Hacks
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At its core,Hacksis a romance.
It sobers things up when it gets goofy and sweetens the show when things get dark.
The series began with the oldest rom-com trope in the book.
First, two people hate each other, then they fall in love.
The finale begins with Deborah in a Sothebys auction house.
The crew has returned to Vegas to tape the self-funded special at the Palmetto.
Shes grown up, but some things never change).
Its a factor of how Ava has spent the season completely ensconced in helping Deborah tell her story.
She seems to have no sense of her own anymore, let alone her ambitions.
When she tells Deborah, she expects rage.
She stands out of slapping range and diminutively presents the gig as something Jimmy thinks she should do.
Deborah encourages her to take it, though it falls over the taping date.
But she dutifully leaves the gig early to get back to Vegas for the taping.
The taping scene is perfect.
He ran my dog over as a bit and I loved it).
Avas mouthing every word from stage left.
Disaster strikes mid-joke when the guy in the seat next to Jimmy starts seizing.
Its a suspenseful moment that feels like it could tank all of Ava and Deborahs hard work.
He dies outside the auditorium.
Deborah recovers: The taping is a massive success.
The taping is a moment that takes stock of how far Deborah and Ava have come.
She finds DJ, after the show, upset and reconsidering her IVF treatments.
I always thought that you just didnt even try.
Now Im kind of scared that Im going to too.
Shes resolute that she regrets nothing and encourages DJ to keep trying.
The show, and the industry, reward Deborah for her growth.
The special breaks records for units sold.
Overnight, every data pipe wants the rights and every magazine is calling to profile her.
The special is a triumph for both Deborah and Ava, but they end the season in different places.
This tension comes to a head at the specials premiere party.
Deborah has just released a magnum opus and comes off as reaching new heights of self-actualization.
Deborah sees this and knows what she needs to do.
At first, Ava thinks shes joking.
Ava cries, protesting that she doesnt want to be in L.A. and wants to be where Deborah is.
It culminates when Ava finally admits, [Deborahs] the one with all the stories.
What do I have to even say?
Every rom-com needs a break-up.
If true love is about putting someone elses needs first, then firing Ava is an act of love.
Of course, putting other people first is what Deborah has always failed to do.
Losing the person who helped her find this kind of success and happiness must be scary for her too.
Ava asks if they really wont be in each others lives anymore.
Deborah jokes that theyll see each other in court.
In the closing scene, Ava is in her new L.A. sublet, watching TV and unpacking.
Jimmy has an update from Deborah: Shes dropping the lawsuit.
Ava seems crushed: The court date was the next time shed see Deborah.
But the show will always tear the rug out from under its characters just when theyve found their footing.
Caftan Watch
Its a compelling choice to have Ava and Deborahs trajectories diverge.
But the reality is that Ava is 25, and Deborah is in her 70s.
Deborah knows who she is and has finally accepted it.
Ava is just starting to find out.
The shows creators really brought the lawsuit plotline around here.
It had started to feel half-baked and absurd.
But when Ava clings to it as a connection to Deborah, it becomes a genuinely moving twist.
Again, letting Meg Stalter go off pays dividends.
Her cartoonish hard-ass new agent person is one of the most hilarious parts of this episode.
They really go there.
Hackswont give one single character a romantic happy ending, and it works.
For now, love isnt their first priority.
