Earlier in Hacks Season 4, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) did the unthinkable: she apologized to Ava (Hannah Einbinder)! And not just to save face, but in a moment of true vulnerability. It looked like a long-overdue arc of growth.
We felt it. Ava felt it. For a minute, it seemed like the walls Deborah built over decades of fame and fear were finally coming down.
But just as quickly as she opened that door, she slammed it shut, getting Winnie (Helen Hunt) fired without so much as a second thought by Episode 8. Sure, Winnie had been irritating. But the abrupt-yet-controlled move was classic Deborah.
It’s the whiplash that left us reeling and Ava in disbelief. Ava had just started to believe (again) in the possibility that Deborah could not only grow but also be a different kind of boss. Someone who listened, who felt, and evolved.
But this final move undid all of that, thrusting Ava back into the harsh spotlight of realization: maybe Deborah hasn’t changed. Not really. Maybe all the warmth was just another well-rehearsed act.
Deborah’s apology was real, but so was the power play
We didn’t know Deborah like this. That part of her (panics mid-monologue, seeks comfort in Ava’s presence, CHOOSES Ava as her focus to battle stage fright) was raw and honest. It wasn’t just a moment of weakness, but of truth.
Deborah’s apology, which Ava had been urging her toward for two full seasons, marked a shift. She acknowledged the pain she’s inflicted. Not only as a comic raised on cruelty-as-humor, but as a mentor who bulldozed everyone in her path, Ava included. The apology was a win. For Ava. For us.
And then came the sting: Winnie, gone. Fired because she annoyed Deborah.
It was a swift reminder of how Deborah uses her vulnerability to pull people in, only to reassert control when they get too close. It’s a classic move, but this time it cut deeper because the emotions at stake were seemingly stable.
Ava didn’t just witness the firing; she realized its substance. The relationship she fought to salvage might still be fundamentally transactional.
Ava’s wake-up call to a regressing relationship
In a recent Collider interview, co-creator Jen Statsky admitted that “it’s always a balance” to figure out when Ava and Deborah should be at odds or at peace.
“Your heart wants them to be together,” added Lucia Aniello, “but it’s still fun watching them be rude and struggle.”
And Hacks thrives in that tension. But in Season 4, it feels less like witty back-and-forth and more like Ava being repeatedly tested. This isn’t just about power anymore; it’s about trust. Deborah may have apologized, but her actions tell Ava exactly who still holds the cards.
That realization is heartbreaking. And familiar.
Ava has fought so hard not to become Deborah, only to find herself complicit in her machinations. As the season edges toward its finale, one question lingers: Can Ava afford to keep orbiting a star that burns everything around it?
Because beneath the emotional beats and the blistering comedy, Hacks Season 4 is asking the hard question: Is growth real if it’s followed by betrayal?
NEXT: Hacks Is the Emmy-Winning, Binge-Worthy Series You’ve Been Sleeping On
