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At the start of One Last Shot, the third episode in season eight of Entourage, we see Vince speaking at an AA meeting about his three and a half months of sobriety and his new screenplay that he is looking to produce with Drama as the lead. Carl Ertz, the producer that screwed him over on Danger Beach two seasons ago, approaches him very enthusiastically about getting the script, which he has never read, to CBS. Trying to make amends and forgive the man, Vince agrees to send him the script despite Turtle and Ari’s rational objections.

Drama is being manipulated into re-negotiating his contract, even though the show has yet to air. Thankfully, Phil Yagoda gives him a reality check over the phone and convinces Johnny to get Dice to stop being greedy. Considering who we are dealing with, Andrew Dice Clay does not take this well and decides to walk from the show, leaving Drama high and dry.

Elsewhere, Lloyd decides that Ari is getting lonely, so he ends up setting a dinner date for the newly separated power agent. The age gap seems like too much of a stretch for Ari and he makes the decision to end the night early, leaving his date wanting more. Knowing that he doesn’t want to go home alone again, he ends up calling Dana Gordon to see if she wants to talk. She agrees to have him over for a drink, but only that. Move forward to the next morning, and they are lying together in her bed.

Turtle has a conversation with Carlos about how well Avion is doing. Unfortunately, he also hears that he is being forced into retirement from the company and that Alex has met someone else. This double whammy makes Turtle despondent and a little bitter.  He decides, along with Vince, that they need to find another opportunity, so they get Mark Cuban to sell their stock in order to free up some cash flow for their next venture.

Drama goes to work the next day without Dice, and in his place is Jamie Kennedy doing a terrible Dice impression. Walsh isn’t a fan at all and storms off, telling Drama that the show is doomed.

Ertz continues to give Vince good news on the status of the television movie they are planning and Vince agrees to get together with him to hash out the details. The meeting starts with Ertz arriving late, and in a bathrobe nonetheless. As they talk, Vince finally sees Ertz’s ulterior motives. He wants Vince for a new movie idea of his, with less of an interest in Drama’s TV movie.

Vince confronts an obviously drugged out Ertz, who proceeds to fall off an emotional cliff in the span of thirty minutes and ends up locking himself in the bathroom. The episode then ends in the most dramatic fashion in the history of the show. Vince and Turtle try to get Ertz out of the bathroom when they hear a gun shot. They run in to find that Carl Ertz has killed himself.

The shocking ending was not expected from a show like Entourage, but I guess after eight seasons it’s surprising that they haven’t dealt with this type of storyline yet. Although I didn’t mind the twist, it seems to be another example of the show taking itself too seriously in its last season.

This has been a common theme and is actually changing the entire dynamic of the show. Come the last episode, the classic Entourage vibe may barely be recognizable. This is a little worrisome, but I have to credit the writers for going all out with the storylines. It shows they are trying, but it may be a little too hard.

Personally, I’m happy that Ari is finally getting together with Dana Gordon, a woman who I would have rather seen as his wife this entire time than Mrs. Ari. I also love that Walsh is finally showing some emotion with his hatred to what is happening to Johnny Bananas. This is the Walsh I like, not the sedate sober Walsh that we have been seeing for the past two seasons. I’m a fan of “crazy” Walsh, and he needs to return.

Hopefully this is our last episode with the unbelievably unfunny and angry Andrew Dice Clay, who has plagued the show as the worst part of the final season up to this point. He quit the cartoon and let’s hope he doesn’t return.

Overall, this was probably the most interesting episode yet, and a major departure from tradition. It worked for me this time, but maybe only because I’ve been watching episodes of Game of Thrones and have grown an affinity for dark storylines and crazy plot twists. That being said, let’s not make this the new norm. I want Entourage to return to its roots and with the season approaching its halfway point, let’s hope that it gets back on the right track sooner rather than later.