Hacks
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At its core,Hacksis a feel-good show.
Retired is one of this seasons warmer and fuzzier episodes.
Marcus has flown out to replace Weed as tour manager.
Meanwhile, Ava and Deborah struggle to insert life into Deborahs set.
They spend the episode working out a joke about her business manager embezzling from her.
Deborah worries its too boo-hoo.
Ava insists the punch line is the problem.
Ava and Deborah are in their mommy-daughter era in this episode.
This has always been a part of their dynamic.
Now Deborah is a multimillionaire traveling on a luxury tour bus.
Susan works off commission in the shoe department.
only makes Deborah feel worse.
Deborah has a secret.
Susan quit shortly after.
This reveal doesnt feel especially shocking.
But the guilt gets to her.
She wakes up in the middle of the night and tries Googling Susan but discovers she has no results.
you’re able to see Deborahs mind moving: Susan might as well not exist.
But the truth about Susans comedy career, which she discovers later, makes her feel even worse.
You havent changed a bit, Susan remarks later.
She doesnt even remember DJ getting a concussion, only the joke she closed with.
I had a vision of the kind of person Id have to be so you can make it.
You were completely devoted to your work …
I couldnt do it.
Or I didnt want to, says Susan.
Deborah realizes that while she was pitying Susan, Susan was pitying her.
Susan is a clever character.
Her superiority turns to shame.
You hang in there, Susan says sympathetically when she departs.
Marcus and Ava are on their own journey of realizing things at the fair.
Afterward, they commiserate over having little going on in their lives outside Deborah.
Marcus confesses that he and Wilson broke up, its been months, but he hadnt told anyone.
Its a sweet at least we have each other scene.
Ava laughs at the prospect of Deborah retiring because Ava herself would never.
Im the same way; I cant turn it off either.
Back in Vegas, you were on top, but I think that was just a hill.
Now youre climbing a mountain.
It feels like shes answered the question asked by the episode.
What does she want to do with the last 25 years of her wild and precious life?
Yes, she does.Hacks never makes Deborah a cautionary tale.
The point of the episode is not to show that shes evil and selfish.
Its that life is complicated, finite, and full of painful trade-offs.
Deborah is doing some things differently this time.
They settled onMy business manager embezzled $3 million from me.
Do you know how much that is when you adjust for inflation?
Neither do I; its why I had a business manager.
It still feels like they havent figured out what Deborahs set is about on a more profound level.
And since Ava and Deborah are ambitious comedians with high standards, it feels like they know that too.
The MVP of this episode is definitely Susan for being an antigirl boss, work-life balance legend.
Jimmy leaves her with kind words and some scripts to cover.
Look out, Hollywood, Kaylas coming!
I hope this isnt the last we hear of it.
