Entourage

It is commonly said these days Entourage has jumped the shark. I myself stopped watching the show after the final seasons of the Sopranos. At the time it felt like following up a beautiful steak dinner with cotton candy - the two just didn't mix. So I stopped watching and heard second hand about how bad the show became. So perhaps from a combination of low expectations and an interesting twist the show has take in the past two episodes - I must cop to it: I'm back into the show.

And it's not for the reasons I used to be into the show. It used to be a male fantasy. These young guys with the world at their fingertips, fallen ass backwards into success in a fantasy play world where everything seemed to work out just right. The calm headed and reasonable Eric tempering the naive, childlike kindness of Vince, both of them teamed up against their antagonist: agent-shark with a heart of (Ari) gold. Throw in the comic relief of Johnny Drama and an incredible cadre of bit parts and cameo appearances and the show was like eating candy. It tasted good because for 1/2 hour you got to live in this world with Vince and crew. It helped that the guys were relateable and sweet - not all that different from you and me. But also like candy, it made you feel a bit down or unhealthy afterward.

But these past two episodes captured something about Los Angeles it never dared venture before: desperation. Vince, once the epitome of dreamy, undeserved success, has suddenly found himself wanting and he doesn't like it one bit. In a few simple plot choices - one bad movie, an indifferent town with the hint of newer and hotter actors to replace him, and financial problems, suddenly Vince is thrust into a dark space - a space many people inhabit day to day - but unlike regular citizens, Vince's dark times are public - he sold he opportunity to deal with darkness privately. And you see, in the clucking lips of the goth 16 year old, Vince's possible future. It isn't pretty.

So what can happen? The sharks, like Ari, survive and the good guys, like Vince, are eaten and tossed out, broke, used, and desperate. Is this where the show is headed? From a popcorn fantasy about life in Hollywood to a bleak meditation on the ugly side of the industry? Is it possible that one of the most shallow, fun, superficial shows on television could dare of all things...to become meaningful?