“Lucky” - Episode Five Recap: Are We Bad People
It has taken five episodes, but Apple TV+’s Lucky has finally stopped to take a breath. Episode five, “Are We Bad People,” is the first time in the series that the audience, and the characters, get a breather of sorts. After four episodes of car chases and armed confrontations, Lucky allows all of these machinations to finally start working together to highlight the interpersonal dynamics at play. Make no mistake, though, Lucky (Anya Taylor-Joy) has not made it out of the woods, but “Are We Bad People” gives the audience its first meaningful glimpse into her as a person.
“Are We Bad People” picks up right where “Too Close to See It” ended with the car crash that killed Cary (Drew Starkey). The feds are closer than ever, and Lucky is trapped like a caged animal. She ducks into a vehicle that was damaged during the car chase and sees an older woman with terrible injuries. While using this woman as cover, the gravity of her lies finally permeates her hardened exterior. Her actions, evasions, and decisions have consequences far larger than herself.
Courtesy of Apple TV+
Elsewhere, Priscilla (Annette Bening) is irate that her own actions have inadvertently caused the death of her only child. She starts playing the “if” game. If she never got into this business, if she didn’t threaten him, etc., maybe he would still be here. Dutch (Clifton Collins Jr.) assures her there was nothing she could have done, but she’s not so sure. She hosts a funeral, but is clearly not ready to process Cary’s death.
On the law enforcement side of things, Agent Rand (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) has been hospitalized by the car accident that killed Cary. She’s forced to take a break from the intensity of the case, but that doesn’t stop the wheels from turning in her mind. It’s thanks to an off-hand comment from her daughter that Agent Rand is able to formulate a plan to smoke Lucky out of hiding. Lucky’s one remaining weakness is her father, John (Timothy Olyphant), who’s still in jail. Rand knows that if Lucky gets word her dad is free, she’ll want to see him.
Courtesy of Apple TV+
And that’s exactly what happens. “Are We Bad People” ends with Lucky and her father on their knees being arrested by Rand and her agents, but it’s not the gotcha moment one might expect. As the blaring sirens approach, John asks Lucky if she’s sure about this plan. She’s hesitant, but there’s something up her sleeve. We’ve seen Lucky’s schemes when she’s on her back foot, but this is the first instance where she feels certain she has the upper hand.
Three episodes remain in Lucky, and the titular character is in custody. Lucky has finally figured out where the money is, so she will likely use that as a bargaining chip to secure her and her father’s freedom. How exactly ten million dollars will help after all the damage she’s created is yet to be seen, but she’s not down and out just yet. Part of what makes this episode the most successful of the series is that Lucky is finally forced to reckon with the destruction she has caused. These people she uses and abuses are not just sponges for her to wring dry, but real human beings who are offering sympathy and support to her because they believe the stories she tells. It hits her like a ton of bricks and is the first real instance of introspection in the series. Hopefully, this realization bodes well for the final three episodes of Lucky.
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