Luckily, though formula stays mostly the same, characters begin subtly shifting positions and attitudes, breathing new life and depth into this juice-hungry crew of would-be kingmakers and stars. Plus bongs and booze still abound, breasts and casual sex jiggle frequently, and the intoxicating scent of will to power wafts like weed-smoke throughout these star-cameo-studded 12 episodes.

In fact, Entourage is something of a high-concept, lowbrow, unlikely success story. The show is smart, but in extremely limited range, it's hilarious, but mostly for a certain crowd, and it's humanistic, yet tends to shower most of its good will on the haves, rather than the have-nots. Smartest might be show creator Doug Ellin, who saw the appeal of Mark Wahlberg's Hollywood journey. In fictionalizing Marky Mark's career trajectory (at least initially) Ellin sends a huge love letter to the cult of personality. So if you don't follow box-office grosses, or take shameful joy in the 'Stars: They're Just Like Us!' section of Us Weekly magazine, Entourage might not be for you. What Ellin understands is that there are enough people who lap this type of stuff up to make Entourage a perennial success. What he and the show's writers, directors and actors know is how to bring the funny in ways that 'normal' people can relate to while making them (us) feel like Hollywood insiders.

Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) makes the journey from Queens to LA to become a star. With his older brother and friends by his side he rises, then falls, then rises again. By the end of season five he's back in Queens facing an uncertain future, but along the way he lobbies for a movie that may restore not only his bankability but also his credibility. Meanwhile older brother Drama (Kevin Dillon) rides another TV series wave that finds him turning into a Prima Donna. Eric Murphy (Kevin Connolly) expands his business and stable of artists to manage, and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) finds an unlikely girlfriend. Formula, the bugaboo looking to ratchet it up in the season premier - as Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) and Vince's friends chase him down a Mexican beach while wearing suits - thankfully is turned down two notches for the rest of the season.

Yes, failure is courted while fortune pulls fat from fire, and Drama and Turtle struggle to avoid caricaturization, but these things are mitigated. Rollercoasters of good-news-bad-news from seasons-past turn into one slower arc of redemption for season five, an arc concerning Vince's latest film, Smoke Jumpers. But most importantly, characters appear to shift and grow. Vince sacrifices devil-may-care attitude for discipline, (a turn which Grenier pulls off with conviction) Murphy takes even more control, boosting his confidence, and Drama and Turtle show more depth (even though Turtle's romance strains numerous forms of credibility).

For a show focusing on shallow Hollywood and blind worship of idols, Entourage displays lots of depth and intelligence. It's supremely entertaining for folks who - to at least some degree - buy into showbiz, hype and fame. After falling into a degree of formula in season four, the series redeems itself with this collection of 12 episodes, which expand the show's range while reeling in some of its more simplistic idiosyncrasies. Plus, it's still thoroughly invigorating, frequently hilarious, always engrossing, and full of sex, drugs and rock-and-roll. Viva Hollywood, viva Entourage.

The DVD

Video:
Entourage Season Five episodes are presented in a 16 x 9 aspect ratio. The picture is nice and sharp, with good detail levels. However some time is spent in either Drama's condo, with a preponderance of harsh backlight from his large windows making foreground action murky, or in other spots with natural seeming light that sometimes messes with clarity. Other than that quibble, no severe compression artifacts crop up, and colors are rich and naturalistic. Entourage Season Five continues the HBO trend of releasing mostly great-looking TV on DVD.

Sound:
Entourage uses soundtrack tunes about as effectively as possible - check the finale's use of 'Love Spreads' by The Stone Roses, a 17-year-old song from a critically panned album, to see how scripting with music should be done. English Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio and French and Spanish 2.0 Audio tracks come with each episode. Music is up front, sounding awesome, and making way for dialog tactfully. Audio is clear, solid and dynamic. This is a show to blast - use your speakers if you got 'em.

Extras:
Closed Captioning and English, French and Spanish Subtitles (all episodes only) start utilitarian extras off. More subtly pleasing inclusions are 'Previously On' segments that accompany each episode (for those failing memories out there) as well as text summations of what's coming up. The 10-minute Celebrity Factor featurette finds cast and crew opining about the star-power parade of cameos, including appearances by Eric Roberts, Jamie Lynn Sigler and Lukas Haas among many others. Finally three Commentary Tracks (for episodes 5, 11 and 12) include Doug Ellin, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier and Ally Musika. Always pleasant, funny and informative, these commentaries (which include plenty of quiet spots while the crew actually watches and listens to the episode) suffer only in that there aren't enough of them. A Simpsons-like treatment, with commentaries for each episode - there are only 12 for crying out loud - would be much appreciated.

Final Thoughts:
Thoroughly invigorating, frequently hilarious, always engrossing, and full of sex, drugs and rock-and-roll, Entourage Season Five continues to live up to the hype this whip-smart, clever and outrageous show has earned. Avoiding the pitfalls of continued reliance on formula, season five broadens its Hollywood focus slightly while allowing characters to grow, meaning for true fans of Entourage and La-La Land, this three-disc set is Highly Recommended.

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