I started watching the HBO series "Entourage" when it debuted during the summer of 2004. I found it to be an entertaining "inside" look at Hollywood and life in Los Angeles.

I loved the ball-breaking camaraderie between the characters -- young actor Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), his agent Ari Gold (the brilliant Jeremy Piven) and Vinnie's band of barnacles -- and told non-viewers that the show was like "Sex and the City," but surging with testosterone.

I've been with the show every season, biding my time during breaks just as I did previously with "The Sopranos," "The Larry Sanders Show" and other cable favorites.

When the seventh season of the show premiered this summer, I began to worry that it had lost its fastball. Plenty of my friends -- including my astute TV reporting colleague, Tim Cuprisin, believe that happened a while back. But, I held out hope that this final season -- as well as a rumored movie adaptation -- would finish the franchise on a strong note.

The first couple episodes this time out gave me pause. The plot lines seemed to stumble out of the gate. The chemistry between Piven's character and his beleaguered assistant, Lloyd (Rex Lee), evaporated when Lloyd became an agent. I couldn't figure out why the writers were positioning Scott Lavin (Scott Caan) as a foil to Vince's best friend/manager, Eric Murphy (Kevin Connolly).

Last night, I think I detected a spark. The Caan/Connolly conflict, simmering for a while, shifted into another gear. Vince's brother, Johnny Drama (masterfully played by Kevin Dillon), is on the brink of getting a sitcom deal starring alongside John Stamos (I can only hope that fellow "Full House" alum Bob Saget -- who has had great cameos in the past -- joins that ensemble in some way). The character Turtle, played by Jerry Ferrara, continues to show growth and could be headed for something interesting with his ex-employee Alex (Dania Ramirez).

Maybe I just needed a laugh after suffering a basement backup last week. Maybe they're setting me up for a letdown. In any event, just as I thought I was beginning to waver, "Entourage" hooked me for the rest of the season.