‘Entourage’ infuriating

I ripped the “Entourage” poster on my wall down.

Vinny, my boy, it’s over. “Entourage” was great — really, it was one of the best shows ever to be on television. But it’s over now. And this awful season proves it.

It’s simple — “Entourage” scribes have forgotten how to be innovative with their plots. Vinny and the boys are rich again, so what now? We focus on Eric and his relationship woes? What an awful idea. Kevin O’Connolly may be one of the strongest actors on the show (aside from Jeremy Piven), but nobody watches to see E be emotional with girls. We watch for the humor — and for Ari to harass Lloyd.

Instead of thinking of new ways the characters could grow, the writers are simply pandering to the stereotypes they’ve created. Turtle smokes weed. Ari gets mad. Drama is a bitch. It’s all the same.

— by Eric Sundermann

‘Entourage’ still enticing

After an admittedly unpleasant fifth season, “Entourage” rocked the first episode of the new season and has managed to make the show interesting again.

The writers have finally realized that the three supporting members of Team Vince deserve their own spotlight moments. Vince has always been the show’s Ferris Bueller, while Eric (and the rest of the crew) plays Cameron. Anyone who says otherwise is lying.

What’s really impressive is the way the writers have developed Turtle into a real person. He’s been the generic pseudo-street, stoner horn dog for the majority of the show, and to see him question his role, as well as his future, has been the show’s biggest transformation. His relationship with über-hot Jamie-Lynn Sigler doesn’t hurt, either.

Even Johnny Drama grew up this season when he stood up to the studio executive who challenged the Sigler character’s integrity.

Of course, the show isn’t up to the caliber set by the first three seasons, but most sitcoms don’t last more than seven or eight years, anyway. But with the new focus on the full “Entourage” cast rather than just Vince, E, and Ari, I wouldn’t be surprised if HBO cranks out at least two more seasons.

— by Tyler Lyon