene at the club, and we see Mrs. Ari. Yay!! (I love Mrs. Ari.)

* Did I say “hooker”? Sorry. I meant “waitress.” (Heh.)

Parting shot: I may have initially missed Emily after she moved on to work with James Cameron, but I didn’t miss her for long. (Sorry, Samaire.) Lloyd is such a great character, and is a fantastic counter-balance to Ari. Given that the boys’ camaraderie is often something that we take for granted in the show, the Ari-Lloyd relationship is actually the most fascinating one to watch, and this episode brings that pairing further.

(Image courtesy of aol.com.)