One of the biggest pop culture addictions I have succumbed too is the HBO Show Entourage. The show is about movie star Vincent Chase and his posse, composed of his manager and best friend Eric, his brother Drama, and good friend Turtle. Vince’s agent, Ari Gold, is also a featured character. The cutthroat atmosphere that is Hollywood pulls the viewer in, and the show’s plot is highly addictive. I know, because after not hearing about the show until last summer, I knocked out the first seven seasons in their entirety in about three weeks. This was just in time to take in the eighth and final season of the show.
A couple of weeks ago, when we talked about gender roles, I immediately thought of this show, because of the discussion that most shows about a group of men feature two ends of the masculinity spectrum with no clear winner in terms of what the appropriate gender expectation is for men. While the show is a winner in my book, Entourage, even with four men, falls into the confusion of the masculinity discussion. Here’s how:
Vincent Chase: Vince is the shows hero. His movies are a success for the most part; he is a ladies man, and presents strong values in almost every episode. He presents the male personality of the pretty boy, goodie-to-shoes. However, most of the time his strong principles come back to haunt him. For example, in one episode a movie studio that he is under contract with promises him that if he can get another producer to put off shooting some of a movie Vincent is currently signed on to star in, they will let him be in both movies. However, when he gets the producer to agree, the studio says he cannot do the movie. Vince tries to get the studio to keep their word by threatening to leave if they do not pay him $20 million, but he is fired. Also, in the second to last season, Vince for the first time falls into drugs and alcohol abuse and has to enter rehab, sending the once “golden boy,” into rehab. So in other words, principles get you very little, and that even the most untouchable of people fall victim to influence the show essentially says.
Eric: "E," as he's referred to in the show is very standard when it comes to masculinity in a TV show. Eric falls into the category of having too many emotions. He is often quick to fall in love and is often criticized for feeling too much. For example, E's girlfriend, who he later becomes engaged to, wants to experiment with a three way. When E tells the gang and expresses his worry it will complicate the relationship, his friends make fun of him. Here the show is saying that real men don't let emotions get in the way of their primitive instincts.
Johny "Drama" Chase: Drama too is a norm when it comes to masculinity on the small screen. I mean you have to tackle the basics, right? In this case, Drama is constantly letting his aggression get in the way of things. He storms out of an audition because a person in the room is texting. He makes a scene when a coffee shop won't honor his rewards card. Often times, it is his aggression that causes him to struggle in show business. So even though aggression is often seen as a sign of masculinity, in this instance, it is shown by Entourage as a flaw.
Turtle and Ari: While both very different characters in the show, Ari and Turtle promote the same concept in terms of the masculinity discussion. Both are men who are less principled, do whatever it takes in order to get a deal done or make things a success. However, this comes back to bite both characters. In one instance, Turtle tries to get more people to attend one of Vince's premieres, so he borrows tickets from James Woods, who is said to not use them all anyway. However, upon hearing that he doesn't have all of his tickets, James Woods confronts Turtle, and he has to give back the tickets. In Ari's case, he often fudges the truth in order to manipulate Vince into making the safe decision movie wise. Vince is not your conventional movie star, often picking principle over easy money, so Ari must do this to ensure that everybody wins. However, Ari too, gets into jams because of his actions, and sometimes cannot get out of them.
So in a nutshell, Entourage is saying don't be principled because it doesn't often mean success, like with Vince. However, don't be unprincipled, like Ari and Turtle, because that is not the right way to conduct business. Also, don't be too emotional, like Eric, but don't be too unemotional, like Drama. The show itself is very addicting, but if you're looking for a definition of male gender roles, look the other way. Photo courtesy of techpp.com
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