Entourage reaches "The End"

     On HBO's Entourage finale, appropriately titled "The End," everyone finds their happy ending. Ari (Jeremy Piven) quits his job so he can give his wife, Melissa (Perrey Reeves), usually known as Mrs. Ari, the attention that she wants. Vince (Adrian Grenier), after a single 24-hour date, invites everyone to his wedding with Sophia (Alice Eve) in Paris. With some help from his friends, E (Kevin Connolly) has another chance with the mother of his baby, Sloan (Emmanuelle Chriqui). Entourage begins as a series about friends, but ends with a focus on family, both actual relations, and friends that are as close as such.

     If there is one complaint to be had about "The End," it's that it is far too short. Minimum, it should have been an hour. Two would have been even better. The extra time is needed because there are a number of things that were not shown, but should have been. First, viewers never get to observe Vince and Sophia on that magical date, and only see them together as they are getting ready to fly away. Second, Ari's breakup with Dana (Constance Zimmer), though logical based on the previous episode, is also done off stage. There is no chance to see if E and Sloan will ever work things out, just that they have the opportunity to. And in a perfect world, Billy (Rhys Coiro), Lloyd (Rex Lee), and Scott (Scott Caan) would go to the wedding, because they are all part of Vince's expanded entourage now. Maybe Shauna (Debi Mazar), too. It would be nice, if a tad cliche, to see the wedding.

     Perhaps, biggest of all, Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Drama (Kevin Dillon) get no personal plot in "The End," spending all their screen time helping out friends. While that serves them well, fans also care about the two as individuals. One can assume that Drama's career is finally in good shape, given the development in the previous episode. But while Turtle now has money, fans never get to see how his next investment plays out, or if he finds romantic happiness. These are important elements to the character, and with the shortened final season, there is no time to address them.

     Vince's sudden nuptials are not surprising. His character is frequently passionate, and prone to obsession throughout Entourage. Given the way that he handles his career, it should be predictable that he will finally treat his love life the same way. Vince has great follow through, too, so it just might work out. But to complainers who think a single day is not enough time for Vince to choose marriage, re-watch the character for the past eight seasons and consider again.

     A feature film followup to Entourage seems an almost sure thing at this point, so it's hard to get too nit picky about how things should end. After all, life goes on, and the series has to stop at some point. Presumably, we will see if E and Sloan can make it work, if Sophia and Vince will last, how Drama will do with his renewed acting career, what happens to Turtle, and how Lloyd becomes a super agent replacement for Ari. It is for this reason that "The End" is not a total disappointment. The events that happen in "The End" are wonderful, and it's very much a feel good episode. But it definitely leaves viewers wanting more.

     Finally, what will Ari do? If you stick around after the closing credits begin to roll, you are treated to a scene where John (Alan Dale) calls Ari and wants Ari to replace him. Ari is clearly tempted, and lies to Melissa about it afterwards. Barely a week into their one year vacation, and hardly off of the brink of divorce, is there any chance he will ask her to consider letting him start a new, demanding career? Is there a way they can make it work and still save their marriage? Maybe she will grow tired of him after a solid week of being together, and wish for their old life back? These are questions for the movie to answer.

     Thank you, Entourage, for a great eight seasons. Here's hoping the beloved characters continue for some time to come.

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Article first published as TV Review: Entourage - "The End" on Blogcritics.