HBO Sunday Night - 7/26/09

Hung: Episode 4 - The Pickle Jar

Ray, the lead character (Thomas Jane) may be a prostitute, but the series is turning into much more than cheap jokes and posterior male nudity. Perfectly timed for 2009, Hung is about difficult times, struggling, and getting by. The key moment in the latest episode came from an unexpected place: Ray's son Damon admitting that "life is sometimes just too much." And later, toward the end, as Ray decides if he's actually going to go through with his new profession, the show becomes about persistence and preserverance. It's amazing what series writers Collete Burson and Dmitry Lipkin have been able to accomplish in four 30 minute episodes. The weakest part of the show (Ray's kids) are starting to matter and the best parts of the show (Ray and Tanya) continue their interesting, poignant, and hilarious interactions. Alas, there wasn't enough Tanya (Jane Adams) in this episode to get an A-. B+

Entourage : Season 6, Episode 3
"One Car, Two Car, Red Car, Blue Car"

Unlike Ray Drecker and his kids, the guys in Entourage aren't even close to living in the real world. Turtle has a tough 30th birthday because his friend Vince buys him a Ferrari and his hot girlfriend (Jamie Lynn Sigler) only buys him a Porsche. Am I supposed to feel sorry for him because he has no career? At least Drama (Kevin Dillon) is still providing some funny rapid-fire one-liners and Lloyd is getting some good material ("Mr. Turtle"). Best of all, Ari's scenes giving advice to Eric and Turtle are perfectly written and amusingly performed. The show may not add up to much and Vince may not have much to do, but it's still pretty good TV, led by the writing, Dillon, and Jeremy Piven. B