Luck – Will Ace’s plan still be successful?

It seemed like there was a bit of deja vu going on in this week’s episode of Luck. A lot of the events seemed familiar, though there were some drastically different outcomes. Jerry hit the poker tables again and there was  another claim race at the track. Meanwhile, Ace’s relationship with Claire got a bit deeper even as his big plan took a turn for the worse.

I share Marcus’s concerns with Jerry’s little adventure at the poker tournament. He clearly has a gambling problem, and even though the World Series of Poker is a lot safer than a back room cash game at Chan’s, I still don’t think it’s a good idea for Jerry to be there — slippery slope and all that. With all that being said, it was nice to see Jerry actually win at poker (and romance as well?). I was beginning to think that he is as bad at playing poker as he is good at picking horses. In a universe as dark as the one on Luck, it was nice to see Jerry have some success.

Of course, that couldn’t last, and another claim race didn’t turn out as well for Lonnie as the first time he tried it out and ended up owning Mon Gateau. This time the horse came up lame and instead of getting a racer, Lonnie ended up with a brood mare. One thing that I’ve been enjoying about Luck is the in-depth look into the horse racing world. I feel like this turn of events, while not great for Lonnie, will give us a look into another aspect of the sport.

Things seemed to be looking up for Ronnie as Smith put the reins of Gettin’ Up Morning back into his hands with his recovery complete. Well, his recovery from his injury is complete. I’m not so sure the AA meetings are doing much for him. Sure, we didn’t see him taking a drink, but I don’t think it’s a good sign for him to be smashing up pills and snorting them. Ronnie’s life has been right on the edge since we first met him int he pilot. I don’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling about his future.

I’ve been enjoying the relationship between Claire and Ace. It has really humanized a character that could have just come across as a cold ex-con gangster. Instead, we’re seeing a sensitive and kind side to the man. It seems as though his funding of Claire’s program had more to do than simply impressing a woman. Seeing Ace around the retired horses, even getting into the ring and doing a little training himself, made it clear that he has a very real interest in the horses.

While sympathy was being built for Ace in this episode, the opposite was happening for his enemy. We got a first hand look at Mike’s homicidal side as he took an ashtray to poor Nathan Israel. The poor kid didn’t stand a chance faking it as a double agent, and he gave himself away, or at least Mike thought he did when he parroted one of Ace’s favorite sayings. The kid certainly looked dead when Mike was done with him, so that’s the assumption I’m working under, though I don’t think it’s out of the question for him to still be alive. I’m curious to see if this is going to throw a wrench into Ace’s plan. With only two episodes left in the short first season, things promise to get even more interesting quickly.

Clacked by Bob Degon
on Mar 11, 2012 @ 22:00 EST5EDT