What I’m Watching: Entourage (Series Finale)

Entourage: Season 8, Episode 8 “The End” (B+)

I tried not to read any reviews of this finale before writing my own, but I was privy to the occasional headline, which seemed to imply that this finish was somewhat contrived in the way that it so perfectly resolved everything. It’s intriguing to note that it’s essentially all about Eric and Ari since both Drama and Turtle found fortune last week and Vince seems to have made his own in the time between the two installments. What I would argue is that, even in the best of days back when Ari was walking out of his agency and had a female assistant, this show has never been too concerned with reality. That is to say that having everyone reach a happy ending is fitting since things do always work out for this bunch. And it’s not as if they haven’t had their struggles. While pairing Vince up with Sophia for eternity (or at least, until the movie) still doesn’t sit entirely with me, he genuinely charmed her with affection and his personality, so that’s an achievement. He also managed to woo Sloane for Eric by saying that it didn’t matter if he slept with Melinda. What really got me was Ari’s opera-scored decision to quit his job, leaving with the lucky horseshoe and family photo, and move to Florence with his wife, now colloquially referred to as Melissa, following a rousing confession of love to her. Scott not boarding the plane because it’s really just about the main guys makes sense, and I like that Ari does come with him since he’s always been a member of their extended family. I’d hope that the movie, should it be made, doesn’t take place in Paris but rather further down the road, though I’d be perfectly content with this being the way things were left off for good. It’s been a good, if not entirely reliable, eight years, and this was definitely a fun show to have on the air.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Jeremy Piven
Series grade: B+
Series MVP: Jeremy Piven
Best season: Season 2
Best episode: “Exodus”