A man tries to soothe a woman’s unease by insisting that the toughest part is behind them and that everything will be smooth sailing from here. Whether or not he mentioned it’s all “gravy,” his reassurance falls flat as the audience’s focus shifts to the woman, whose apprehension is palpable right from the start of Lucky.
In the Apple TV series Lucky, Anya Taylor-Joy steps into the role of Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong, led by Jonathan Tropper and Cassie Pappas, known for their respective works on Your Friends & Neighbors, Silo, and Griselda. Produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, the show draws from Marissa Stapley’s bestseller, which also featured as a Reese’s Book Club favorite. With Taylor-Joy at the helm, this character is certainly one worth betting on.
Lucky isn’t portrayed as purely virtuous — no one is, really. It was clear from the onset that her husband Cary Masterson, played by Drew Starkey, had betrayal in mind, casting him as the more villainous figure. His assurances ring hollow as Lucky soon finds herself fleeing through Las Vegas, shedding her identity with each step.
The circumstances remain murky. Upon waking groggy, possibly from more than just champagne, in their shared hotel suite, Lucky finds Cary and their cash-loaded suitcases vanished. Though Cary claimed success, her intuition warned otherwise — a voice echoing her father John Armstrong’s (played by Timothy Olyphant) cautionary words, a man steeped in crime himself and now residing in a federal prison. Lucky’s path, deeply entwined with crime, looked destined for change with Cary but alas, the fates had other plans.
As Cary escapes, Lucky finds herself pursued by FBI agent Billie Rand, portrayed by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. Although Rand’s character seems upright, the viewer’s allegiance lies firmly with Lucky, partly due to the underdog appeal of a criminal wronged by another. With quick wit, Lucky swipes a Caesars badge and jacket, weaves through casino kitchens, and employs makeup mastery to fabricate a bruised face, crafting a convincing tale of an abusive partner to secure a getaway.
There will be flashbacks in Lucky, and we meet John Armstrong in an early one. “There’s something I need you to move for me. For us,” he says to Lucky in the visitor’s area at Lompoc prison. She groans, because in not so many words, this is her dad the flim-flam man saying he skimmed some chocolate off someone else’s cake. We assume the cash from the roller cases is that skim. And now that it is missing, whoever has the rest of the cake will be hunting down Lucky.
Which brings us to Priscilla Masterson. This is Annette Bening, continuing the fine work she brought to Dutton Ranch as Beulah Jackson, and as Priscilla she is the kind of moneyed, unscrupulous operator who has assets to burn and no history of taking no for answer. “So you got played?” Priscilla demands of Lucky once she and her chief henchman Harris Dutch (Clifton Collins, Jr.) catch up to her. “That’s your story?” Cary Masterson is Priscilla’s son, making Lucky Armstrong her daughter-in-law. But that doesn’t stop her from stuffing Lucky in a trunk to be delivered for further questioning.
Delivered to whom? Priscilla has enough willingness to T-bone a federal agent with her goon-chauffeured SUV to indicate she is in a power position. But how powerful? In this criminal world, there is a hiearchy, and she is only searching for Lucky and the money so Priscilla can deliver it to another, bigger interested party. “You can imagine what’s going to happen to you and John if he doesn’t get it back,” she says. So whatever the identity of the big boss is in this scenario, he is able to reach inside a federal prison and pluck the feathers of whoever. That is real power.
Lucky being up against dangerous people like this only makes us believe more in her ability to “run the board,” in John’s words. Having managed to evade Agent Rand and the feds, but captured by Priscilla and Dutch, Lucky flashes her father’s lucky Zippo inside the trunk where she rides. She spies road flares, pockets a screwdriver, and gains access through the backseat to the car’s interior. The goons driving her to Priscilla’s are oblivious. Lucky lights the road flare, unleashes a series of wild kicks, and there is some shooting before the driver starts on fire and collides with a cactus. Chaos in the desert! We’re not sure Lucky thought this escape all the way through. But it’s a better play for this criminal than waiting to be killed by other criminals.
Scratch-Offs for Lucky Episode 1 (“No Shortcuts”):
- Cary did say one interesting thing, back before he sold Lucky out and stole the loot. “America’s over, anyway,” he said, suggesting the criminal spaces where these people operate are mirrors for straight world rot.
- We think it’s kind of hilarious that someone who looks like Anya Taylor-Joy can walk through a police search cordon un-hindered and avoid hundreds of casino security cameras simply by putting her hood up.
- There are also jams to give rhythm to Lucky’s life on the run. The phantasia of her night of Las Vegas double-crossss is soundtracked by Roy Orbison with “In Dreams.” Lucky escapes the clutches of goons to the haunting “Lost” by Zola Jesus. And as she wanders across scalded desert land, Sleater-Kinney is heard with “Hunt You Down.” It’s a stark reminder of the stakes.
Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.