“Lucky” — Episode Four Recap: Too Close to See It
Episode four of Apple TV+’s Lucky, titled “Too Close to See It,” opens with Lucky (Anya Taylor-Joy) and FBI Agent Billie Rand (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) at an earlier stage of this cat-and-mouse journey. As we learned in the last episode, the cons of Priscilla (Annette Bening) have been a thorn in Agent Rand’s side for years. Her arrest was supposed to be a career-making moment for Rand, but Priscilla continues to find ways to slip through. The opening scene of “Too Close to See It” shows Agent Rand attempting to appeal to Lucky’s love for her father, John (Timothy Olyphant). To Rand, John and Lucky are small-time, two people doing the best with the cards that have been dealt. She’s offering Lucky a chance for a new deck.
In contemporary time, we finally get to see the confrontation between Lucky and her runaway husband, Cary (Drew Starkey). We haven’t seen much of him since he ran off with the money in the first episode. He’s not surprised to see Lucky in his house, but all he wants is a chance to explain himself. Lucky isn’t having it. What could he have to say to make sense of his actions? Turns out Priscilla threatened Lucky’s life over the missing money. He may be Priscilla’s son, but Cary also loves his wife.
This revelation hits Lucky hard, but Cary is also hurting. Before he decides to take the money and run, Priscilla informs Cary that it was Lucky who sold her out to the feds. Both Cary and Lucky are feeling betrayed and hurt by someone they love, but when Agent Rand comes knocking, the two find themselves on the run once again.
Courtesy of Apple TV+
Four episodes in and Lucky continues to struggle with finding a story that goes beyond the chase. So little is known about these characters. What do Lucky and Cary want to do if they finally manage to escape the life of crime their parents have trapped them in? Instead of conversations between them that can expand the dynamic of this relationship, there’s yet another prolonged car chase sequence, just like in other episodes. This time, though, there’s a tragic ending. In the race to get away, Cary is killed. Obviously, this is distressing for Lucky, but it’s not an emotional moment for the viewer.
Most of Lucky’s issues come from the age-old adage of “show, don’t tell.” Lucky’s emotional beats have mostly been told to the audience rather than shown in a meaningful way. If the relationships between Lucky and Cary and Lucky and her father are so crucial to who she is, the audience needs to see that. We can’t just be told that Cary matters because he’s her husband. There has to be more connective tissue between them. It’s a shame this is the end of the road for Cary, because there is a chemistry between them. It’s enticing, but fleeting.
Cary’s death leaves Lucky in a predicament. Cary put all the money into a Bitcoin wallet with a seed phrase that only he knows. With his death, that money is in limbo and Lucky is alone again. With three episodes left in Lucky, will she continue to be able to evade Priscilla, the feds, and her past?
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