No Pretense, Just Solid Entertainment

The First Season of Entourage is especially interesting to revisit after seeing the show change over the last few years. The presentation of the season embodies what was best about the show's inaugural go-around: it's simple. 12 episodes and basic extra features like director commentaries and behind-the-scenes vignettes. The show itself caught on because of that same sort of simplicity. It took a guy from Queens who made it big in Hollywood and brought his boys along for the ride, and saw what day-to-day life was like as they became acclimated to their new surroundings and status.

There's a good mix of comedy and drama, and for the most part we feel we're just looking in on star character Vinnie Chase and his friends, which is an interesting take. There's not a specific plotline looming over the horizon, we're just watching his career unfold, and it's a fairly unique experience compared t most other more linearly-driven shows.

And even though we're not told what the next steps will be for Chase, his agent Ari, manager Eric, driver Turtle, and brother Johnny Drama, we're left eager to find out what's ahead. In the twelve episodes, we're able to meet each character, get a pretty good idea of who they are and what drives them, and then see Vinnie off to his next project. It's good concise storytelling that leaves us feeling attached to the characters and wondering what's next.

Anyone considering purchasing this set is likely A. already a fan, in which case buying it is a no-brainer, B. has recently become a fan and is looking to fill in the backstory, and they'll likely enjoy what they see here although they might not learn much about the characters they don't already know, or C. someone looking to get up to speed on the show by starting at the most logical point. Those buyers will find exactly what they're looking for here as well.