Lucky Hank episode 1 recap: Why was Railton College furious at Hank?

Lucky Hank started on a promising note with the introduction of Bob Odenkirk's William Henry Devereaux, Jr. aka. Hank. Fans were quickly made aware that he is not only sick of his job but also has problems with his wife Lily and father, William Henry Devereaux, Sr.

Railton College, where Hank works, was furious at him for abusing the institution during one of his classes. They were so upset by his words that they wanted him fired. They assured him that if a person decides to insult the college they work in and even goes as far as to say that everyone in the institution is mediocre, there are going to be consequences. In Hank's case, the consequences were severe.

The pilot episode of Lucky Hank aired on March 19, 2023.

Lucky Hank is based on the novel, Straight Man by Richard Russo. It was developed by Paul Lieberstein and Aaron Zelman.

---

Lucky Hank episode 1 introduces Hank as the chair of the English department at Railton College

Viewers were introduced to the protagonist, William Henry Devereaux, Jr. aka. Hank at the very start of the episode. He was the chair of the English department at Railton College and led an easy and carefree life. He was also on tenure, so firing him was no child's play. With so many advantages, Hank often seemed to go on autopilot mode, which backfired on him.

During a lecture, one of his students was reciting something but Hank did not pay any attention to him. He was thinking of something else and was visibly in a foul mood. His student, Bartow, got done reading his paragraph, and Hank asked the rest of the students if they had anything to say. Since the others didn't say anything, Hank gave Bartow the green light to continue but Bartow voiced that Hank wasn't paying attention to him.

Egos clashed and a verbal fight took place between the two as Hank clearly dominated. He insulted Bartow and said that Railton College was mediocre and the fact that Bartow was there said a lot about his potential. By the time the class ended, Hank knew that his actions would have consequences.

The next day, the news about Hank spread like wildfire and even his colleagues felt insulted. But Hank was worried about something else. We learned that he and his father were not on good terms. His father had recently retired and Hank feared that this would disrupt the dynamics of their relationship.

Back in college, the teachers had made up their minds to remove Hank from his administrative position.

Viewers also witnessed him having some relationship problems with his wife Lily. Bartow's parents showed up at the college and expressed their concerns to the Dean, Jacob Rose. Jacob tried to cover for Hank but the latter had no desire to apologize.

Hank later received a call from Marnie Cole, a colleague of his father's. She informed Hank that his dad has been having a hard time and wishes to meet him. Hank turned her down by saying that his father had not contacted him in 15 years.

The teachers then began voting to remove Hank as chair, and as expected, they succeeded. But the teachers did not decide who to replace him with. So they voted again and this time, Hank was the only one to receive more than two votes for the position.

He was then made chair for three more years, leaving everyone confused. Hank wanted to mend his relationship with his wife. Lily enjoys going on runs, so Hank caught up to her and informed her that he has been made chair again. Lily then displayed a variety of emotions and the pilot episode of Lucky Hank ended here.

Fans now await the release of episode 2 of the series, which is set to air on March 26, 2023, at 9 pm ET on AMC.