Season 2 – 8/10

Season 1 walked so that Season 2 could fly. The plot of Season mainly revolves around convincing Vincent Chase to act in a new superhero movie to boost his income and popularity. It’s so bold and rich in it’s writing and storytelling in this season that it predicts that Martin Scorcese ‘Theme park ride movies’ quote from 2019. That is incredible, that a show from 2005 had the foresight to do something like.

The cast of characters expands in this season and there is much more brewing drama than before. Each character gets a new big thing to do which elevates the tension and stakes from the first season. The highs and lows of Vinny are also incredible to watch as you witness this humongous movie star get torn apart over a girl like any normal person would. The beauty is in the details, where you see how each decision by each character impacts them later in the story. This is something that Entourage does really well. Action-consequence writing that’s only been paralled by it’s Hollywoo counterpart BoJack Horseman.

This season did things for our outlook on the film industry and how cutthroat it is like none other. The most shocking arc being that of Ari’s which is a sight to watch as his career faces one roadblock after another. The best new addition to the show to come from this season is Ari’s hardworking and loyal assistant Lloyd who is the victim of severe racial and sexual abuse throughout the show and yet stands strong in hard times.

The toxic masculinity in the show can be suffocating at time but it still manages to salvage a good tear or two at its best and a bad cringe at its worst. It’s definitely a product of its time but its appeal is timeless.