Sumith Prasad
The eighth episode of AMC’s drama series ‘Lucky Hank,’ titled ‘The Chopping Block,’ follows Dickie Pope’s efforts to fire the professors of Railton College. William Henry “Hank” Devereaux, Jr. is asked to name three professors he can risk losing if he needs to avoid Pope making the list. After spending some time with Hank and Julie, Lily returns to New York City. Russell tries to reunite with Julie but she doesn’t want the same. The engrossing episode ends with multiple astounding developments concerning Hank’s personal and professional lives. If you are intrigued about the same, let us share our take on the climax of episode 8! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Lucky Hank Finale Recap
‘The Chopping Block’ begins with Hank meeting Dickie Pope concerning professors of Railton College losing their jobs in the name of budget cuts. The professor tells him that he will reveal to the public that the latter is firing professors to save the $10 million he had to spend to set up the building named after Jeffrey Epstein. Pope dismisses Hank, leaving him no choice other than to make a list. Hank tries but fails since nobody helps him. Russell shows up at Hank’s house to reunite with Julie, only for her to dismiss him for hurting her. Still, he continues to live outside the house in a tent.
After visiting Hank and Julie, Lily returns to NYC. She meets Catherine Keener at a cafe and tells her how much she and her husband love her. Dean Rose and Gracie DuBois make love at his office before the former leaving for Florida. Hank and Tony Conigula meet Jeffrey Epstein to find out more about the $10 million Pope must have used to build the new college building. Epstein tells them that Pope might haven’t done the same, leaving Hank and Tony confused about the college administrator’s motive behind laying off professors. Rose reveals that the three professors getting axed are Emma, Finny, and Billie Quigley.
As the professors of the English department stoop to sadness, Tony invites them to his house with a hot tub. Hank asks Meg Quigley why she slept with Russell, only for him to realize that his friend did the same to hurt him. Russell and Julie end up talking but the latter is still not open to reuniting with the man who cheated on her. Hank has lunch with his father Henry Devereaux Sr. and his mother Laurel, only to learn that the renowned professor was forced to retire for claims that were proven lies.
Lucky Hank Ending: Do Hank and Lily Break Up or Stay Together?
Hank and Lily have been living in denial for a while. Lily wants to grow as a person by getting out of the boredom in which Hank has immersed himself. After moving to New York City, she realizes that she doesn’t have to compromise severely in her life anymore, which makes her consider breaking up with her husband. Hank, on the other hand, knows that his wife has grown tired of him. Still, he doesn’t do anything about it other than witnessing his married life falling apart, even when their daughter Julie reminds him that they are more or less separated.
However, during the lunch with Henry and Laurel, he realizes that it is time for him to make a change. He surprises Lily by showing up in NYC out of the blue to save their married life. Lily expresses her happiness seeing her husband doing something for her without even much deliberation which often led the latter to cancel his plans. Hank doesn’t want to sit and do nothing and lose Lily. He leaves for NYC to make sure that his actions or lack of actions for that matter don’t cause their separation the same way his father abandoned Laurel. Hank’s decision to move to NYC to be with Lily is expected to repair their relationship but not completely.
After the initial happiness, Lily’s face changes, indicating that it dawns on her that Hank is the same person regardless of his move to NYC. Hank and Lily do not break up but it doesn’t mean that they will not. If Hank really wants to save their marriage, he needs to change himself before he tries further to repair their relationship. He needs to grow beyond his cynicism and stagnancy to keep up with Lily’s ambitions and aspirations. Lily is in NYC to cherish life and she may not tolerate Hank if all he will do is to despise the same.
If Hank continues to be miserable, Lily may want him not to suck the joy out of her life in NYC, which may lead to their separation. Therefore, the fate of their relationship depends upon Hank’s ability and openness to change as a person.
Does Hank Leave Railton College?
Hank leaves for New York City to be with Lily after turning in his resignation notice to Dean Rose. After reading the same, without accepting it, Rose puts the same in a paper shredder. Hank decides to resign from Railton College to prioritize his relationship with Lily over his career. Henry prioritized his life as a professor and academician over his family which included Hank and Laurel, only to end up without no one to take care of him after his retirement. Hank may want to avoid such a predicament, which leads him to give Rose his resignation notice.
However, Rose must be thinking that Hank must have turned in the same out of a whim rather than after giving the decision considerable thought. Rose has been Hank’s friend for a long time to know that the latter’s actions should only be considered with a pinch of salt. Rose’s possible assumption can even be true considering Hank’s nature. When he finds it difficult to keep up with Lily’s ambitions and aspirations, the English professor may despise his time in NYC, which may lead him back to Railton. Since Rose hasn’t accepted his resignation, Hank may even continue working at Railton College.
If that’s the case, Hank may lose Lily for good. The English professor may end up exactly like his father and blame the latter for the misfortunes that have been happening in his life. Rose must have shredded the notice because he no longer works at the college as well. His assumption about Hank must have stopped him from giving the notice to another college administrator.
Why Do Dickie Pope Get Fired? Do the Railton Professors Get Fired?
When Jeffrey Epstein tells Hank and Tony that Pope must haven’t used the faculty budget to build the center named after the businessman, the duo reaches a dead end to save the professors. Epstein, however, ends up becoming their savior as he tells them that Pope has been eying the position of the President at MIT. It doesn’t take long for Hank to connect the dots and realize that Pope wants the professors gone to prove to MIT that he is a very competent administrator to get the position. The professors’ jobs are the cost he intends to pay to get his dream position at a world-renowned institution.
Hank and his team take the whole predicament to a local news channel to stop Pope from firing professors. The college board then fires Pope for putting the institution on the line for his selfish needs. Since there is enough money in the budget to afford the faculties and to avoid a scandal, the board decides to not fire any professor from any department, which makes it clear that Emma, Finny, and Billie aren’t going anywhere.
Read More: Is Lucky Hank Based on a True Story?
