Lucky Hank is a comedy-drama series developed by Paul Lieberstein and Aaron Zelman, based on the novel Straight Man by Richard Russo. The series stars Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) in the lead role alongside Mireille Enos, Olivia Scott Welch and many others.
Lucky Hank Episode 1 is directed by Peter Farrelly and has a teleplay from the show’s creators Paul Lieberstein and Aaron Zelman. Moreover, the pilot episode has a total runtime of 44 minutes.
The synopsis of the series reads as
College professor and English department chairman Hank Devereaux Jr finds himself amidst a possible mid-life crisis and a career retrospection. Both of which lead him into a fair share trouble, personally and professionally.
-Lucky Hank Episode 1 Recap Does Contain Spoilers-
The pilot of Lucky Hank starts with an English class cum discussion headed by professor Hank Devereaux Jr, who tries to zone himself out by shifting his focus to something else. Moreover, it’s safe to assume that the professor is the least bit interested in the discussion and that he is already occupied by more important things.
The tension in the scene breaks when a student interrupts him midway and asks for a detailed analysis. Even though Hank tries to ignore the topic, he eventually leans in to provide some subtle thoughts about the piece. The English professor points out the obvious flaws in the writing and matches them with the amateur student’s counterpoints.
Ultimately, the entire back-and-forth argument leads to an outburst from Hank, who holds nothing back. The English chair breaks down the traits of mediocrity in his underfunded college and scales out the very fact, that their presence inside the campus, is a mark of the same.
After this subtle season opener, we are presented with the repercussions of the monologue. At first, Hank is awakened by an early morning notification, about an article written by the very same student. Moreover, when he reaches back to the campus, the situation spreads like a wildflower.
The depressed student breaks down in front of Hank and gets a verbal apology from the professor. However, when the English chair learns that his intentions include a written statement of acknowledgement, he dismisses the amateur student.
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The rest of the episode pans out Hank’s relationship with his wife, colleagues, daughter and his estranged father (the latter of whom was responsible for his outburst during the class). Moreover, we also get to know about Hank’s relaxed attitude about the ordeal, as it is quite difficult to fire the chairman.
Furthermore, when one of his colleagues decides to outvote and de-chair Hank, things take a unique turn. The situation turns messy when the letter starts to create a bad reputation for the professor and dethrones him from the chairman position. Eventually, Hank tries to make peace with the outcome and prepares an alternative financial plan, involving his wife pursuing her career ambition.
As evident from the title of the show, Hank gets lucky when a second vote for the new chair is taken into consideration. Weirdly enough, the English professor gets re-elected as the chair and prevents himself from sinking. Notably, the episode ends with Hank delivering the news to his wife, who provides a mixed reaction to the information.
Lucky Hank Episode 1 Review
It’s always refreshing to see Bob Odenkirk back on the screen, with his hard-hitting nuances about work and life in general. The veteran actor raises the bar for the pilot and brings out a subtle yet distinct version of his character. Hank is someone who has a plethora of layers beneath his role and still comes out as a simple man.
The writing of the episode is on point, and the humour hardly misses the space. There is enough attention to detail and a clear vision for the series. Moreover, the pilot also manages to distribute the story evenly without digressing too much into the issues. All in all, this comedy-drama looks great and promising with a fresh look at the middle age high school teacher, going through his own set of problems.
You can stream Lucky Hank on SonyLiv. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.
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