Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Hacks Season 4 Episode 3.
Last week, the Season 4 premiere of the Emmy-winning comedy series Hacks burst onto our screens with a vengeance. Literally. Deborah (Jean Smart) is furious at Ava (Hannah Einbinder) for blackmailing her into becoming the head writer of Late Night and has done everything she can to set up Ava to fail at this coveted job. Despite going about obtaining her job in a very unethical way, Ava is genuinely working her hardest to make this show the best it can be, which includes reading through the hundreds of submissions and scouting out comics to get fresh voices in the writers’ room. Deborah, however, wants to play everything safe. She was willing to lose Ava as a collaborator and dear friend in order to keep her show “bulletproof,” which Ava learned in a devastating way in the Season 3 finale.
Deborah finally realized at the end of Episode 2 that, though they might have different creative visions for Late Night, the show will only succeed if they work together and compromise. The writers’ room will be a mix of Ava and Deborah’s picks, and Deborah has set up a “retreat” for the writers to work together and nail the first episode of Late Night. Deborah is ready to bring her micromanaging — and DJ skills — to the place Hacks knows all too well: Las Vegas.
What Happened to Ava and Deborah’s Truce?
About one minute into being in Vegas, Ava and Deborah already have an issue. Ava wants to get to know the writers as people, do icebreakers, and have fun before diving into the work, whereas Deborah can’t understand why it’s taking them so long to pitch her jokes and already views the team as a bunch of slackers. She also doesn’t hide any of her feelings, forcing Ava to balance her job with leadership, building team spirit, and taming Deborah. (Ava hilariously tries to kick off a round of icebreakers by letting everyone know she’s recently become allergic to shrimp.)
Einbinder and Smart excel in a beautifully shot scene directed by co-creator Lucia Aniello, in which Ava and Deborah have a heated exchange outside their pulled-over bus. Ava assures Deborah that no good writing will come from the group if they don’t know each other on a personal level and if there isn’t a welcoming work environment. In Deborah’s defense, the clock is ticking, and they have nothing prepared for the show and have no ideas. It’s hard for her to care about “fun facts” about these writers when they haven’t proven to her yet why they belong there. However, Deborah’s lack of filter makes everything more difficult than it needs to be. Ava hilariously forces a high-five out of her in order to keep appearances — and morale — as up as possible.
Ava and Deborah Bickering Is a Highlight of ‘Hacks’ Season 4 Episode 3
A sad hotel conference room with saltines and cantaloupe is Deborah’s idea of a warm and inviting environment for the writers. In a lot of ways, Ava and Deborah’s dynamic now — and their overall approach to Late Night — is similar to two parents who desperately need a divorce, but are staying under the same roof for their kids because they think that’s best. Every few minutes, the two end up in the hallway literally yelling about the best way to proceed. Ava thinks that Deborah is being too coldhearted, as she interrogates the writers and pressures them on the spot to come up with funny ideas for the show’s opening… and to literally explain why they think certain jokes are funny.
Deborah, meanwhile, doesn’t understand why Ava is laughing at stuff that isn’t funny and wants Ava to fire one of the guys, whom she has already secretly dubbed “riff killer,” so that they have no dead weight. Deborah truly cannot wrap her head around the idea that the writers will be more productive if they are treated well and encouraged, but, at a loss, she caves and decides to put generating material on pause and pivot to having fun. Ava and Deborah have been at each other’s throats for all three episodes at this point, which has managed to bring a new energy into a show that risks becoming too formulaic. It’s a testament to the strong vision the creators have and their willingness to keep the show — and characters — evolving.
Deborah Vance Knows How To Have Fun in ‘Hacks’ Season 4
First on the list of fun? The racetrack. Deborah tells the writers that whoever wins gets $1,000, and, just hammering home how much Deborah loves to win and isn’t afraid to hide it, she goes all-in behind the wheel and narrowly beats Ava, which serves as a fun bit of symbolism. As soon as she gets out of the car, she screams in victory, even going as far as making these poor writers pool together the cash. From there, they hit a bar and dine on drinks and sushi (with Ava hilariously bellowing “teambuilding!” as if she’s pumping up a football team).
Oh, but this is just the beginning. Deborah lets a man with a briefcase full of every drug you could imagine — as well as cans of 12-year-old Four Loco — on the bus, with Ava giving in to her wild party side that we saw more of in Season 1 and encouraging the other writers to join in. Then, the high-on-life-but-mostly-drugs crew winds up at a nightclub, where Deborah’s brought up on stage to DJ, and the place goes crazy. The next day, Deborah gives the writers chips to gamble with, and they run into none other than Kiki (Poppy Liu), Deborah’s favorite dealer.
Deborah Ditches Ava and Takes the Writers to a Strip Club
It’s been a minute since we’ve spent time with Kiki, but she’s as carefree and cool as ever. She’s thrilled to see Deborah and Ava back in her neck of the woods, and ends up inadvertently grounding Ava in reality. First, she says how she is so proud of how far Ava and Deborah have come. It wasn’t that long ago that Ava was the iconic comedian’s “servant” — or, as Kiki poetically puts it, “Like, I remember when you were her total servant bitch intern babygirl straight slurping her abuse like… one month ago.” Ava, her head so big at this point that she’s barely able to hold it up, brags about how she set boundaries with Deborah since their last conversation, explaining how she “practically dommed her ass.” Kiki is proud and says how she knew there was a “bad bitch” inside Ava, but quickly changes her tune when Ava confidently tells her how she “took” the head writer position. “I had leverage over her, and I used it to my advantage.”
This is the first time we really hear Ava say this all out loud, as she wields her arrogance around like a sword. It isn’t until Kiki’s expression turns sour, and she says how sad and depressing this makes the situation, since they “had such a good thing going,” that Ava fully realizes what she did. When Ava shrugs it off and says how she simply did what Deborah would’ve done if she were in Ava’s position, Kiki gives Ava a reality check, explaining how blackmail isn’t at all something Ava would do. For a split second, Ava sobers, perhaps finally confronting the weight of her actions before downplaying the severity of it. She says how it’s fine because they have a truce now, though Kiki says that Deborah never forgives and forgets. Ava then realizes that Deborah and all the writers are nowhere to be found, and, upon a quick “Find My iPhone” check, sees they are at a strip club.
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Ava awkwardly zips to the club on an electric scooter, furious and embarrassed that Deborah would leave her at the casino. “You told me to curate a fun vibe! I thought it would help abandoning you,” she gleefully says, before adding, “It was working,” with a laugh. The united front that Ava was desperately trying to maintain was now nonexistent, and this so-called “truce” is quickly becoming a faint memory. Deborah’s welcomed to the strip club with a big smile and open arms by Loretta (Luenell), who got them all a spot. After saying hi to “Eva,” Loretta tells the crowd, “I used to play trivia with this bitch! What the fuck!”
Deborah Realizes How Far Behind She Is in ‘Hacks’ Season 4 Episode 3
Inside the club is when Deborah gets her reality check… during a lap dance. When the stripper hears that Deborah’s show premieres in four weeks, she says she’s surprised she even has time to be at a strip club. Deborah might’ve taken the reins from Ava on the “fun” with the writers, but she is hit with an ice-cold panic that she’s already losing her grip on the show. In an attempt to regain control of her situation, she fires the “riff killer,” which Ava angrily explains she can’t do on day one just because she feels like it. After a tense back and forth with the writer in question, Ava and Deborah agree to let the writers sober up as the two of them head back and try to get some work done.
Once again, even though Deborah’s delivery to the writers and everyone in her orbit is quite harsh, she does have a point. Ava wastes no time in the car and berates Deborah for her poor behavior, with Deborah firing back with exactly why she is behaving this way. Because of her experience and show business longevity, she knows how brutal Late Night is and how impossibly hard and grueling the hours and schedule can be. These writers need to be able to be funny and pitch stuff constantly, no matter the circumstances or how comfortable they feel. While Ava knows this hard truth about the job, she doesn’t fully grasp it, which makes Deborah’s urgency all the more intense and desperate. She can’t lose Late Night — not for a second time, that is — and she refuses to concede to anything other than her impenetrable mindset.
Ava Opens Up to Deborah in ‘Hacks’ Season 4 Episode 3
Deborah and Ava’s conversation is put on pause when the cops pull them over. Deborah puts up a bit of a fight, and, though they were pulled over for speeding, makes it clear that she won’t do a breathalyzer. Ava and Deborah are now locked up in the back of a cop car, and yet Deborah is still talking through possible bits for the premiere episode’s opening. This obsession and refusal to accept the current situation are baffling to Ava, who can’t believe the lack of trust Deborah has in her and the writers. Deborah is convinced they can’t write jokes for her simply because they’re not her, and that, until Ava, she never used writers for her material. She also goes as far as saying that working with Ava in the first place was the biggest mistake.
Weirdly, the back of a cop car is the perfect — and perhaps, only — way to get Ava and Deborah to confront their issues with each other head-on. Ava is mad at Deborah for ignoring their truce and being unable to move past anything. Deborah firmly explains that it’s hard to move past anything after being stabbed in the back, to which Ava responds, “Well, I did!” referring to how she had to move past Deborah lying to her about how she wasn’t able to choose her as head writer in Season 3. All Ava wants is to make Late Night the best possible show it can be, which is exactly why she snatched the head writer position to begin with.
Now, if Ava was that mad and fed up with Deborah for the betrayal, she could have wiped her hands of her and moved on. The fact that Ava went as far as blackmailing her in order to lead Deborah’s show and make it the best it can be means that there is a part of her — a big part of her — that couldn’t bear not having Deborah as her partner-in-crime. In a way, it’s Stockholm’s Syndrome-y of her to stick around after Deborah betrayed her trust. However, her sticking around emphasizes how strong their bond actually is and how much she believes in Deborah. With a wavering voice and tears in her eyes, Ava says, “Yes. I blackmailed you. But I hoped that what we had was special enough to where you would at least for one second consider my point of view. I didn’t just do it for me… I did it for both of us.” This is a tough sell for Deborah, who is heartbroken, scared, and, at this point, suffocated by her own ego.
Deborah and Ava’s Run-in With the Police Turns Into Comedy Gold in ‘Hacks’
Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky’s efforts to infuse Hacks with such touching moments filled with vulnerability and growth are what give the show such a strong storytelling engine. Of course, the laughs don’t take a backseat, with Deborah and Ava’s moment being interrupted by the arrival of Mayor Jo (Lauren Weedman) in a pink tracksuit. After getting a message from Deborah asking for help getting out of this police predicament, she arrives at the scene reeking of alcohol and loneliness and asks Deborah to pay her back for this favor by headlining a fundraiser for her campaign, which Deborah reluctantly agrees to.
The whole episode, Ava has been so fixated on making sure the writers bonded, and, ironically, it isn’t until Deborah and Ava are completely out of the picture that the writers are actually able to brainstorm and work. Ava and Deborah return to the sad conference room, only to see the writers joking around and getting along. When they explain how they were detained, one of the writers is hit with an idea: “What if the opening video is Deborah getting out of Late Night jail?” Deborah’s happily speechless as she watches her writers build off each other and cook up a killer premise. For the first time, Deborah is able to trade in the chip on her shoulder for a genuine smile.
Deborah can’t bask in this moment for too long, though, as she and Ava are asked to meet with Rob (Dan Bucatinsky), who got word of their impromptu “retreat” and all the very illegal and unprofessional behavior that went on. The biggest complaint? The animosity between Ava and Deborah. This has forced the network to install the frazzled Stacey (Michaela Watkins) as the dedicated HR chaperone for the show, meaning that Ava and Deborah will never be unsupervised ever again. Ava tries to talk him out of this and says how it will be really disruptive to their workflow. Stacey not-so-reassuringly says how they won’t even notice she’s there… then proceeds to have a coughing fit from her water. This nightmarish new work arrangement might just be Ava and Deborah’s most inconvenient obstacle yet.
New episodes of Hacks Season 4 premiere Thursdays on Max.
Ava and Deborah’s work styles clash on a writers’ retreat in the one place Hacks knows all too well: Las Vegas.
- Release Date
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May 13, 2021
- Network
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HBO Max
- Ava and Deborah head back to Las Vegas, which is where the show thrives.
- Hannah Einbinder shows off her acting range when Ava gets vulnerable in the cop car.
- The show brings back fan-favorite Kiki, who as an important conversation with Ava.
