Seth Green

A trip to Sin City.

August 7, 2006 - With all the recent bad press Vince has received over Aquaman and Queens Boulevard, the boys decide a little vacation is in order. Turtle hooks Vince up with an easy thousand for attending a party (although there are some other stipulations they will later learn) and the group head out to Sin City.

Before they leave however, they kidnap a pretty-willing Ari. After briefly contemplating the implications the trip would have on relations with Mrs. Ari, Gold decides it’s worth the risk and jumps aboard.

If you felt Entourage had slipped away from the glitz and glam in recent weeks, "Vegas Baby" is the answer. Devoid of any real consequences within the context of the season or any real evolution of the season’s through line, "Vegas Baby" is just pure and simple fun.

Drama is excited to see his favorite masseuse in order appropriately relax before his big Ed Burns pilot. He considers the masseuse a friend and isn’t ashamed to let him know it, but his not-so-vaguely homo-erotic compliments are starting to be taken the wrong way by just about everyone.

It turns out Vince’s cool grand also includes judging a stripper contest, but he’s kind enough to share the love with Turtle, who strikes up deals with all contestants to best reap the obvious benefits with the winner.

HBO

Meanwhile, E runs into a smug Seth Green, his own posse in tow. Green asks E to say hello to his girlfriend, Sloane. E isn’t sure at first whether the mention has a deeper meaning, but as the episode goes along, Green’s intent becomes increasingly obvious.

We are introduced to E’s jealous streak. The boys play down his annoyance at first, but each Green encounter moves closer and closer to confrontation.

Props to Seth Green for freely poking fun at his possibly fictional, possibly not personification of himself as a spoiled Hollywood brat. He hides behind his crew and does his best to get under E’s skin. There’s not much to like in the smarmy Green. You just keep waiting for someone to punch his lights out.

Drama, poor Drama. This guy just lives in a world all his own. As his conversations with the masseuse just get weirder and weirder, everyone but Drama sees the implications. But, as per the norm, it takes a pretty eye-opening wake-up call to alert the thick-headed Drama.

There isn’t a whole lot of depth to "Vegas Baby," but it does what the show does best. There’s plenty of laughs, plenty of women and plenty of money being blown. It’s also nice to see the boys outside of their normal element, reminiscent of last year’s excellent Comic-Con episode. Ari gets to be one of the boys, even if his inclusion in the trip doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. If nothing else, writers have continually acknowledged the popularity of the character this year, including Mr. Piven anywhere and everywhere possible.

With three episodes to go, a lot of Season Three remains up in the air. What is Vincent’s next career move? Is the Miller-Gold agency going to take off or flop? Is Turtle’s career as a music producer going to mean he can fend for himself? Will Drama actually succeed and make a comeback? Early teases for the final three look to answer some of these. I just hope the writers give us something to go on before the season’s end, rather than setting up everything for next season.