At its core, “Hacks” has always been about two members of disparate generations finding common ground, bonding, changing each other for the better, and making funny fucking jokes. Season five, the final season, expands on that while also pushing the idea of unyielding freedom of creativity in the face of relentless, overbearing capitalism.
Amidst an array of superstar guest characters from NBA players to acting legends, this season not only delivered the heart-filled humor it always does, but it kept the entertainment level high, which is unheard of for a long-running show. (Yes, five seasons is considered “long-running” in an era where shows get canceled after three seasons.)
And They Were Roommates
This season picks up right where we left off in season four with news of Deborah Vance’s (Jean Smart) death being greatly exaggerated, if not completely fabricated. One of the greatest bits of storytelling the show has consistently done well is embedding Deborah’s celebrity into the real world, making it feel like she’s a real star with a codependent fanbase. None of it ever feels forced or uncanny. As a Las Vegas resident, it’s almost disappointing to not see signs for a Deborah Vance residency or see her stuck in a box high up in the sky after watching the season.
Seeing Deb suffer the consequences of trying to do the right thing is excruciating in some parts. Seeing this brilliant, outspoken woman get muzzled by a literal corporate overlord gives the season a sense of urgency. So while the audience is giggling at Deb’s Boomer mentality or Ava’s oversharing, there’s an undercurrent of tension in how far the beloved comedian will go in toeing the line. Deb and her team dealing with the legalities of her non-compete gave the season a funnier edge than usual and gave the audience something chew on with regards to media censorship.
Deb and Ava Daniels’ (Hannah Einbinder) relationship has been through some insane highs and lows, the worst being Deb lying to Ava about the head writer job and Ava blackmailing her for the job. How does a relationship even bounce back from something like that? Well, with terrible pranks, inappropriate workplace jokes, and a level of passive aggressiveness you’ve never seen before. Also, they love each other! That’s what makes a lot of shit that would feel unbearable to watch actually very engaging.
The amount of growth Ava and Deb go through in their relationship is pretty impressive for two women who are extremely stubborn and set in their ways. Over the course of the final season, the usual push-pull nature of their friendship is present, but there’s an ease and a comfort there now. Deb needs Ava and vice versa and they both finally seem fine with it. Ava does a lot of emotional support heavy lifting for Deb, as per usual, but Ava has got her own life and wins going on so it feels less uneven than it used to.
And what’s a season of “Hacks” without a little queer baiting to go along with it? You’d have to be living under a rock to not see the potential romance of Deb and Ava. The show teases it at times, plays with the concept, but largely doesn’t go there. It focuses a lot on their love for each other, but it emphasizes that platonic female friendships can be intimate too without romance being involved.
That’s not to say there aren’t moments (or entire episodes) where the show teases going there with Ava and Deb. Episode seven features a lesbian couple as a parallel to our two leads’ friendship and comedic hijinks ensue. The amount of gay sex jokes Ava drops in this one episode alone deserves an Emmy.
There’s No ‘I’ In Team
The most satisfying plot point of the entire season was Ava finally doing her own thing successfully. Yes, she’s still being dragged from place to place by Deb (and enjoying it, mind you), but she’s pitching television shows again and people want to train their AI models using writing she’s done for Deb! She’s banging couples and getting beauty marks with makeovers; this is Ava’s world and we’re all just living in it. No, seriously, it really feels like Ava’s wins are real and not played for comedic relief, which allows her to mature in ways we haven’t seen before. Her stint as a head writer on a late night show gave her the growth she needed to be confident and find accomplishments that aren’t under Deb’s thumb.
Ava is helped along the way by the true comedic duo of “Hacks”: Jimmy LuSaque Jr. (Paul W. Downs) and Kayla Schaeffer (Megan Stalter), who are haphazardly running their own two-man operation. While they have a “serious” story line to give them some depth, these two are largely here to break the tension and make us laugh at the increasing absurdity of Stalter’s unhinged Kayla. This season also gives a little more dimension to their joint assistant, the very intense Randi (Robby Hoffman), who fucking loves making it in Hollywood. Her direct, bluntness is so New York, it’s jarring in the sunny, soft streets of L.A., but it works so well with the show’s whole vibe.
Kayla and Jimmy go through more ups and downs than most heterosexual pairings, but they always have their heart in the right place. Or, at least, Jimmy does. Kayla is a sociopath; behavior which is best explained by watching her father talk for more than two minutes. Some of their side quests go on a little too long and feel somewhat forced (the Michigan plot was a contrived way to give them something to do and speed up their battle with Kayla’s dad), but they guarantee the laughs so why not.
What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Ava and Deb’s separate, but sometimes parallel dating lives were another source of dark hilarity. Ava is unable to let herself be vulnerable after her breakup with Ruby Rojas (Lorenza Izzo), which leads her to fouling multiple potentially great relationships. Through Ava’s mishaps, the story provides glimpses into polyamorous relationships, dating a sex worker, and an exploration of age gap relationships even if they’re pretend.
Deb, on the other hand, is mostly going with the flow. Not really looking for romance, she ends up falling into a situationship with a man younger than her and eventually finding herself back in familiar arms. Seeing Deb with a crush is one of the cutest things ever. Smart plays her with such an earnestness, it endears the audience even more to everyone’s favorite asshole comedian.
Extended Family Check-In
While Deb’s family didn’t get as much focus in this final season as they did in season four, there were some truly standout moments, especially with DJ Vance (Kaitlin Olson). The “Celebrity Amazing Race” episode was not only star-studded, it was a sweet portrayal of a mom’s patience with her daughter and a daughter just wanting to bond with her mom. Deborah’s sister, Kathy (J. Smith-Cameron), on the other hand, barely factors into this season at all, except for one crucial plot point that involves Ava threatening the antiques guy again.
Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins), who was mostly pushed to the side last season, steps back in with a singular focus: buying and renovating a hotel and casino. It’s an interesting part of the plot that the audience needed more time with. Because, of course, Deborah Vance would help buy a casino in Las Vegas and try to make it the most Vegas thing you’ve ever seen. Marcus, as a character, kind of gets lost in the shuffle, in this season and last season, while Damien (Mark Indelicato) flourishes in his absence. Deb’s team moves more as a unit in season five than individually, the team’s expansion has led to a lot of scenes where they stand around panicking or cheering.
Final Thoughts
Season five of “Hacks” really is a standout season. It bears the weight of being the last hurrah for Deb, Ava, and their merry band of crazies, while tying up as many loose ends as possible and providing an actual watchable story. It succeeds in more ways than it fails. Deb, having hit her peak and losing it, comes back with vengeance most people half her age would die for. Ava is faced with some of the biggest successes of her life and loss as well and handles it with a maturity previously unknown to her.
These women have given us so much over the years and, in their final goodbye, give us the one thing everyone yearns for: a sense of belonging with purpose, to be a part of something that will outlive your physical self. “Hacks” might be a dark comedy about a toxic mentorship, but it’s also a lesson in living life so fully you almost get sick of it. It’s a show that will be missed.
The fifth and final season of the HBO Max comedy premieres on Thursday, April 9 at 9pm ET. The ten-episode season streams weekly with the series finale on May 28.
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I am a published writer, full-time editor, an events and entertainment reporter and mother of one. Comic books, drag queens, women’s basketball, queer films and TV shows are my bread and butter.