[Drama Review] 'Entourage' - Episode 5

AKP STAFF

Sohee, Lee Kwang Soo, Seo Kang Jun, Lee Dong Hwi

During the pre-drama episode of 'Entourage,' or episode 0, the actors said something along the lines of, "Don't put in too much thought when watching this drama, just get out drinks and snacks, sit back, and chill." With episode 5, 'Entourage' is even starting to resemble as a cross between a sitcom and a drama. It was like the producers decided to go ahead and evenly divide it by pairing the four off into twos - Cha Young Bin (Seo Kang Jun) and Lee Ho Jin (Park Jung Min), and Cha Jun (Lee Kwang Soo) and Turtle (Lee Dong Hwi) - and the former duo made up the drama part while the latter made up the sitcom part.

Dramatic walking to piano music with hood pulled up low: this is definitely a K-drama.

Two men stranded in the mountains and cuddling each other for warmth while making weird faces: this is definitely a K-sitcom.

Obviously, the theme/focus of this episode dealt with dating. The drama drops a pretty big OMG toward the beginning because we find out, Ahn So Hee (Sohee) was dating Kang Ha Neul after all! Well, they used to date, and they broke up, but he (The real Kang Ha Neul himself!) visited her to ask to get back together again. Ohhhh snapppp! This situation calls for a pretty depressed Young Bin for most of the episode, but based on the patterns of this drama so far, I think we can all assume that things will work out for him in the end /wink wink/. Meanwhile, poor Cha Jun blows his chance with a set-up date! It's interesting that Turtle is doing all of Cha Jun's set-ups and looking into girls who might have an interest in Cha Jun, but he's not really participating in any of that himself. Literally, Turtle doesn't have a job, he doesn't have a girlfriend, he doesn't show any signs of trying to get one, and he doesn't seem like he has any aspirations based on what we've seen so far, so what is he? Up until now, I've been okay with the just-kinda-there-cracking-jokes character that Turtle has been, but I think it's natural that when you become invested in the characters of a story, you want to see them improve or move forward in some way. How would you like for Turtle to change as the drama progresses?

The REAL Kang Sky has appeared!

Another interesting point that came up thanks to the whole Young Bin vs. Kang Ha Neul over So Hee thing was a thought both Ho Jin and Kim Eun Gap (Jo Jin Woong) posed: is it wrong for actors to choose productions based on ulterior motives, such as a personal, romantic interest in the female lead? And how much does this actually occur in the real K-entertainment industry? We see in interviews sometimes, actors or actresses saying things like, "Oh, I chose to do this production because I saw that this other actor or actress was doing it." Of course, we'll never be able to know what really goes on behind the cameras on these kinds of matters, but they say it's wise to keep your work life and your personal life separate. Is that bit of advice necessary for Young Bin, too, or will he get the best of both his work and personal life in the end?

Sohee mesmerized by the most fine lookin' delivery man she's ever laid eyes on.

Relationships don't always mean romantic kinds, and we see some tension building in the relationship between Eun Gap and CEO Kang. Things got pretty heavy when CEO Kang told Eun Gap that the company was hers, not theirs! One of the biggest heavy/weighty moments in the series so far. And it's still difficult to tell whether or not CEO Kang will ultimately end up being a villainous figure or not, because even though she does it to everyone, her inviting Young Bin and Ho Jin for dinner and treating them to her home-cooked meal was very kind and warm. It came off really motherly, and even Eun Gap, after having been told off like that, didn't seem like he wanted to go against her yet. CEO Kang is still a mystery in this drama, one we'll have to keep an eye on. Her daughter? Not so much. Only that things will get slightly complicated if Ho Jin decides to hook up with Ji Ahn, but only slightly... because we just know this drama just works that way.

Plot twist: Young Bin is actually a plant?!

I keep saying that things will eventually work out for the characters in this drama, because I'm really starting to feel like that's an overarching message in the series. It's almost like how children's fairytales are structured. But rather than being the "And they all lived happily ever after," in 'Entourage,' it's more like "And they were okay in the end." Because kids are obviously not watching this drama on weekends at 11PM KST. It's adults, but sometimes adults need to be told stories with the same lighthearted, encouraging, fairytale-like stories that inspire happily ever afters too. If you watch this drama with that sort of mood and thought in mind, at least for me personally, I find it relaxing and relatable and well-made. You know what I mean? So, the last thought of the day is, when are they gonna start filming this Korean 'Avengers' movie?