Losing the Ramones project is the final straw–Vince is ready to fire Ari. The boys decide to “flirt” with a few new agencies, and Drama suggests they rate each one based on his point system–décor, service, amenities and ambiance. But it all seems moot when every pitch they hear is the same, slick Madison Avenue presentation.
Meanwhile, Vince is trying to get a hold of Ari, who is dodging his calls while he tries desperately to get the Ramones script back. He gets a glimmer of hope when Dana Gordon, the Warner chief’s beleaguered sidekick, tells him off-the-record that the studio hasn’t officially bought the Ramones script from Bob Ryan yet. Not only that, her boss was planning to shelve the film. He was only interested in it to spite Vince for ditching “Aquaman 2.” Dana wants out of her job and on the film as a producer, and Ari promises to help her get on the project while protecting her as his informant. He drives straight to Bob’s house to play his new cards, and is forced to reveal his source. But after mulling it over, Bob decides to “trust his instincts,” and officially sells the project to Warners. He also stooges out Dana Gordon, getting her fired. Ari is screwed.
After evading him all day, Ari invites Vince into the office–and mobilizes his forces. But instead of apologizing for screwing up the punk rock biopic, Ari and his agency give Vince the same generic presentation as every other shop in town. Vince realizes that it’s time for a break, and Eric delivers the news–officially firing Mr. Gold in the hallway of his own agency.