“Drove to work in an 80,000$ Mercedes, I’m driving home in a prop car from the Fast and the Furious.” -Ari Gold, Entourage Season 2 Episode 13.

Despite the fact that I think Entourage may be one of the best shows ever made, this classic Ari Gold oneliner always struck me as funny. SPOILER ALERT: Some context: Ari has just been fired from his job at a major Hollywood agency, and his company car was reclaimed by said company. Therefore, he gets a ride home from his assistant, Lloyd, who is driving a souped up street car.

What I find interesting is that while Ari’s Mercedes may have cost more than Lloyd’s “prop car,” why should that make any difference? I have personally seen lowered Honda Civic’s (not nearly in a Mercedes’ price range) that are faster or have better acceleration than Ari’s car. Furthermore, as someone who is familiar with the Fast and Furious franchise, I also happen to know that some of the cars to which Ari is referring to are described to have more than 100,000$ of aftermarket modifications, making them far more pricey than 80,000$ in the long run.

So why does Ari seem so down on the idea of a Fast and Furious prop car? This has manipulation on two sides, as both Ari has been manipulated by his car’s company, and Ari is counting on his car’s company to manipulate others. He has been manipulated into thinking a Mercedes shows off wealth and a lavish lifestyle, and is counting on that manipulation, and the widely advertised high price a Mercedes emblem carries with it, to carry on to others. Therefore, I think that this one line shows just how subconsciously manipulation can affect not only our decisions but our judgements (which car you buy vs. how seeing what someone drives effects your view of them).