Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Hacks Season 4, Episode 4Few comedy shows have been as impressive in recent years asHacks. Created byPaul W. Downs,Lucia Aniello, andJen Statsky, the hitMaxseries has made viewers laugh (and oftentimes cry) for years with its story about a pair of opposites united in their love of comedy. For three emotional seasons, 20-something comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) and long-time stand-up comedian and Vegas comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) have turned their generational divide and on-and-off feud into a beautiful friendship personally and professionally. This is exactly why thatbig twist in the Season 3 finale— when Ava blackmailed Deborah into giving her the head writer position atLate Night— was so brutal.
Several characters, including fan-favorite Kiki (Poppy Liu) and Ava’s manager, Jimmy (Downs), have called out Ava for her actions and have said how dangerous it is for her to try to beat her mentor at her own game. Yes,Ava hurt Deborah, but by giving in to the toxicity she typically calls out, Ava islosing so much of the identity she’s spent all of her life fighting for.She finally received a harsh wake-up call about this, with her actions spelling disaster for the rest of the series as she becomes a version of the one person Deborah would never want to go up against: herself.
‘Hacks’ Is a Show About Comedy (and Really Toxic Soulmates)
While so many comedies are grounded in polar opposites spending time together,none have interrogated this kind of relationship as hilariously asHacks. The series begins with our characters being paired with one another out of desperation, with Ava, the up-and-coming comedy writer who was ostracized in the industry for a joke that went too far,reluctantly signing on as Deborah’s writerafter Deborah discovered her decades-long Las Vegas show was ending. Though immensely different — Deborah is a cutthroat millionaire ready to destroy anyone (including herself) in the name of fame, while Ava believes you’re able to achieve comedic success ethically — their love for the medium bonded them, with the first three seasons seeing the women suffer many missteps but always reunite.
By grounding itself in their relationship,Hacksacts as a brilliant dissection of comedy as a whole. Its examination of the artform through differing generational viewpoints makes audiences understand not only the ever-present struggles of women in this industry,but how humor can unite us all.It’s a poignant discussion that created one of television’s best friendships ever, and has gifted us moments that are as hilarious as they are brutal and devastating.
Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance on ‘Hacks’ Has Never Been Easy To Deal With
While treated humorously by the narrative,Deborah’s presence has always been a ruthless one. From firing employees to cutting other people down to get ahead and even slapping Ava across the face, Deborah’s drive and harmful behavior were largely born from the way that the misogynistic media has treated her and female comics for decades. She will do whatever it takes to thrive (and simply survive),even if it means hurting those who love and care for her. Her experience illuminates the real hurdles women face when trying to make it in comedy, but also the work being done to dismantle them today; Ava makes Deborah realize that while she may have suffered, she now has the power to make sure others don’t have to.
Ava continues to teach Deborah important lessons during their collaboration, and their talks about healing and growth do elicit some moral change out of the stalwart comedian. However, the fear of losing out on her dream job (again)pushes Deborah to deny Ava the job she’d given up everything for— which finally breaks something in Ava. All ofSeason 3 ofHacksexemplified the pair’s destructive dynamic, with Ava throwing away every professional and personal relationship she had in the name of supporting this legend. After giving up all of that, it’s no wonder the denial made her decide to act just as cruelly and blackmail Deborah. What Ava isn’t realizing, though, is thatshe is once again putting Deborah first and sacrificing who she is.
In ‘Hacks’ Season 4, Hannah Einbinder’s Ava Doesn’t Know Who She Is Anymore
While Ava is in no way innocent onHacks, she’s always represented an idealized form of comedy that the series hopes to create in the real world. Her approach is a nuanced one that recognizes the systemic discrimination of this industry and how vital diverse voices are for turning it into something everyone can find comfort in.Her opposition to Deborah’s amoral behavior has always served that mission, which is why stooping to her low behavior was not only shocking, but represented a complete compromise of everything Ava knows about herself. It’s a huge shift that haspersisted in Season 4, and, with Ava being rude to Jimmy and ruthless to Deborah, she is slowly losing the snarky benevolence that defined her up until now. While people have been calling out her actions,they’ve all neglected to mention how Ava is being cruel to herself. Luckily, she had the coolest blackjack dealer in Vegas call her out.
“We’re Building Up the World”: ‘Hacks’ Showrunners Have an Enthusiastic Response To Demand for a Kayla and Jimmy Spin-Off
“We’re ready.”
Kiki isHacks' resident voice of reason, with this Las Vegas mainstay always telling others when they’re being harmful to themselves and those around them.She was the first character to make Ava understandhow her actions undercut the character she had spent all of her adult life crafting. By allowing her anger at Deborah to supersede any of the moral standings she’s championed for years, Ava is once again prioritizing Deborah over everything — but even worse than before.
Ava has already given up most of her meaningful relationships for Deborah, and now she has started to chip away at her own sense of self in the name of not only acting as cruelly as Deborah but “giving her the best show possible.” It’s a downturn that, while done with good intentions, is beginning to transform Avainto the one thing she’s spent years critiquing: a toxic professional.This was foreshadowed in the Season 3 finale when, after Deborah claims Ava wouldn’t blackmail her, she coldly states, “I would. Wouldn’t you?” Ava has set herself up to become someone as brutal and terrifying as Deborah, a change that is not only horrible to her own self, but turns the show from a fun exploration of comedy into the devastating dissolution of Ava’s dream of what this industry can be.
‘Hacks’ Has Just Become a Fight for Ava’s Soul
Now, while Ava is steadily losing herself onHacks, that’s not to say the show will turn into an all-out brawl between the professionals.As the last episode displayed,Ava still cares deeply for Deborah; not only did she invite her to watch the premiere of their show together, but she dropped everything to be there for her at the hospital. Kiki’s impact is unmatched, as it seems like Ava may be finally be getting back in touch with herself. However, this might also mean she will continue to undermine her own goals and principles andslowly start to become exactly the toxic model of celebrity she’s been trying to save Deborah from. Kiki gave Ava an important wake-up call about how she was not acting like the person she was when they first met, and now, Ava is finally starting to fully realize how blackmailing someone definitely goes against who she really is. However, Ava might only be able to get back to being herself if she gets some distance from her mentor.
Explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old.
