What's it about?
From acclaimed director Michael Mann and DEADWOOD creator David Milch, LUCK takes a provocative look at the world of horse racing - the owners, gamblers, jockeys and diverse gaming industry players.
You should watch if...
• you are an avid horse racing and/or gambling fanatic.
• you were obsessed with DEADWOOD.
• you will eat up anything HBO throws at you, regardless of quality.
So, how was it?
I have been a huge fan of every HBO show I've ever watched. I love the realism of THE WIRE, the camp of TRUE BLOOD, the political intrigue of GAME OF THRONES. In my opinion, what makes all of HBO's shows so freakin' good is that while on one, superficial level, they are about one thing, that "thing" is really only serving as a metaphor or a gateway into much larger, universal themes. THE SOPRANOS was ostensibly "about" the mob, but was really about family dynamics. SIX FEET UNDER was "about" a funeral parlor, but was really about relationships and living life. GAME OF THRONES is "about" dragons and zombies and fantasy kingdoms, but is really about very real political power struggles. On the other hand, LUCK is "about" horse racing and gambling, but is really about...nothing else, really.
This lack of anything beyond the surface is incredibly disappointing and will alienate any viewer who is not already a die-hard horse racing fan or a dedicated David Milch fan who is still upset that DEADWOOD was cancelled too early. Not even Dustin Hoffman can save this new show from the dreary weight of its own self-importance. The first episode of LUCK felt like a sad attempt at recreating the HBO DNA without actually taking the time to craft a compelling story or characters we might care about at all.
At the start of the hour, we are immediately inundated by characters we don't know yet who are spouting terms we also don't know yet about an industry I will wager most audience members are not intimately familiar with. This felt like a weak attempt at "in medias res," trying to hook us in by not wasting time with exposition. But if this show is really going to be all about the world of horse racing, a tiny bit of exposition would've been nice. I pride myself on being a smart person, but I was completely lost amid all the mumbo-jumbo about betting and training horses that I had no familiarity with. Instead of drawing me in, it made me completely unable to connect. By the end of the first episode, a group of guys has won over $2 million betting on horses. I'm supposed to feel their joy. I felt nothing because I had no idea who these people were yet. We are introduced to a vast cast of characters, but only what they do, not who they are.
At one point a character shouted out, "Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Amen. Doing a little research after I watched the pilot, I found an article in NYMag that had an FAQ about the episode. It contained FIFTEEN questions, ranging from explanations of the term "bug boy" to how Pick Six gambling works, to the IRS' connection to the race track -- and even after reading all the answers, there were still things I was unclear about and still questions from the episode that lingered. A show shouldn't require me to have an encyclopedia open at my side the entire time just to enjoy it.
Just about the only thing I enjoyed about the pilot were the racing scenes. The cinematography and the score combined beautifully to create a visceral sequence. And the tragic aftermath of one race is heartbreaking (and hard to watch). But those few scenes were not enough to save the episode from its dreary tone and disappointing clichés -- at one point, Dustin Hoffman's character 'Ace' actually spouts the ridiculous line: "I don't trust anyone. Not even myself."
This is the first time I have felt truly disappointed by HBO. I found myself watching the clock only 20 minutes into the 60 minute premiere. I know that we're going for "realism" and "high-brow entertainment" and drama made for "smart people," but surely it can be all those things without being So. Damn. Boring.
Rating:
** Okay. I may give it another episode or two to see if it gets better.
Honestly, the only reason I'm not giving LUCK an Atrocious rating is because it's on HBO, so I want to give the show the benefit of the doubt. I'm not going to watch anymore at this point in time due to, you know, complete and utter lack of interest. But if, by the end of the season, I hear it has evolved into nothing less than a modern-day masterpiece, I may go back and give it another shot. But until then, LUCK has lost me.
What did you think, Fellow Addicts? Were you drawn in by the complicated world of horse racing? Or were you, like me, left out in the cold? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!
(For the complete rundown of when all the new shows are premiering, check out my 2012 Midseason TV Preview.)
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