It's not you, it's me . . . or maybe it IS you
Whether it's the unedited version on cable, the badly dubbed version on another station or side two of the DVD, I never watch the last half hour of "Goodfellas."
Why, you ask? Because I get mad every time I see Paulie (played by Paul Sorvino) give a befallen Henry Hill $3,200 and says "And now I must turn my back on you."
As Hill (Ray Liotta), "It wasn't even enough to buy a coffin."
What does this have to do with being three episodes into Season 7 of "Entourage"? Now, I understand how Paulie was feeling.
The first quarter of Season 7 has been remarkably dreadful. Where's the comedy that has made "Entourage" an Emmy-nominated series for Best Comedy? Have you found yourself genuinely laughing at more than one or two lines yet?
Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm in a weird place. Or maybe it's really just coming to grips with the fact that "Entourage" has officially jumped the shark. (Some claim that happened in Season 5 with Vince's career struggles, but I believe it to be the show's second-best season.)
"Entourage" used to be the most exciting 26 minutes of the weekend, no matter how awesome a weekend you had prior to Sunday night at 10 or 10:30. It was the one show that you wanted to watch live, even if you had a DVR and a TiVo.
When the show ended, we all wanted more. We all yelled at our TV and demanded just another five minutes. It was like hitting the snooze button each morning, fighting for a few more minutes of sleep. Now, I can't wait until the show is over. I want to turn my back on it, just like Paulie did to Henry Hill. But I'm more loyal than that, at least for now.
Long-time readers of "Entourage: Let's Blog It Out" should remember my penchant for plot and character development. No one wants the same show each week. Even if you think you do, you don't.
But so far, the Johnny Drama anguish and angst has felt forced, the Vincent Chase post-car crash attitude change doesn't make much sense, and the guest spots have been a cauldron of weak sauce. Ari Gold is still Ari Gold, and as much as we love his antics, he's most successful on the show when intertwined with the other main players.
After the genuine disappointment I felt last night from watching Episode 3, I did something I've never done in the five years of blogging it out about "Entourage." I logged in to the HBO media site and read the summaries for the next six episodes. Um, uh, er. Our best bet for genuine enjoyment will come Aug. 8 with the return of Billy Walsh.
Until then, stick with Season 2 on DVD.
