Of course, that doesn’t mean that it didn’t have its problems. For starters, I don’t really believe that a woman who was so opposed to the idea of even dating Vince would suddenly agree to go on a date with him and then accept a marriage proposal in the short span of 24 hours. Not only is that incredibly disrespectful to the audience, but it completely undermines who Sofia is as a character and what made Vince fall so head over heels for her in the first place. Nevertheless, Vince and Sophia have decided to tie the knot in Paris, and Drama and Turtle have taken it upon themselves to convince Sloan to be in attendance – although she doesn’t entirely believe their story at first.

But while Sloan is honored to be considered important enough to be there for the big event (how Billy Walsh, or even Scotty Lavin for that matter, was left off the guest list is a mystery), she’s concerned that it’s all just a ploy to get her and Eric in the same room together. I’m sure that was partially the plan, but Vince and the guys were never going to let Eric run off to New York without at least trying to fix things. And though Vince initially made it worse by accidentally dropping the news to Terrence that Sloan was pregnant, he made things right in the end. That speech to Sloan was both sweet and touching, and it’s yet another example of how much Vince has matured since the first episode.

You could say the same thing about Ari, who’s been fighting tooth and nail to win back his wife all season. But while he’s always been able to talk a big game, Ari showed that he could follow through on his words as well by impulsively quitting the talent agency when he realized that it would be the only way to save his marriage and his relationship with his kids. I have to admit that it took me a little by surprise, because while I fully expected for him and Melissa (whose first name reveal was awfully nonchalant considering all the attention it’s been given throughout the years) to get back together, I never thought that he’d give up the only other thing he loved in order to make it work. In hindsight, however, it makes sense that quitting would be the only way that Mrs. Ari would take him back, and I applaud Ellin for allowing Ari to make that kind of sacrifice.

So, to recap: Vince is headed to Paris to marry Sophia; Eric has hopped on a plane with Sloan to work things out; Drama’s star is on the rise; Turtle is a millionaire; and Ari quit his job and moved to Florence with his wife… only to receive a call from the head of Warner Bros. days later offering him the chance to take over as CEO. That was a pretty cheeky move on Ellin’s part, but if a big screen movie really is in the works, then it’s the next natural place to take the story. Because even though they got their happy ending, you’d be crazy to think this is the last we’ve seen of Vincent Chase and his entourage.

1) Vince finally settles down

Obviously, I don’t mean that Vince is going to quit acting, move to Connecticut and start a family, but it definitely seems like he’s ready to start the next chapter of his life. Though trying to win over Sophia’s approval by making a video of interviews from ex-lovers might not sound like the greatest idea, it still had the desired effect – at least when combined with Drama and Turtle’s personal anecdotes. I still don’t buy the idea that Sophia is the first woman that Vince has ever pursued this intensely (a case can be made for both Mandy Moore and Sasha Grey), but he does seem like a new man after leaving rehab, and it’s nice to see him finally focusing on the important things in life.

2) Drama gets his chance to be the star

The one thing that Drama has wanted more than anything else since the show’s first season was to be taken seriously as an actor – something that has eluded him even when he was part of a hit TV series. But this miner movie sounds like it’s finally going to get him the respect he so desperately desires, especially when everyone in Hollywood seems to love Billy Walsh’s script. Of course, a lot of them also think that it’s too good for someone of Drama’s abilities, but Vince is so determined to make the movie with his big brother as the star that he donated $100,000 to Phil’s favorite charity in order to convince him to move ahead with the project. Could an Emmy nomination be far off?

3) Eric wins back Sloan

Out of anyone in the group, Eric seemed the least likely to get his happy ending, if only because he and Sloan haven’t really spoken much since their break-up. It doesn’t help that Eric’s been acting like a world-class douche lately (i.e. sleeping with Melinda and refusing to work with Johnny Galecki), but even when he’s trash-talking Sloan, it’s obvious that he still has feelings for her. And now that he knows that she’s pregnant with his baby, you can be sure that he’s going to do whatever it takes to win back her trust and affection, although I’m not sure he ever lost it. Sloan says that she can’t be with Eric because her family hates him, but she clearly still cares about him or she wouldn’t be trying so hard to push him away. My guess? Eric will leave Hollywood to start a family with Sloan in New York. It’s not like it hasn’t been building towards this over the last few seasons anyway, and it’s the only way that Eric will ever truly be happy.

4) Turtle becomes an entrepreneur

I have to admit that I was never the biggest Turtle fan when I first started watching the show, but over the years, as the character was given more to do and Jerry Ferrara improved as an actor, he’s slowly become my favorite. Which is why I hate to see him always getting the short end of the stick, like in this latest season, which found him forced out of Avion by his partners, dumped by Alex, and then mistreated by the Don Peppe’s reps, who don’t seem to care how much work or money he’s already put into the restaurant because they don’t carry any of the risk. Learning that Avion went public was like kicking the poor guy when he was down, but thanks to Vince’s own belief in him, Turtle will have his day in the sun after all. It’s a little hard to believe that someone who started out as the ultimate celebrity mooch is now a multimillionaire businessman, but that’s the kind of fantasy ending that fans of the show have to come to expect.

5) Ari and his wife get back together (and we finally learn her first name)

When the season began, the sheer suggestion that Ari and his wife might get a divorce seemed preposterous, but as the weeks went on, it looked more and more like it was actually going to happen. As anyone who reads this blog already knows, I’ve never been fond of the idea of splitting those two up, but I’ve learned to accept that it’s a possibility, and was even looking forward to Ari starting over with Dana Gordon. But after that discussion between the two of them tonight where Ari admitted that he’s still in love with his wife, there doesn’t seem to be any other outcome save for Mrs. Ari taking him back.

So, what do you think about my predictions? Will everyone get a happy ending or are some of the guys primed for disappointment? Let me know in the comments section below and then come back next week following the series finale to see how it all ends.

Believe it or not, it was that GQ reporter from last week (as if anyone thought that was the last we were going to see of her), whose interview with Vince pegs him as a bit of a womanizer. You can understand why he would want to do everything in his power to prevent a piece like that from ever running, but I’m a little surprised at his overall reaction. Vince seemed genuinely shocked at her portrayal of him, which makes me think that they either erased his memory “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”-style at the rehab center or he’s even dumber than he looks. Of course, at the rate this season is going, I’m sure that Sophia will eventually fall for Vince’s movie star charm, domesticate his inner wild child, and they’ll go on to live happily ever after.

It might seem crazy to think that Vince could ever adapt to that kind of future, but we’ve certainly seen crazier things happen – like Eric’s recent run of form. In fact, it’s almost as if the two friends have swapped bodies. Eric has been acting completely out of character lately, and after learning that Johnny Galecki might be sleeping with Sloan (isn’t she supposed to be in New York?), he gives Scotty the ultimatum to either dump Galecki as a client or say goodbye to their partnership. I get that Eric is still upset about his break-up with Sloan, but what kind of grown man acts that way? This definitely isn’t Eric’s finest hour, and only the writers are to blame, who have practically ruined one of the show’s most complex characters over the course of only six short episodes.

And while Eric’s business sense has seemingly gone down the drain, Ari has begun planning for the future by meeting with his lawyer about the possible financial ramifications of his impending divorce. Though he was noticeably disturbed by the idea that Mrs. Ari would be entitled to half of his earnings for the rest of his life (she is, after all, the wealthy one in the relationship), he positively balked at the idea that she might get a share of the company if he doesn’t pay back the $11 million that she invested.

Babs is more than willing to give him the money in exchange for a majority stake in the agency, which Ari simply isn’t willing to give up, so he instead decides to talk to Mrs. Ari about it face to face. Fortunately, Ari didn’t have a complete breakdown when he discovered that Bobby Flay was in his house, but he did manage to make Mrs. Ari feel really awful about the situation before leaving, claiming that she had changed for the worse. And though it was only for a fleeting moment, you could see that his comment hit her pretty hard. Who knows? Maybe those crazy kids really will work things out after all.

Other thoughts from the episode:

* The “Johnny’s Bananas” drama is finally over, and although I always expected it to end this way, it was nice to watch Drama stand by his values for once instead of selling out for money and fame. He could have easily given in after Phil threatened to derail production on the TV movie, but he stuck to his guns and proved that he believed in the show so much that he would rather walk away than make something of bad quality.

* Speaking of Phil, William Fichtner has been nothing short of great in the role, and tonight’s scene (especially the parts about replacing Drama in the TV movie with a look-a-like just to spite him) was one of his best.

* Just when it seemed like Turtle’s storyline might finally being going somewhere, the whole subplot turned out to be a bust, as the representatives from Don Peppe’s were more interested about seeing movie stars and receiving the four-star treatment than getting down to business. You have to feel bad for Turtle at this point, but quite frankly, I feel even worse for Jerry Ferrara.

And as one Chase brother attempts to put his career back together, the other is coming dangerously close to tearing his apart. Then again, can you blame him? While Drama has tried to stick it out after Dice’s decision to walk from the show, his new replacement has become insufferable to work with, even going so far as to criticize his performance in the recording booth. Desperate to get Dice back at any cost, Drama makes the unselfish offer to give him the difference in his pay so that they would be making the same amount. Dice graciously declines, however, stating that if anyone’s going to pay him, it’ll be the network, and is confident they’re going to give in to his demands soon.

But Phil doesn’t think that’s the case, letting Drama in on the secret that the network is so pleased with his work that they’re planning to tailor the entire show around him. Granted, I thought that’s what they were doing this whole time by making a cartoon called “Johnny’s Bananas,” but I digress. Drama feels that if the network really believes in him that much, however, that they would be willing to do anything he asks, so he decides to walk from the show in an attempt to convince them that the cartoon will only be successful with Dice’s involvement. That would have been a pretty boneheaded decision a few weeks ago, but now that Drama knows what he does, it’s his best chance of saving the show. It also proves just how much he’s matured over the last eight seasons, because I don’t think a younger Drama would have done the same.

Meanwhile, the chances of Ari getting back together with his wife are looking smaller and smaller each week. After a day at Disneyland with the kids gets cancelled due to work, Mrs. Ari informs him that she’s filing for a divorce – not because of his recent fling with Dana, but because he consistently puts work before family. I think we all knew that this was where things were heading all along, but it’s still strange to watch as it develops, especially because Ari and his wife always seemed like the one (somewhat) healthy relationship on the show. Fortunately, that only opens the door for Ari and Dana to hook up permanently. You may have been able to cut the tension between the two of them with a knife during that earlier meeting, but Dana seems willing to give Ari another chance, and I can’t imagine him messing it up again. The two are perfect for each other, if maybe a little too much.

Other thoughts from the episode:

* The whole subplot revolving around Eric banging Sloan’s ex-stepmother (and then learning that she did it to get revenge on Terrence) was so silly and contrived that, quite honestly, it doesn’t even deserve a mention here. It was likely just included as a way to keep the Eric-Sloan break-up fresh in everyone’s mind for their inevitable reunion.

* With all this talk from Turtle about his plans for Don Peppe’s, we’ve yet to see any actual progress on his part. Why would Vince even bother promoting it if it’s still nothing more than an idea? And with only three more episodes to go, it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any time soon.

* Ari needs to get drunk more often, because tonight’s bender resulted in one of his funniest scenes in a while. “Fuck you, plant. Fuck you, 20 inch screen…” Apparently, the Ari we all know and love has been hiding at the bottom of a bottle all this time.

That’s all fine and well, but it made passing the impending drug test a little trickier. Drama’s suggestion to use home remedies like vinegar to clean out his system didn’t go over too well when Vince could barely hold down a single sip, let alone the gallons necessary, and with only four hours to go until the test, he was forced to call in the big guns. You’d expect Billy Walsh to know quite a bit about cheating drug tests considering his past history, but even he seems too smart to try something as silly as a fake penis. Eric certainly didn’t think it was a very good idea, and rightfully so, because being caught with a contraption designed to cheat a drug test would likely yield a far worse punishment than if marijuana was found in his system. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Vince from doing it anyway, and you really have to give him kudos for having the balls (no pun intended) to take such a big gamble. Let’s just hope he’s finally learned his lesson, because this subplot wasted an entire episode.

The only other major story development of the night revolved around Ari’s old and new relationships, with his night of fun with Dana Gordon ending on a sour note after he mentions that he’s late for couple’s therapy with his wife. Not exactly the most romantic thing to say to someone that you’ve just had copious amounts of sex with, but Dana didn’t seem as offended as other women might. Like, say, Mrs. Ari, who was so upset over Ari’s late arrival to their session (due to dealing with the whole Vince situation) that she decided to give him a taste of his own medicine by walking out midway through. You’d think that since Vince is considered family she would have understood, so I’ll just chalk that up to how ridiculously out of character she’s been acting all season.

I really don’t understand why she’s being so childish, but it’s only bringing out the worst in Ari, as her refusal to believe that he could possibly be seeing someone else was no doubt the motivation behind his decision to take Dana out to dinner at Bobby Flay’s restaurant. Even Flay knew it was a pretty low-ball move, and when Dana figured out that Ari was using her to get back at his wife, she was understandably a little pissed. Too bad, because they made a fun couple. But now that Dana is seemingly out of the picture, I’m still not entirely convinced that Ari will be getting back with his wife any time soon – at least, not as much as I was at the start of the season. Mrs. Ari really seems to mean business, and with only four episodes left, Ari’s going to have to do a heckuva lot more if he has any hope of winning her back.

And though it looked like his faith in Ertz was actually going to pay off after CBS agreed to produce Vince’s TV movie with Drama attached, it all came tumbling down when he realized that Ertz was only doing him a favor so that he could pitch him some crappy action thriller called “Tax Man.” Turtle knew right away that something wasn’t right, but Vince was determined to stay and help Ertz get through his latest drug bender without anyone getting harmed. I kept telling myself that it wasn’t going to end well, and sure enough, Ertz ended up locking himself in his bathroom and shooting himself in the head. Talk about scaring someone straight. I’ve never seen Vince that shaken up before, and that includes his recent brush with death on that Nick Cassavetes movie.

While Vince tried to play sponsor to Ertz, Eric and Scotty were busy making sure that Drama didn’t shoot himself in the foot by siding with Dice over his contract demands. Though Drama wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea of making more money, after Phil reminded him of a past gig he had (a ‘90s cop show called “Concrete Heat”) that tested through the roof only to last a single week on the air, Drama agreed that it probably wasn’t worth the risk. Unfortunately, Dice refused to budge, and though Eric told him that the network would just fire him if he threatened to walk off the show, Dice decided to take his chances. As it turns out, it was a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. Dice got the boot, and in trying to replace him with an impersonator (played by Jamie Kennedy), Phil may have just ruined the only good thing that “Johnny’s Bananas” had going for it. Drama definitely didn’t look too happy about his new castmate, while Billy Walsh threw a king-sized hissy fit and stormed out of the building in classic fashion.

As for poor Turtle, he got the short end of the stick again this week with yet another terrible subplot. The writers just haven’t been handling his character particularly well this season, and tonight’s episode was yet another example of that. During a meeting with Carlos while in town on Avion business, Turtle learns that a) he’s being forced into early “retirement,” and b) Alex is breaking up with him because she’s met someone else. Seriously? You want us to believe that this supposedly strong and independent female relied on her uncle to deliver the news to Turtle? That’s pretty lame. Thankfully, Turtle’s not wasting any time in moving on to the next big thing, and after cashing out on his stock options with the company, he’s planning to open a branch of famed New York restaurant Don Peppe in Los Angeles. Now that’s a story I can get behind.

At least someone had a little luck tonight, with Ari finally agreeing to go on a date after Vince suggests that it might help him get his mind off Mrs. Ari. But while the girl was certainly cute (although perhaps a tad young for Ari), he just didn’t seem that interested, even when she invited him up to her apartment for a little post-dinner sex. Instead, he called up Dana Gordon to chat, and before they knew it, the two were in bed together reminiscing about the good old days before he was married. I don’t think anyone saw that coming, but I’ve always been a fan of Dana, so if the writers did decide to make Ari’s separation permanent, she’d make a great replacement. Then again, I can’t imagine the kind of trouble this is going to cause when they try to do business together.

He mostly just followed the rest of the gang around like he was part of Drama’s entourage – a scary thought, I know, but things are once again looking up for Vince’s older brother. Despite my personal feelings about “Johnny’s Bananas,” the guys seem to think it has the potential to become a runaway hit, even if Andrew Dice Clay has reservations about it performing well with the public. So when Phil drops by the recording studio to inform Drama and Dice that the show is being screened for a test audience, Dice practically begs him to tag along.

Unfortunately, that may not have been the best decision, because as soon as the Dice Man hears that “Johnny’s Bananas” tested through the roof, he immediately starts planning a mutiny to walk from the show. That’s pretty amateur behavior on his part, no matter how much he thinks they’re being underpaid. After all, the cartoon isn’t even on the air yet, and as Jerry Seinfeld (whose own show famously scored terribly with test audiences) can probably attest to, those scores mean very little in the grand scheme of things. Drama would be wise to keep his cool and not let Dice get into his head, because if he screws this opportunity up, it could very well be his last.

Meanwhile, Ari’s mounting jealousy over the news that his wife is seeing someone else takes him to his breaking point when Lloyd spots Mrs. Ari at celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s new restaurant while meeting with a potential client. But when he learns that her new beau might actually be a young waiter/actor with an upcoming audition for “Mad Men,” Ari makes it his mission to destroy the kid’s budding career. After Mrs. Ari catches wind of what he’s been up to, however, she marches straight into the TMA offices to confront him, only to discover that he may have pulled the trigger a little early.

It turns out that she wasn’t dating the waiter at all, but rather Flay himself, causing Ari to launch into a classic rant in front of his employees declaring war on the “red-headed fire crotch” and anyone who eats or recommends one of his “boy meets grill” restaurants. He’s definitely not helping his cause in trying to win Mrs. Ari back, but surely she has to recognize the extreme lengths he’s been going to just to get her attention. Their inevitable reunion can’t come soon enough.

Other thoughts from the episode:

* It may have been an almost blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, but Christian Slater’s run-in with Drama ranks up there as one of the series’ funniest. I’d really like to know what his beef with him was all about, but it’s probably best left a mystery.

* I love the idea of Lloyd becoming the new head of the TV division at TMA (as he said, the department is defunct, and he wants to take over and “refunct it”), but he’s been talking about Steven Levitan now for two weeks and nothing’s come of it. What gives?

* We’ve already had an entire season where Turtle mopes over the loss of a girlfriend, so why in the world are we being forced to sit through the same storyline with a different girl? It’s hard to believe that Alex is becoming so famous that she can’t even pick up the phone and call him, so let’s hope that their relationship is resolved sooner rather than later so that Turtle can get back to doing something that actually matters.

* Is it just me or does this whole break-up between Eric and Sloan feel like a cheap plot device to delay their inevitable wedding for the season finale? They obviously still care about each other, and if there’s been one constant on “Entourage” throughout the years other than the friendship between the five guys, it’s been the on again, off again relationship between Eric and Sloan. She may be moving to New York, but that’s a hardly a deal breaker on this show.

Vince seems willing to put up with all the coddling, however, if it means he can get back to work. And amazingly, Warner Bros. still wants him as the star of that Stan Lee superhero film, “Airwalker,” as long he’s willing to take a drug test. But the movie doesn’t start shooting until March, and Vince is raring to go, so he suggests directing his own film about a real-life story of Romanian miners getting trapped underground. The rest of the guys think it sounds terrible (a Lifetime movie-of-the-week at best), but because they’re trying to be supportive, they refrain from telling him the truth. That is until Eric, who’s still a little pissed at Vince for ignoring him while he was away, speaks his mind.

You can hardly blame him for being so grouchy lately. Though he’s enjoying professional success after taking over Murray’s management agency alongside Scotty Lavin (who, despite being partners, still fight like a couple of siblings), Eric’s personal life is in the dumps following Sloan’s decision to call off the marriage when he refused to sign a prenup. I’m guessing it was more of a matter of integrity than Eric simply being greedy, but that didn’t stop Sloan from sending back the engagement ring in an envelope. And as the gang so humorously points out, “not even a padded one.”

In fact, no one seems to be having any luck with the ladies at the moment. Scotty Lavin struck out with a trio of hotties at Vince’s welcome home party (although that probably wasn’t the best pick-up line to try out), and Ari is currently 10 weeks into a trial separation with his wife, despite telling his son that it’s only temporary. You really have to feel bad for the guy, because of all the nasty things that he’s done over the last seven seasons, he’s always done right by his family. And that was quite the bombshell that Mrs. Ari dropped on him when she explained that the reason she wasn’t ready to get back together yet was because she was seeing someone else. Jeremy Piven handled the scene wonderfully, and the final shot of him with his back turned to the rest of the guys as they watched the house burn down was pretty heartbreaking.

Other thoughts from the episode:

* After Vince assured Eric that he wasn’t mad at him, but merely disappointed, he stated how imperative it was that he have a “big year.” I understand the need to put his past transgressions behind him and get back to work, but didn’t he just have a pretty big year working with Martin Scorsese and Frank Darabont? I’m just saying.

* We finally got our first look at “Johnny’s Bananas” in action, and, well, it’s just as bad as I imagined. How could anyone have realistically thought this would be a good idea?

* Turtle’s doing quite well for himself these days. Not only does he own a piece of Avion, but he’s still dating Alex, who also happens to be the new spokesmodel of the tequila. And do my eyes deceive me, or has Turtle slimmed down? Good on you, brother.

With perhaps the exception of Eric, whose rekindled relationship with Sloan led to the pair getting engaged, the rest of the guys ended Season Seven on a low. After bringing in Mark Cuban as a potential business partner for Avion tequila, Turtle was seemingly pushed out of the deal with nothing to show for it; Drama gave up a plum job on network TV only to wind up settling for a new animated show conceived by Billy Walsh; Ari managed to save his career but not his wife after she walked away from their marriage; and Vince was thrown into rehab following his arrest for possession of cocaine.

Fortunately, the only place to go from there is up, which means that even if Season Eight doesn’t cap off the series with a completely happy ending, it’ll at least have a much brighter outlook than the previous season. Though everyone involved is holding their cards pretty close to their chests in regards to what we can expect to see, HBO has released a few promos and snippets of information that tell us a few things. For starters, the season will begin with Vince being released from a 90-day stint in rehab and eager to get back to work. But when he finds it difficult to land an acting job due to his recent tabloid-worthy exploits, he decides to write a starring vehicle for himself.

The rest of the guys will also continue to try and forge their own careers now that they’ve severed their dependency to Vince, with Turtle launching a new business venture to open a Hollywood location of the New York-based Italian restaurant, Don Peppe; Drama beginning production on “Johnny’s Bananas” alongside Andrew Dice Clay (presumably as one of the other voices); and Eric opening a new management company with Scotty Lavin. Interestingly enough, it also looks like his engagement to Sloan has hit a snag, while Ari will dedicate his time solely to winning back Mrs. Ari following their separation.

It all sounds promising enough, as long as things don’t get too serious. That was one of the main problems with last season, which often forgot it was a comedy at times by focusing all of its energy on the darker and more dramatic moments. And with only eight episodes for its grand finale, Ellin and Co. will have to be especially mindful of staying true to the story they want to tell while still delivering the show that fans know and love.

The eighth and final season premieres July 24th at 10:30 pm EST on HBO.