* * WARNING: SPOILER ALERT — I discuss last night’s episodes of the Sopranos and Entourage so if you haven’t seen it, you might not want to continue on! * *

I’ve been a dedicated Sopranos fan for a number of years now. One summer back in college I caught up with the first four seasons using the DVD collection my generous roommate provided. From then on I was hooked. I assumed I’d remain this way until the bitter end but, much as all the best things in life, all good things come to an end.

The first eight episodes of this, the last season of HBO’s most popular show, have been the largest, most overhyped underachieving shows in recent memory. Last night’s episode, the first of the last eight, may have been the most exciting so far this season. That doesn’t say much, considering how slow the episode was.

The majority of the episode revolves around Tony getsting his ass beat by his brother-in-law, Bobby, while playing some good old fashioned drunk Monopoly. The rest of the episode Tony walks around bruised (in the face and soul) and will not let the tussle go.

In order to get a discount on bulk meds Canadians are selling, Tony volunteers Bobby to “handle” a custody dispute the sellers are having within their family. This “handling” of course involves knocking off someone, and it just so happens to be Bobby’s first ever. At the murder scene, the dying person tears a large chunk of Bobby’s shirt off as he falls to the ground with a couple bullet holes in the chest and head. So we assume the evidence will lead to Bobby’s demise. But in the end of the show, we see Bobby with a different look, a more cold, soul-less one we hadn’t seen from him before.

Now if Bobby goes on to become the ace-in-the-hole of Tony’s killers, then we’re not lost on this episode. But the fact the first 8 of the series finishing season consisted of too much New Jersey/Upstate New York scenery with people thinking, thinking and thinking some more, this episode fit right into the downward trend the show started on this season.

It can’t just be me thinking that those first eight episodes were meant to lower our viewing expectations bar. Slow episodes back-to-back for eight, then another slow episode just until the random fist-fight and a murder are tossed in toward the end. But still, way too much scenery.

Here’s to hoping that the last 7 episodes consist of action, fights, betrayals and chaos all-around. And please, for the love of mafia shows, no more scenery shots!

On the Entourage front, we see the boys back in action and better than ever. The new agent happens to be a hotty who has bite, too. She’s much more straight-forward with the boys and is severely threatened by Ari’s lingering around.

I have no doubt that Ari will remain a big factor, but seeing as how I recognize the new agent (from Spin City back in the day and recently she’s been in one of those CSI-like shows, I believe…), who got very little introduction by the way, methinks it’ll be a lovely battle between the two. No punches pulled and surely Vince will be boo-ed up with her and somehow that’ll break up the crew every once-and-again.

Kudos to Entourage for coming with fun and the usual antics, unlike Sopranos which shows us each episode of this last season that they are headed off to the sunset so they will not be denied their old people walks in parks.