Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for the ‘Hacks’ Season 3 finale.
Since the very first episode of Max’s genius comedy,Hacks, nothing has been clearer to the audience than the fact that Deborah Vance (the iconicJean Smart) will do anything to get to the top. In the first season, Deborah enlists the help of a writer, Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), who inspires Deborah to follow her ambitions again. And the greatest dream that Deborah ever allowed herself to hope for was her ownlate-night talk showhosting gig. It slipped through her fingers once (way back in the ’80s), butDeborah has always pushed to make it someday to that exalted pinnaclethat’s typically dominated by men (and young ones at that).
When Season 3 begins, Ava is working in Los Angeles on aDaily Show-type series, but she goes on a hiatus, and rushes to be back at Deborah’s side (despite the woman’s frequent toxic behavior towards her). Ava almost seems like a glutton for punishment; she returns time and again to act as Deborah’s cheerleader and confidante.And as the season progresses, Deborah has once again obtained superstar status. She has utilized social media and her incomparable work ethic to make sure that she’s an undeniable choice for a late-night hosting position that has just opened up. The whole team comes together to help fulfill Deborah’s dream. Finally, in Episode 8,Deborah receives the life-changing news that the late-night hosting gig is officially hers. But what will that truly mean for Deborah, and how will it end up affecting Ava?
Explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old.
Deborah’s Late-Night Gig Comes Together on ‘Hacks’
At the beginning of Episode 9, Deborah offers Ava the head writer position on her new show. Ava is understandably ecstatic (it’s her dream job), and she promptly quits her job in Los Angeles. She gets new headshots in preparation for her new gig, and seems posed for success. But the viewers start to feel an uneasiness creep in, as it feels like Ava is putting all of her eggs in one basket. Dealing with Deborah, who is inherently a narcissist,Ava has been burned many times before. Why would this period of Deborah’s career be any different?
But it’s not just Ava whose life is affected by Deborah’s new gig.More chaos ensues in the episode whenKayla (Megan Stalter) threatens to quit after feeling like Jimmy(Paul W. Downs) didn’t support her enough. After Jimmy pleads with her to stay, she negotiates, and he names her a partner (with her own assistant and office). Plus, the always underappreciated Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins) seems to be on his way out the door. As with Ava, Deborah continues to underestimate his value. With a job offer from QVC, Marcus tells an extremely distressed Damien (Mark Indelicato) that he’s leaving. Deborah also creates even more conflict with her formerly estranged sister,Kathy (J. Smith Cameron), after admitting that she moved their parents' burial place without telling her.
Deborah continues to prepare for her new gig by going to meet with Biff Cliff (Hal LindenfromBarney Millerfame), who is the network executive that canceled herfailed talk showdecades ago. He tells her that she did everything right back in the day, but that executives will look for any excuse to not give people a chance (especially women).This advice leads Deborah to make a devastating decisionin the questto secure her talk show’s success. Deborah is someone that defines herself by her ambition and never by the relationships she has with those around her. She has seemingly failed in many of her most important connections in life: being a mother, a wife, and a sister. The cutthroat comedian has always placed her career ahead of everything else, and that unending longing for success unfortunately means that her friendship with Ava is also no longer safe.
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This series brings plenty of laughs in its acerbic, but always funny, satire of Hollywood.
The ‘Hacks’ Season 3 Finale Ends With a Twist
In a heart-wrenching scene, Deborah tells Ava that the head writer position is no longer hers because of a network decision. Ava finds out this is a lie, which leads to an emotionally-charged confrontation. Ava, with tears in her eyes, demands that Deborah give her the job. But Deborah, steadfast in her decision, says that she just can’t risk choosing Ava. The mostagonizing piece of dialogueoccurs when Ava asks, “You’re okay with losing me too?” and Deborah answers, “I’m willing to.” It is a stark reminder that as devoted as Ava is to helping Deborah, in many ways,Deborah is still only focused on getting ahead(no matter who she hurts along the way).
Despite Deborah’s deception, Jimmy convinces the heartbroken Ava to stay on board the writing team, since he knows it’s still the best thing for her career and the show needs her to succeed. On the first day in the writing room, Ava stands waiting for Deborah. The woman is obviously relieved that Ava has decided to stay. But then theHackswriters decided to throw in a twist. Ava tells Deborah thatif she doesn’t make her head writer like she originally promised, Ava will tell everyone that Deborah slept with the owner of the network, Bob Lipka (Tony Goldwyn), right before it was announced that she had secured the gig. Ava’s decision actually feels like a page straight out of Deborah’s playbook. There’s a tinyglimpse of respect in Deborah’s eyes, but also fear at what Ava has now morphed into and at what this could mean for Deborah’s career going forward. Deborah has often been Ava’s biggest advocate, pushing her to become the best version of herself. But this time, Deborah’s guidance has led to the ultimate shift in power.
It is a brilliant move from theHackswriting team to tee up new power struggles for Deborah and her crew. Marcus has the upper-hand with his potential departure, Kayla is now much more than just an assistant to Jimmy, and Ava holds the reins of Deborah’s fate. Some might say that Ava (who is typically an incredibly moral person) has lost her values, while others might argue thatshe’s just finally learned how to play the game in the world of show business. Luckily,Season 4 ofHackshas been greenlit, which means there will be plenty of opportunities for the writing team to explore just where Deborah and Ava go from here. Will Ava continue to blackmail Deborah? Will the two grow even further apart, or will they somehow manage to become a united team again? Wherever the series goes from here, there will surely be moreEmmy nominationsto come, and fans will continue to enjoy this hilarious, yet often dark, look at a comedy legend and her protégé.
Hacksis available to stream on Max.
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