Ava admits she was suspicious about the vacation invitation, and now she’s appalled that Deborah wants to check out. “Your whole thing is beating the odds,” she spits out, confused, and, given what we’ve seen Deborah accomplish this season alone, she’s not out of order. But Deborah wants to go out on her own terms, and she wants Ava to help her suck the marrow out of life before she goes to the crème de la crème of assisted suicide facilities in Zurich. Ava protests in a very Ava-like fashion, but when she joins Deborah at the airport to head to Paris, it’s hardly a surprise—not because Ava usually gives in to Deborah, but because they’ve been through too much together to stop now. And if she can get Deborah to do hard drugs while they’re at it, then there’s all the more reason to stick together, even if it’s only for a short time.
Deborah’s and Ava’s decisions are bound to spark some debate, but, unlike, say, the battle between art and commerce, the show’s creators aren’t offering commentary on the right to die. The specter of death has loomed over the show for some time, since at least the season-four finale, but Deborah’s willingness to fight has been a much more dominant force. The finale still puts us through our paces, though, making Deborah’s “departure” look more and more inevitable. She lets Ava, who doesn’t know how to drive stick, drive them around Paris, declines to expand her impressive salt and pepper shaker collection, and tries to pass along as much knowledge and advice as possible, like why you should never accept the first offer when negotiating. She buys out The Louvre for the day so she and Ava can have a private viewing and muse about all the great women lost to history. She lets Ava style her for their night out, and, when Ava puts her newfound haggling skills to use to convince her to at least try treatment, she gently but firmly refuses. “I’m tired of fighting,” Deborah says. “This is what I want.”
Their final debate is beautifully composed by Aniello, who places Deborah and Ava farther apart than they’ve been all season (and, not for nothing, recalls their first time sitting across from each other on fancy couches). The scene is so raw because it’s so honest; there isn’t a false note in Deborah’s explanation or Ava’s objection, nor in Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder’s performances. Deborah revealed how keenly aware she was of the passage of time back in season three, when she told Ava that, at her age, she had to fulfill the promise of “one day” everyday. She’s always seemed less fearful of death than of fading away, either physically or from the public consciousness. Here, she also shares how difficult it was to watch her friend and former co-star die from AIDS complications. It’s understandable, but for Ava, it’s also selfish. Realizing she can’t reason with Deborah, she makes a tearful plea: “Please don’t leave me.”
Einbinder and Smart both know how to go big, but they’ve also gotten so much out of going small, like the quiet awe on Ava’s face as she watches Deborah dancing for possibly the last time or the tight-but-not-cruel set of Deborah’s lips when she tells Ava “I’m sorry” for not being willing to keep fighting to stay by her side. That’s what makes their subsequent reconciliation, as well as the big reversal at the train station, feel just as natural. Ava loves Deborah enough to be there for her on the final leg of this journey, and Deborah loves Ava and herself/comedy enough to change course and keep on fighting. The tipping point is classic Ava and Deborah, which means it’s classic Hacks. Over breakfast at the train station, on their way to Switzerland, the two women riff about Deborah’s death, trying to top each other’s jokes. Deborah jots down the best one, something she’s done thousands of times, and the reflexiveness of the gesture stops her. She may be tired of fighting, but she’s not done creating.
Deborah stays true to herself to the end, which, thankfully, doesn’t come in tonight’s episode. Over the past five seasons, we’ve watched her fight with just about everyone, but we’ve also seen her find people and beliefs worth fighting for. That’s what galvanizes her after a second croissant, and sends her chasing after Ava. “I may not have 30 years,” Deborah says, “but I think I have another hour.” She asks for help writing it and Ava immediately agrees, and as they hug with commuters passing all around them, they recommit to each other. Their story has always been a love story, and the staging here only cements that.
We don’t know what lies ahead for Ava and Deborah, or for their industry—Jimmy and Kayla’s coup at the new “mid-size Latitude” is successful, but it’s tempered somewhat by the acknowledgment that the business is contracting, and even their adaptability might not save it. It’s enough for Aniello, Statsky, and Downs, who wrote the episode, to leave the door open. Deborah and Ava will keep fighting—with each other and by each other’s side—just like their managers will keep pushing for them and other storytellers. They all won some major battles this season, but the threats of AI and media consolidation still exist and will have to be reckoned with again (and again). That’s a story for another day or show, though. Our delusional workaholics have earned their happy ending, which is more of a promise than anything.
Hacks season five was, in many ways, a smoother ride than previous installments, with longer plateaus, but it was capable of hitting the highs the show is known for, while also marking a fitting end to these characters’ stories. The finale is optimistic, but not overly tidy; Deborah and Ava’s time together has been limited from the start, and there’s no changing that. Again, it’s enough to know that they’ll keep trying to make the most of it—for me, at least. Their resilience will stick with me long after this episode and the series have been pored over (hopefully via a physical release).
When I first started covering season five, I assumed The Comeback’s final comeback would be kind of a companion piece—not through any intention of either show’s creators, but because of the thematic overlap. And I did think of how Deborah Vance and Valerie Cherish had at various points twisted themselves up to please their network overlords. I also found myself thinking of The Studio‘s first season, which I watched alongside Hacks season four. Hacks is more grounded than that Apple TV show, but both series examine the odds against putting something original out into the world. But where The Studio‘s male leads marvel at being players in film production—”Can you believe we get to do this?”—Ava and Deborah have always looked at each other and thought “Can you believe we get to do this?” That sense of wonder will likely only feel more heightened as the real-life contraction in Hollywood continues, but for now, I’ll just be glad we got to see this.
Stray observations
- • Not gonna lie, the fact that “The Swan” from The Carnival Of The Animals accompanies Deborah and Ava’s visit to the Louvre made me nervous about how the episode would end.
- • I will be thinking about Ava pondering Deborah on the dance floor for a long time. I know Hacks gave the Jeanaissance another bump—and rightly so—and that this term is overused, but Hannah Einbinder really is a revelation.
- • Schaefer & Lusaque & Randi lives… in the executive suite of the new Latitude, where dedicated employees can enjoy a Whole Foods platter of sushi once a month. Maybe now that they have more prominent backing, Jimmy can sign Lucy Lawless.
- • Speaking of shifting landscapes, I started covering Hacks at The A.V. Club, left for, uh, a bit and wrote about the show at a different outlet, and now I’m wrapping up coverage at The A.V. Club.
- • Thank you for reading and for commenting!
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