To some people, lying is like breathing.
It was fun to watch Turo and Ace go at it a bit. Hopefully they continue to interact.To some people, lying is like breathing.
Apologies for the late update, everyone, and apologies in advance for what may not be the best post I've ever gotten out. Struggling with a mountain of work and a splitting headache can do some serious damage to the will to write, but I'm pushing through!
Thankfully, this week's episode of Luck was one of the best so far. We finally got to see Ace (Dustin Hoffman) interact with some other characters on the show. I love the way he got to Turo Escalante (John Ortiz). I've been theorizing for the past few weeks now that Turo may be in over his head, and I think Ace recognizes the same thing. The hotheaded trainer has more than his fair share of scrutiny to deal with, but his gambling tendencies are what will really hurt him in the end. It's just a matter of how, at this point.
There are a few things that are starting to baffle me about Ace, though. First of all, I still don't understand what his overall plan is, and that wasn't touched on at all this week. I don't see how owning a horse helps him here, but maybe I'm just missing something. I also am not a huge fan of the relationship that is developing between Ace and Claire (Joan Allen). I think I am expecting more from Claire than I am ever going to get, which stems from her outstandingly slimy work in the Bourne films. Instead, we get a very shy, timid woman who seems to have no place in this show. Hopefully, she develops into someone with a little more depth if she remains on the show.
It was refreshing to see the gamblers in a different, more personal light this week. In fact, not a single one of them laid down so much as a penny on any game this week. Instead, we got a closer look at Marcus (Kevin Dunn), who may not make it through the season, judging by his cough. It was nice to see him and Jerry (Jason Gedrick) talk honestly to each other for a change, and we got a little more insight into why Marcus is so crass to his friends. These are truly the most sympathetic characters on the show right now, and I have a feeling that we will feel worse for them over the course of the next five episodes.
We also got to look a little more closely at Joey Rathburn (Richard Kind), who I openly admitted to not liking last week. I still think he is far from the most interesting character on the show, but it was interesting to see just how desperate he is for some sort of success. He has a lot more riding on his jockeys than he lets on, and the man has taken some lumps already in this series. Unfortunately, I still don't see a clear direction for his character, or the jockeys, at this point, which is a problem considering the fact that we are halfway through the season.
What more is there to say about this week? It was a remarkably simple episode that accomplished quite a bit as far as developing the characters goes. Of course, something a little more drastic needs to happen soon to ensure that people will hang in through the finale and into next season, but that's more of a wait and see kind of thing.
One more thing: there could be a horse race in every single episode and they would never get old. You never quite know what is going to happen, which only adds to the excitement in the well-shot and well-executed racing portions of the show.
That's it for this week. Hopefully, I'll come back strong next week and really pick apart that show as we inch towards the finale.
Thanks for reading, and please comment below if you want to talk about the show!