What I’m Watching: Entourage (Season Finale)

Entourage: Season 6, Episode 12 “Give A Little Bit” (B+)

This is a terrific sendoff for this show after a rather unremarkable season. All of the characters pull together and finally man up and do what they’ve been trying to all season. The very unoccupied Vince gets ready to go to Italy and actually do something, to shoot the Frank Darabont movie he’s been waiting to do for so long. The appearance of a vigilantly charitable Matt Damon was entirely hilarious, and was even funnier than his guest spot as a member of the gay chorus on “Will & Grace” a few years ago. Drama’s continuous auditions were getting embarrassing, but fortunately William Fichtner had the good sense to see him as a legitimate serious actor and offer him his own project. Turtle’s inability to move on from Jamie was a nice twist, and his last-minute decision to fly to New Zealand to tell her how he felt was capped by her predictable “let me go” call which came only moments after Turtle could have deplaned. His sarcastic comment upon landing in New Zealand was a highlight of the episode. Eric’s decision to try to win Sloane back seemed like a bad idea, but he really pulled it off with that unexpected ring. Seeing Sloane excitedly show off her bling to the guys was really nice – Eric and Sloane were always good together, and having them back again is a wonderful thing. The most entertaining of all the storylines, as per usual, was Ari. He was so initially frustrated with Terence’s desire to keep his name on the masthead of the agency, and his paintball gun rampage on the employees of the company was fun. His ultimate acceptance of Terence’s offer and apology was a great dramatic high, and his positive, much overdue promotion of Lloyd was a truly nice touch. Lloyd’s speech to Ari was ballsy and awesome, and he’s one of the best characters on the show. I’m glad that he’s here to stay. Hopefully next season can coast off this fantastic finale and go back to its original quality.

Season grade: B/B-
Season MVP: Jeremy Piven/Rex Lee