Apple TV limited series Lucky, based on Marissa Stapley’s 2021 novel of the same name and adapted for television by Your Friends and Neighbors creator Jonathan Tropper, is the gripping story of one young woman’s desperate attempt to break free from the dark and violent life that has shaped her. The crime drama is more than just a complex game of cat and mouse. She explores the tensions between nature and nurture while revealing the dangers and vulnerabilities that come with loving others.
We first see Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong (the fantastic Anya Taylor-Joy) trying to elude the FBI at a crowded bus stop somewhere in Arizona. But this is not where Lucky’s story begins. Reminiscing about the previous day, Lucky hugs her husband Cary (Drew Starkey) on the balcony of their huge Las Vegas hotel room. Under the orders of his imprisoned crook father John (Timothy Olyphant), the couple steal $10 million from notorious gangster Wayne Whittaker (William Fichtner), and they decide to make it one last night before fleeing the country. Despite the festive mood, Lucky can’t shake the feeling that something is about to go wrong.
When Lucky wakes up alone in her room the next day, without seeing Cary or the money, she realizes that her intuition was correct. With FBI Special Agent Billy Rand (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) on her tail and Whittaker’s assistant boss Priscilla Mathison (Annette Bening) on her neck, Lucky must use all the knowledge her only parental figure has instilled in her so she can emerge from her circumstances unscathed.
Filled with shootouts, car chases and plenty of intriguing shenanigans, all seven episodes of Lucky Man contain heart-pounding sequences that rival any high-voltage thriller worth its salt. However, the series maintains its dynamism because it remains character-driven. Billy’s obsession with destroying Priscilla constantly puts her team in danger because focusing on one thing blurs the bigger picture. Although it is clear that John deeply loves his daughter, his addiction to manipulation and money usurps his paternal instincts. Priscilla is as cruel as can be, but her muscular Dutch (Clifton Collins Jr.) does her every bloody bidding. However, in Whittaker’s presence, she becomes softer and more compliant. Cary, torn between his own desires and the expectations of others, seems unable to determine where his loyalties lie. Lucky thinks she can escape the world she was born into unharmed. However, as Priscilla reminds her at one point, “Just because you don’t like who you are doesn’t mean you can run away from her.”
Lucky faces this mystery as he tries to track down Cary while eluding the FBI and Priscilla’s wrath. Meanwhile, the series explores how she got into this predicament in the first place. Through flashback sequences, we see her childhood with John, which was shaped by mistrust and lies. This grueling existence made Lucky emotionally dependent on her father. It also cost her the only sense of true normalcy she had ever known.
“Lucky” is a project worthy of Taylor-Joy’s talent. After the runaway success of The Queen’s Gambit, she landed a role in the high-profile 2024 film Furiosa: The Saga of Mad Max, where George Miller’s performance surpassed her performance – and it was a sensation. “Lucky” is different. Through Taylor-Joy’s character, the series reminds us to face ourselves, even those broken and painful parts that seem shameful. It’s about accepting the good and the bad before completely abandoning what no longer serves you. As Lucky understands, deceiving other people is one thing, but the cost of deceiving yourself is often insurmountable.
The first two episodes of “Lucky” will debut July 15 on Apple TV, with the rest airing weekly on Wednesdays.