by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
Sometimes the challenges of life become nothing but mundanity. Our jobs challenge and bore us all at once, and we don’t have the energy to care about the political squabbles of our co-workers. Family is our pride and joy, but they drain us and have their own problems that they need assistance with, and there’s years of struggles we have put each other through. There are our friends. They’re good counsel and fun release from responsibilities, but they can be misguided, and that release can keep us from what needs to be done in our lives. And our partners. Support, counsel, and joy. They mean everything to us. But despite our best efforts we can still be at odds with the person we love most. Balancing all of this can make life difficult and feel overwhelming, and all that weighing us down can keep us from moving. But in spite of all this and all those anchors on our lives, there is still beauty in life. Lucky Hank tells us that.
Henry Devereaux (Bob Odenkirk) is the head of the English department of Railton College, which in his own words is “the capital of mediocrity.” Henry (or Hank, as he likes to be called) has reached a breaking point in his life at the school, and is starting to question. There’s an eclectic, interesting cast of educators include the head-in-the clouds Professor Dubois (Suzanne Cryer), the head strong Professor Rourke (Mark Yarbrough), the patient Dean Jacob (Oscar Nuñez), and the goofy Professor Conigula (Diedrich Bader). Henry’s loving wife Lily (Mireille Enos) supports him earnestly, while balancing her own career at a high school. But Hank has more trouble on the home front from his mother Laurel (Anne Gee Byrd) and his daughter Julie (Olivia Scott Welch), both of whom are balls of energy, and bring their own challenges into his life. On top of it all, Henry’s father, Henry Sr. (Tom Bower), was a renowned English professor at Columbia, and casts a shadow over Henry’s career. But he was not there for Henry growing up, and it’s a burden that Henry bears in all aspects of his life. Everything seems to come to a head for Henry when he gets word that he will need to make budget cuts and let administration know who on the English staff is expendable. As one can tell, there’s a lot on the plate of our Hank.
If there is one thing this show gets right (and trust me, there’s more than one), it is the feeling apathy in the face of responsibility. Hank is not a bad guy; he is just at his wit’s end with a lot of what he has to deal with, and he is not really interested in moving up in this academic world. He has passion and fire in him, but they are buried down deep beneath a lack of interest for the problems in front of him. Now while that might fly in the face of the typical hero’s journey or protagonist’s story, I appreciate it for Hank. It makes him relatable and interesting. Odenkirk’s subtle performance guides us perfectly in this world. His comedic senses add to his performance as well.
The rest of the cast does well too, but particularly it’s Hank’s better half who I am impressed by. Similar to Rhea Seehorn in Better Call Saul, Odenkirk’s co-star Enos is flat out incredible as Lily. Her layered performance is the glue that holds the show together. On one hand, Lily is loyal and supportive of Hank, as any good partner would be, but she yearns for more. As a school administrator in this small east coast town, she wants more, and when an opportunity comes up in the Big Apple, she has to ask herself what she really wants. There’s no big Emmy scene of a screaming match she gets to have, but her work is terrific.
There’s a very warm feeling to this show, too. It’s not flashy, shot in one take, using fancy camera techniques, or made by someone with individual taste like Wes Anderson. The feel of being on the cold campus of an east college takes me back to days of sitting in classes with professors and other academics. It reminds me of the potential all around. Like a hit of nostalgia, it takes you back. And that ties in with some of the beauty of Hank’s own life. As the show goes on, we begin to see the positives of everything in his life. Lily, Julie, and the relationships he has with fellow professors show Hank how much good he has going on.
This is not complex viewing, or high stakes storytelling, like some other masterpieces right now like Barry, Succession, or Yellowstone, but the immersive writing and strong performances make it to be a fun and good show.
Score: 8/10
Lucky Hank is currently streaming on AMC+
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