After writing about TV for so long, it’s rare that a series manages to pull one over on me. But I’ll be damned if Hacks didn’t completely hoodwink me with Deborah’s selfless sacrifice this week – the repercussions of which will reverberate into next season. There’s an adage that drama is about characters learning and growing while comedy is about characters who never change making the same errors again and again. Well, don’t look now, but with that seismic choice by Deborah, our girl has officially started putting someone else as first in her life.
Looking back, I probably should have suspected something like this was on its way. But I was too blinded by the thought that Ava would need to drop the Bob bombshell before the close of the season to buoy the story forward into its next iteration. Boy was I happy to be wrong. Now, perhaps that bombshell might end up helping our duo escape the non-compete that could sink them both, but I’m thrilled Ava and Deborah are going to be going into the next season as a team for once. After all, this show truly is a love story (albeit a platonic one), so it was about damn time Deborah started pulling her weight in that area.
Now while I love the result, I’m a bit less enthused about the set-up. Do I believe Ava would make that faux pas? Absolutely. And I do think Deborah was correct that Ava would also fall on her sword for Deborah in a heartbeat (I never said it was a healthy love story). But Deborah’s ploy felt a bit cold, even for her. Not sending someone like Jimmy to help Ava and stay with her was weird. Forcing her to face the thought that she was fired by ghosting was super harsh. But, I guess it’s Deborah, so why not?
On the other side of our story, the resolution between Jimmy and Kayla felt way too nicely tied up in a bow. I would have loved a bit more back and forth as well as some more worry from Kayla about Jimmy’s viability as a professional partner. But I suppose we got there in the end and that’s what matters. As always, some great work from Megan Stalter as Kayla. And I really hope this wraps up the Dance Mom plot. I love Julianne Nicholson, but that character did not work.
I’m eager to see where things end up in next week’s finale. Will the series continue with Deborah in the spotlight, or is the series going to pivot to thrust Ava into the starring role. I’m betting her non-compete is much more lax. And Hannah Einbinder is more than ready to take the leading spot in the series. I’m just happy we’re ending with our duo united this time around – it’s a lovely change.
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