The Televangelist: ‘Luck’ Season 1, Episode 1
“The horse track is what the river was to Mark Twain. Where you see the most life and interesting people, go there.”
- HBO.com
- And then the horse had to go and break its leg?? Selfish!!
In December, “Luck” creator David Milch described his conception of his new show as “the horse track is what the river was to Mark Twain. Where you see the most life and interesting people, go there. That’s what I’ve done.” For anyone who has been around a horse track (or read extensively about the world of horse racing thank you, lifetime of reading Dick Francis novels!), the authenticity of “Luck” is without question. Despite the dizzying introductions in the Pilot to a myriad of characters and familiar acting faces (Dustin Hoffman, Jill Hennessey, Dennis Farina, Richard Kind, Nick Nolte) it becomes clear that no aspect of the track (from owners down to the groomsmen who patiently wait for a horse to evacuate its bowels, and all of those in between - the vets, the trainers, the jockeys, etc - to those on the periphery, the betting class, who make their livings off of the races) will be left unexplored.
For those viewers who are being introduced the racing world for the first time, the jargon coupled with the Who’s Who of seemingly innumerable occupations and characters (most of whom kind of meld together as Old White Men), in the whirlwind first half is likely to be a struggle. Of course, the positive of having so many swirling story lines is the potential for some incredibly intricate narrative developments as the series continues on. And while there is undoubtedly a focus on the most illicit of back rooms (which seems to rest largely on Dustin Hoffman’s character Ace, fresh out of jail and ready to get to cooking up schemes again), there will also surely be the forces of good, who are in it for the love of the horses and the atmosphere of the track.
And oh what a love of horse and track there is. There is not a more beautiful racecourse in the world than the iconic Santa Ana in California, against which the drama is set. Upon it, the answer to the questionably seedy late night cable soft-porn opening credits music (a rare misstep for HBO): forget all of these old grizzled white men, check out these horses! Ah yes, the slow motion shots of lathered flanks, steam rising from flaring nostrils, muscles rippling in the sunlight. It is, of course, a beautiful and moving sight, one that juxtaposes nicely with the dark underbelly of the track and the apathetic watchers who see the animals as little more than Keno dots moving along the horizon.