Well, well, well. I’m very intrigued with what Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, and Lucia Aniello have planned for the final set of episodes this season, because this is the first time we’ve really seen Deborah be the one who is hurt by Ava’s indifference towards her. Now, was Stacey (the always wonderful Michaela Watkins*) right that the pair of them are operating through tunnel vision? Absolutely. But every time Deborah tries to get their old repartee back – to reset their relationship to one where Ava is working for Deborah (and, coincidentally, where they have the balance that allows them to create the way they have in the past), Ava stonewalls her overtures and shuts it all down.
*We had some really fun guest stars this week, from Jimmy Kimmel and Kristen Bell playing versions of themselves (with Kimmel absolutely ripping apart James Corden and Conan in a delicious and hilarious way) to Julianne Nicholson taking on the role of Dance Mom. Nicholson, who is one of the most versatile actors out there, was just on Paradise as that show’s villain and here she is, effortlessly showing off her comedic acting chops.
I’ve written in past reviews that this new Ava is far more outwardly professional. She’s encouraging other writers, she’s not acting like a frat boy with her antics, and she’s keeping her emotions (when they don’t involve Deborah) in check. It’s Deborah who’s spiraling – desperate to throw anything at the wall and make it stick. Pandering to the lowest common denominator out of a need for attracting the key demographic for the network and keeping her job. While Ava is convinced they can make Last Week Tonight for network TV (which she has to know will get them canceled in a week – and not give them nearly enough episodes to win that Peabody). So, Ava is showing some growth, albeit with a side of completely missing the point as to what a late night talk show is about. While Deborah is yearning for their old relationship but unable to reach out to Ava out of fear this new and improved version of her will shut her down completely.
Was Deborah biting when she caught Ava out to dinner with her partners? Yup. But, again, those barbs wouldn’t have been out of place in their relationship back in seasons two or three – that was how they communicated. Prickly but there was a layer of care there. And in Deborah’s eyes, you could see that’s what she was really reaching out for from Ava (Jean Smart was absolutely heartbreaking in that scene). And when she didn’t get it? She retreated and then lashed out at work. We’re at the halfway point of the season, and I suspect things are about to take a turn.
Deborah is hurt and unsure of how to succeed without Ava cheering her along. And Ava is unsure of how to succeed because she’s starting to understand that Deborah is once again willing to throw away her personal brand of comedy – and what made her into the confident comic who took the country by storm in seasons two and three – in order to keep the show. What both don’t quite seem to realize is that if they stopped being so focused on their fear (Deborah) and need to measure up to her own view of herself (Ava) and just did the work, they might be able to find the right path to success. Will it mesh with what the research dictates? No. Because that’s not who they are. But will it help the show to succeed? That’s the real question.
Deborah and Ava made it to this point by staying true to themselves and trusting each other. When we started the season, both of those paths seemed to be off the table. And for every step they’ve taken toward trusting each other, they’ve ended up taking two back. Ava doesn’t want to make herself vulnerable to Deborah again and Deborah doesn’t want to cede control to Ava because she worries it will prove Ava right. As for staying true to themselves? Yeah, neither one of them is anywhere close to achieving that right now. Deborah is doing comedy to make other people happy and Ava is trying to fit herself into a box that others want her in (that scene with her friends, where Ava was clearly being judged for participating in a silly comedy show, really hit home for her). But they can start taking steps toward getting where they need to be in order to at least be proud of the show they are making.
Ava needs to get out of her head and listen to Deborah. And Deborah needs to do the same. Ava also needs to start noticing the olive branches Deborah is throwing her way – this is a woman who never apologizes, so Ava will have to force it out of her in the end. But until they both start recognizing that the late night show is going to fail if they don’t work together and do what they truly do best – collaborate and inject honesty into Deborah’s performance – their series is DOA. Let’s see where our dynamic duo head in the back half of the season.
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Writing
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Acting
