The show would be unwatchable if the characters stood around and talked. Literally, the show would be unwatchable because the scenes don't have any substance or nuance. Mostly, it's bros being bros or bros fretting about a paragraph in an article or a useless strike or Johnny Galecki possibly dating Sloan. Active direction injects life into lifeless scenes. For example, Billy Walsh called Drama to rant about the strike. The scene would've been fairly boring if Walsh called from home, lying on a couch, and cussing Drama and his strike out but Walsh's side happened at a little kid’s birthday party. Billy Walsh whispered obscenities into the phone, dressed as a pirate, as children swatted at a piñata. Walsh reminded Drama that he's a father of five who won't be able to afford maple syrup without the Johnny Bananas gig.
Does the scene work just because Walsh is dressed as a pirate with crazy children swatting at a piñata? No. The scene works because it shows instead of tells. Any creative writing 101 class instructs the students to show, not tell (another rule is: make descriptions active and actions descriptive but that rule's for novels, novellas and short stories...and no teacher taught me that--my father did). In any scene, a screenwriter needs to hit his or her beats. The manners in which the beats are hit make a difference between an average screenplay and a great screenplay. Ellin and Ferrara showed us Walsh's domestic life, his children, and even gave one of the children the line about maple syrup. The scene revealed character in more ways than just dialogue.
In another scene, Drama's at the gym, working stress off. Lloyd interrupts his punching session to talk business with the on-strike actor. Each time Drama attempts to re-start his session, Lloyd gets between Drama and his trainer. The audience knows that Drama's stressed about the situation and that he purposely avoids agents and executives because of his stress level. Kevin Dillon's a physical actor and his scenes are usually visceral. Visceral scenes are essential because the audience needs to feel what the character feels. Drama and Lloyd's scene wouldn't have achieved the desired affect in the office or in a cafe. In the scene, Lloyd explains that CBS will cancel the series if he and Dice continue to hold out for more money. Once Lloyd leaves, we know Drama's defeated because he's lost the desire to punch.
The two scenes are small samples of one of Entourage's few strengths. It's worth taking the time to watch a scene and figure out why it works beyond the dialogue. Anyway, nothing changed between last week's episode and this week's episode. Drama and Dice eventually forced CBS to cave to their demands (what a fantasy--would CBS really cave for an animated show starring the voices of two washed up actors?). Melinda Clarke and Eric ate lunch together. Johnny Galecki interrupted and insinuated that he and Sloan have become sexual partners. Vince was offended by a single paragraph in the Vanity Fair article that criticized his relationships with women, so he met with an ex-girlfriend who happened to be the journalist's sister.
Ari learned that divorce would be expensive, and not just in legal fees. Ari could lose a stake in the company to pay his wife her share of their capital. He resisted the divorce, went to the house to talk with her only to lose his mind when he saw Bobby Flay in the foyer. And that point, he declared that he'd settle their relationship with lawyers. Bobby revealed Mrs. Ari's real name, which received too much publicity in the season previews. Each scene indicates that the series will end with the two separated (and it might because of the movie) but they'll find one another again. Mrs. Ari's too hesitant with Flay and Ari's never stopped loving his wife.
Two episodes remain in this damn series. #807 is available on HBO Go, so I'll have the review up at 10:55PM next Sunday. One character's life will experience a positive change.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
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