The racetrack was shaken up by an earthquake this week on Luck, and so were more than a few of the lives of the folks who frequent the establishment. No one was affected more than Joey, who was ready to end his own life until the earth shook below his feet and a stray bullet grazed his cheek instead of going through his head. It was nice to see his attitude change for the better, so much so that he even stopped stammering (for a while, anyway). Joey’s relationship with Ronnie is more destructive than I even thought. For two people who count on each other professionally, they certainly seem like they want to kill each other.
It was nice to see Nick Nolte back after he took a week off during the last episode. What’s becoming very clear is that no one in the horse racing game likes to show their true hand. For someone who knows nothing about the sport (like myself), I assumed people just went out there and raced their horses, people placed bets, and that was that. There’s a whole other layer of sportsmanship. We’ve seen it now with Escalante, who kept trying to hide the abilities of some of his horses and now with Smith, as he got very angry with Rosie for breaking the track record with Gettin’Up Morning. We were also left with a bit of a cliffhanger as a stranger approached Smith and Rosie about “his” horse. I’m curious to see where that leads.
I’m a bit worried about Ace. I mean, it seems like everyone realizes that he’s up to something and that the purchase of the track is not the ultimate goal for him. Mike and his crew immediately enlisted Israel as a double agent (and it’s still unclear where his loyalties will ultimately lie, but I love seeing that kid squirm). Even the track owner saw right through Ace’s advances. I’m still rooting for him.
Luck is filled with so many fantastic small moments. Perhaps it’s because on HBO time doesn’t need to be made for commercials, or perhaps the writers are just superior at pacing than others int he business. I think my favorite in this episode was Ace, Gus, and Nate looking over the cake from Mike’s crew, trying to figure out what the hell the message “Wait to go Greek” meant.
I’m not quite sure why the ratings for Luck aren’t doing better than they are. I figured that it would be garnering numbers similar to Boardwalk Empire, but the ratings so far have been a lot closer to Treme. I suppose it doesn’t matter too much because the show is on HBO (and already renewed for a second season), but it’s a shame that more people aren’t watching. I’m wondering if it is because of the dense language, or maybe the intimidation of a setting that most people are not familiar with. I know I watched the pilot twice to make sure I picked up all the details.
What do you think about Luck?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Mar 04, 2012 @ 22:00 EST5EDT
