THE MIDDLEMAN
Season 1 Episode 5
“The Flying Fish Zombification”
Written by Andy Reaser
Directed by Allan Kroeker

So the MiddlePlot in this episode involves a quasi-zombie outbreak, courtesy of the Peruvian flying pike, while the Dub Dub personal life subplot involves “Art Crawl,” the regular art show Wendy and her gang of bohemian art fiends indulge in.


Given that there were not only quasi-zombies in this one, but also some airborne aquatic meanies (a tribute to James Cameron’s deathless Piranha II: Flying Killers?), I had high hopes for it.
And yeah, it did play better than either of the two previous episodes, but it still lacked some, ahem, bite.
And Pip (The Bold and the Beautiful’s Drew Tyler Bell; also in Victor Salva’s Jeepers Creepers II), the talentless would-be artist/son of the owner of the building Wendy has her illegal sublet in, is a less-than-inspired character. (I’m already having trouble with Noser, people…)


There were some great bits though, like Ali Damji as Rod Argent, whose brand new wife just got all zombie on him, and !!!! (Matt Keeslar, who really just owns the Middleman role, does a fantastic !!!!)
For those, I’m grateful.
But the whole sub-MiddlePlot involving Sensei Ping’s training of Wendy seemed a tad odd considering we never see Sensei Ping at all…
Hurrrr…


Ah, well, let me just accentuate the positive (something I’m sure Dr. Gil might say, if he were still with us): this one’s better than the past two episodes…

(Images courtesy of abcfamily.go.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.)