Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Luciana "Lucky" Armstrong, a conwoman fleeing across the US in Apple TV's crime thriller "Lucky," based on Marissa Stapley's bestselling novel. The series follows Lucky after her boyfriend Cary (Drew Starkey) disappears with the proceeds of their multimillion-dollar heist, leaving her pursued by the FBI and a ruthless crime boss.
Plot and Characters
Lucky's father John (Timothy Olyphant), a gum-chewing recidivist in prison, advises her on next moves while being partly responsible for her predicament. John, with his elastic vowels and moral flexibility, says things like "Every person's got a rhythm. If you can learn to play it, you can make 'em dance." Lucky's lifelong attachment to his crime tips leads to much frustration for viewers.
The series begins in Las Vegas after a night of post-heist celebrations. Lucky awakens to an empty bed and must find Cary, their stolen cash, and ultimately herself. In hot pursuit are FBI Agent Rand (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) and Cary's formidable mob leader mother Priscilla (Annette Bening).
Action and Tone
What follows is essentially a series-long chase scene, with Lucky darting through cops, escaping through windows, and causing chaos. "How can someone so small cause so much trouble?" splutters an officer. The series is packed with unexplained explosions and preposterous coincidences, but it also attempts to explore serious themes like victimhood and societal condemnation of women who betray other women.
According to the review, the tone "skitters and flails like a baby giraffe on an ice rink." The script doesn't help, nor does the theme tune performed by Fiona Apple. However, the performances of Ellis-Taylor and Bening are praised as "wonderfully world-weary" and "very good indeed."
Summer Viewing
Despite its flaws, the series is described as "classic summer viewing" — bunkum with bells on, but irresistible in the heat. The review concludes: "Let's raise our Slush Puppie to the good bits (Ellis-Taylor, Bening, the sateen blouson). And let's quietly flee through the nearest window from the rest."
"Lucky" is available on Apple TV now, spanning seven 48-minute episodes.
