Based on Marissa Stapley’s 2021 novel of the same name and adapted for television by “Your Friends & Neighbors” creator Jonathan Tropper, Apple TV limited series “Lucky” is the captivating story of one young woman’s desperate attempt to break free of the dark and violent life that’s shaped her. More than an intricate game of cat-and-mouse, the crime drama plays on the tensions between nature and nurture while unpacking the dangers and vulnerabilities that come with loving other people.
We first see Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong (a fantastic Anya Taylor-Joy) trying to evade the FBI at a crowded bus stop somewhere in Arizona. But this is not where Lucky’s story begins. In a flashback to the previous day, Lucky embraces her husband, Cary (Drew Starkey), on the balcony of their massive hotel suite in Las Vegas. At the bidding of Lucky’s incarcerated con artist father, John (Timothy Olyphant), the couple has stolen $10 million from notorious gangster Wayne Whittaker (William Fichtner), and they decide to live it up for one last night before fleeing the country. Despite their celebratory mood, Lucky can’t quite shake the feeling that something is on the verge of going horribly awry.
When Lucky awakens the next day alone in the suite, with neither Cary nor the money in sight, she realizes her gut instinct was correct. With FBI special agent Billie Rand (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) on her tail and Whittaker underboss Priscilla Matheson (Annette Bening) on her neck, Lucky must use all the knowledge her sole parental figure instilled in her so she may emerge from her circumstances in one piece.
Replete with gunfights, car chases and more than a few intriguing grifts, all seven episodes of “Lucky” feature heart-racing sequences that rival those of any worthwhile high-voltage thriller. Still, the show maintains its dynamism because it remains character-driven. Billie’s obsession with taking down Priscilla constantly puts her team in peril, because being so laser-focused on one thing clouds the bigger picture. While it’s clear that John deeply loves his daughter, his addiction to manipulation and money usurps his paternal instincts. Priscilla is as vicious as they come, but her muscle, Dutch (Clifton Collins Jr.), does all her bloody bidding. Yet, in Whittaker’s presence, she becomes softer and more compliant. Cary, torn between his own desires and others’ expectations, can’t seem to determine where his loyalties lie. Lucky thinks she can escape the world she was born into unscathed. 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 conundrum as she tries to track down Cary while outrunning the FBI and Priscilla’s wrath. Meanwhile, the series unpacks how she even got into this predicament. Through flashback sequences, we see her childhood with John, which was shaped by distrust and lies. This exhausting existence has kept Lucky emotionally dependent on her father. It also cost her the only sense of true normalcy she’s ever known.
“Lucky” is a project worthy of Taylor-Joy’s talent. Following the resounding success of “The Queen’s Gambit,” she was cast in the high-profile 2024 movie “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” where George Miller’s spectacle overwhelmed her performance — and it bombed. “Lucky” is different. Through Taylor-Joy’s character, the series reminds us to face ourselves, even the broken and painful bits that feel shameful. It is about embracing the good and the bad before fully shedding what no longer serves you. As Lucky comes to understand, it’s one thing to con other people, but the cost of conning yourself is often insurmountable.
The first two episodes of “Lucky” debut July 15 on Apple TV, with the remaining episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays.