BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST
One of my favorite characters on this show is the crazy director friend of the guys named Billy Walsh. Long time fans have watched Walsh’s character go in many different and fun directions. He’s always an asshole and is the perfect characterization of the “gritty artist independent-type director”. Something like a Tarintino and pretty much anyone who has ever shown some pretention. It’s just a fun character. In this one, Vince and Eric have problems trying to get to see a first cut of their movie Medellin. Billy goes crazy in the process and we get to see a little of his world as it goes. Meanwhile, Drama plans a party for Vince but is very anal about his house. The locks on the bathrooms are amazing.
(THREE) RETURN OF THE KING
I debated it and I think this is probably Ari Gold’s best episode. Ari has to do business with Nicki Rubenstein, played by Adam Goldberg but can’t because their religion won’t allow them to do business or talk on cell phones on Yom Kippur. The little antics here are hilarious. The hidden phones, the running around, and the building tension rocked. This all goes on and eventually connects to another story that involves Drama trying to save a horse from becoming glue. The stories in this one are crazy, but the connections at the end are a huge pay off.
(TWO) TREE TRIPPERS
In this one we have the guys on shrooms. They hook up with Eric Roberts, get shrooms, go into the desert together, and they hang out at the Joshua Tree from the U2 album cover.. Ari freaks out, Eric loses the power to speak, and Vinny makes a big decision. They go out there to figure out what Vinny wants to do next. He wants to do one thing, but has an offer to do a big remake of Benji. The shrooms guide him in a horrible direction, but the show was still hilarious. Really good stuff.
(ONE) ONE DAY IN THE VALLEY
This episode is exactly what I enjoy about the show and what I missed the most in later seasons. The gang of friends were hanging out and nervously spying on local theatres to see how Vinny’s first big blockbuster was doing. They then encounter a heat wave and a black out. Theatres were closed down, cash registers were down, and the highways were at a standstill. The guys then hook up with two nerdy fans and go to a shitty backyard high school party. It IS a lot like that scene in “Almost Famous” and it doesn’t shy away from referencing it. It’s just a good one. They’re still spoiled brat douche bags, but they get a chance to be a bit more down to earth. And Ari Gold gets thrown in a pool! Best episode of the entire series, hands down.
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