Lucky from Apple TV is a heart-pumping thriller that starts off fast and doesn’t let up the entire season. In the first episode we see Lucky, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, partying with her husband Cary (Drew Starkey) after stealing ten million dollars. The next morning, she wakes up groggy and confused only to realize Cary ran off with the money. The sicko drugged his own wife and as she deals with disorientation, the FBI shows up.
The FBI task force is led by Billie Rand (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) who has a long history with Lucky and her criminal father (Timothy Olyphant). Lucky is about to escape only to realize the mob is simultaneously looking for her. Plot twist: that ten million dollars was stolen from Lucky’s mother-in-law and wouldn’t you know it, she’s a crime boss.
Within minutes, we’re thrown into this multilayered chase and Lucky’s chameleon-like brilliance quickly emerges as she pretends to be vulnerable and scared to a nearby truck driver. He has a Father-figure type reaction to her distress and agrees to give her a ride. The second he turns around, Lucky’s face morphs from vulnerable to alert and it’s clear, she’s playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. She leaves the FBI and the mob behind, escaping with a terribly mistaken, sympathetic stranger.
The rest of the season is a solid 95% of Lucky on the run and under constant pressure. So if you enjoy watching a clever fox of sorts outwit, outsmart and evade capture at every turn, Lucky is definitely worth a weekend binge.
On my arbitrary scale, I’d give this a 3.9 out of 5. It’s a really enjoyable watch, but the final stretch didn’t hit as hard for me as the opening episodes. Nevertheless, it’s an action-packed, popcorn-worthy ride.
Seth Borkowski is a NYC-based writer, comedian and paranormal enthusiast. He’s the host of The Spiritual Skeptic, a comedy podcast exploring aliens, spirituality, and other weird shit too.
