Entourage - "Whiz Kid" Review

IN THE NAME OF SOLIDARITY, DRINK YOUR VINEGAR

It wasn't exactly a shock what the subject matter of this week's Entourage was, due to the shockwave nature of last week's ending. Nevertheless, the execution of this was better than I expected, though a few bits and pieces of "Whiz Kid" are tantalizingly lacking, particularly in regards to Ari. So, most of the episode dealt with the fallout from Carl Ertz's shocking suicide. They actually managed to make the aftermath both dramatic, as Turtle was traumatized from the sight of Carl's brains, and funny, when Scott was overly enthusiastic and undeterred to find out what actual brains looked like, no matter the morbidity of the situation. Vince and Turtle's presence at the scene, due to the cocaine, requires Vince to submit to a drug test, which worries him because he broke his sobriety (weed) to prove to himself that he wasn't an addict. They later confirm that it's still in his system, so Vince turns to none other than longtime ex-addict Billy Walsh for help. Have I mentioned yet how great it has been to have Rhys Coiro back full-time on the show? His presence recalls some of Entourage's greatest days, and combining with Scott Caan (who is now arguably the funniest character), they have somewhat revived the show's laugh factor. Anyway, Walsh's solution to Vince's problem may have been the most hilarious joke ever on the show, if weren't taken so seriously. And that joke was a fake penis, filled with clean urine so Vince would pass, worn over his real one. LOLOLOLOLOLOL. Just had to get that out. One thing this episode did really well is touch on why exactly Vince had been so different from E since leaving rehab, and that was because he felt like E was less his friend or manager, and more like a nag who was holding him back and questioning his every action. So, E didn't tell Vince what to do or not do, until he saw the fake, which made him zoom into overdrive. And at the end, we discover that Vince had used it anyway. This episode seemed to return Entourage to Vince's pre-drug days, and it seems like the second half of the season will focus exclusively on the end. As I said above, my pet peeve was Ari, who kinda just ran in circles, attempting to piss off his wife and losing Dana's trust in the process, made both women furious at him. I speculated last week whether Ari would end up with Dana. This episode made it clear that that WILL NOT happen, so it's looking like Mrs. Ari or bust. And she's nowhere near forgiving him, though I did like her referencing how he always walked out on her in counseling. Still, this episode didn't take any steps toward the end, but we don't quite know what those steps are yet, so only time will tell. A good-not-great episode, about on par with "Out With a Bang". Halfway through this season, only 4 left now.

"Whiz Kid" - 3.5/5 stars