Entourage: The Complete Second Season (DVD-3 Discs)

As I said in my review for Entourage's first season, while it was a good run of episodes, it's probably a good thing that I knew that they would improve, or I may not have stuck with the show. Season 2 improves on every aspect of the show; the characters become more developed, the writing improves, and the jokes seem to get funnier.The year begins 3 months after the end of season 1; the boys have just returned from New York, where Vince (Adrian Grenier) was shooting an independent film. While he didn't get a large paycheck for it, it was a dream project for him, and it seemed that the role was tailored for Vince. Immediately, Vince's agent Ari (Jeremy Piven) is hounding Vince about his next project. Vince and his manager/best friend Eric "E" Murphy (Kevin Connolly) want to get a film called Medellin, which is the story of Pablo Escabar, but Ari insists that they do a film version of Aquaman. Vince and Eric object to Aquaman, seeing it as a waste of time, seeing as how he will be doing a lot of blue-screen work, about a lame superhero. Medellin, they argue, is the best of both worlds; it is another pet project for Vince, but it is a studio picture that will earn Vince a large paycheck. However, Vince soon learns that he does not yet have the clout to get Medellin, and if he does Aquaman (and does a good job), Ari can nearly guarantee him Medellin. Aquaman is embraced fully by Vince when he learns that James Cameron is attached to direct, but the moment that happens, the offer for Vince is withdrawn.The Aquaman story is the main plot for the year, and it broken into different parts (the initial offer, getting the offer back, and then dealing with pre-production). However, numerous sub-plots develop that involve the rest of the entourage. Johnny "Drama" Chase (Kevin Dillon), Vince's washed-up brother finally succeeds in getting a job, and his dream comes true when Brooke Shields is revealed to be his costar. Meanwhile, Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) begins to show that he is good for something besides just mooching off Vince when he decides to manage an up-and-coming rapper. Eric, meanwhile, must deal with the stress of being Vince's manager; whether dealing with Ari, with whom he shares a mutual hatred, or Vince's publicist Shauna (Debi Mazar), he always seems to get his head torn off. Though they are nothing compared to people outside Vince's employment, such as a Harvey Weinstein stand-in (it's likely that Weinstein didn't want to play himself in a role that mocked him) that nearly killed him and Ari over a dispute involving Vince. Finally, Ari had a story involving his partner, Terrence McQuiwick (Malcolm McDowell). Fearing that Terrence wants to usurp Vince from him, Ari does everything he can, including embarrassing his daughter at her own bat mitzvah to foil Terrence's plans.The humor this season seemed to be ten times better than the jokes in the first season. Drama remains my favorite character; whether stating his bizarre theories about why good bagels are only available on one square block of LA to making a fool out of himself at Comic Con to his scene with his celebrity crush Brooke Shields, Drama always succeeds at making me laugh. Ari is a close second favorite for me, and his verbal sparring with Eric remains great. Ari's ability to thoroughly humiliate Eric and then wonder why Eric would even think of insulting him is great, and his ruthlessness is made even better by the way he is so completely afraid of his wife. Turtle is sitll my least favorite character, but I found that I don't dislike him anymore. Also, this year the celebrity cameos actually had a purpose (for the most part). Shields, Cameron, Mandy Moore, Pauly Shore, and Ralph Macchio all contributed to the plot. There were a few cameos that were there for the sake of a cameo, but the one I found truly amazing was Bob Saget. He didn't have much to contribute nor did he do anything extremely funny, but the fact that he appeared as himself in a role that so thoroughly mocked him surprises me.As I said, every main character had a chance to grow this year, and Vince finally stopped being a one-dimensional protagonist. He still is the least developed (but as other reviewers have said, that may be intentional), but at least he showed that he has a mood besides just "yeah, whatever".There were also numerous characters introduced this year who added to the fun. Terrence was a great villain and foil for Ari; here was a man who was just as ruthless as Ari, but he is able to offer things to Vince that Ari can't, which is saying a lot. He is richer and better connected than Ari, who, up until Terrence was introduced, had the best connections on the show. Terrence's daughter Sloan (Emmanuelle Chriqui) is one of the first girls on the show to ward off Vince in favor of Eric, and the pair's relationship causes happiness for them and worry for Ari (he fears that Eric may be sleeping with the enemy). Best of all, this year introduces Lloyd (Rex Lee), Ari's new assistant. While Emily was better to look at, Lloyd is hilarious. A "gaysian" as Ari calls him, Lloyd's mannerisms are great, and his relationship with Ari is priceless, especially in the last two episodes. It seems like Lloyd is the only person besides Mrs. Ari who can stand up to Ari and tell him how he feels about the way Ari treats him (though, unlike Mrs. Ari, Ari does not fear Lloyd).The season ended with a huge twist (by Entourage's standards), and leaves the audience wanting more. It's amazing how great a show about the extravagent lifestyle of a Hollywood star can be, but if you don't believe me, see for yourself. Entourage is a surprisingly good show that tells us that the life in Hollywood isn't all fun and games.

Back when this season was originally airing the New York Times made the point that this show is so good that it nearly renders "Sex and the City" obsolete. It seemed to me to be an extreme stance, but just maybe they have a point. "Entourage" is the obvious successor to "Sex and the City," four people of the same gender living free and trying to get lucky with the opposite sex. But is it so much better? I would say that character wise the two shows are equal; "Entourage" holds the edge in dialogue, which is sharper, plus there is the added bonus of no shoes and no sappiness. So yes, "Entourage" win, and it is so good in fact that it is currently the best show on TV. Season 2 will likely to remembered for the Vince Chase (Adrian Grenier)/Mandy Moore (herself) romance. Vince, famous for his ability to not give a crap, really does give a crap when Mandy Moore reenters his life as they are going to film James Cameron's "Aquaman" together. So Moore, with her seductive hold over Vince, works as a sort of Kryptonite for Aquaman. He stops showing up for meeting and begins proclaiming that the only thing he cares about is her. The show moves towards a finale in which the group has to resist the urge to split apart. Vince's posse, in it supposedly out of loyalty, has that loyalty tested when the money threatens to disappear thanks to Vince's love life. The ride you go on with this characters has a velocity that is off the charts. The wit found here is breathtaking. Everything is done with such energy (even mundane business meetings) that you can't help but watch. The show does everything right, and it looks as though they aren't even trying.I would be beyond remiss if I didn't say a few words about the inspired performance of Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold, Vince's agent. It has no boundaries, no lack of enthusiasm, and has a knack for becoming unhinged. It is the kind of performance that Al Pacino built his career around. It is over the top, but endlessly entertaining and exciting. He gets some wicked lines to work with and nails them all. Without him the show would lose more than a step. The show is also about the love of movies. The more you know about the history of cinema the more of the inside jokes you will get. Some are easier to get than others, such as Bob Sagat showing up to play against his "Full House" type and swear at the boys while warning them away from his daughters. Sagat's rebirth is a source of much enjoyment for me. "Entourage" is a near perfect show. It matches "Curb Your Enthusiasm" cringe inducing moment for cringe inducing moment. Their continuity is solid and creative, seen this season when they bring back Emily, this time as an agent for James Cameron. Even when they sell out and devote an entire episode to one product ("Fight Night Round 2") you don't have time to be outraged because you are having too much fun. Every season the boys grow up a little bit more. The lesson they learn here is that their carefree ways are subsidized by Vince actually caring once in a while. An "Aquaman" paycheck will allow you to have your integrity, as long as you sacrifice it for the duration of filming. Money is still the name of the game even though they have more than any reasonable person could ever spend. I could have done without the constant swooning over material wealth, but at least they don't have a serious shoe addiction.

My other half was so gutted to get to the end of season one, he instantly requested that I buy season 2... We have now also finished this (in the space of a week) and he's chomping at the bit for season 3!Excellent watching and no brain power required. Perfect for chilling after a long day or in between breaks from Nordic Crime dramas!

Great seller A+++++++++

Unfortunately a few discs didn't work properly and was not fixable with scratch out (this product has worked for every disc in past) I will order again it was cheap got what I paid for it guess. I just hope they will be more careful what they ship.

J ai pas pu l écouter c es pas un dvd region 1(Amérique du nord)mais un dvd européen Amazon ma rembourser sans problème!

Absolutely love this show. Sad to see it come to an end so soon. One of my favorite shows of all time. Can't wait for the movie.