In the world of Hacks, love doesn’t look like a hug. It looks like sabotage, support, and the occasional forced karaoke session in Singapore, instead of Hawaii.
Season 4’s finale may have teased a classic betrayal. Still, it ultimately delivered the sucker-punch that reaffirms the heart of the show: Ava and Deborah’s tangled, deeply flawed, and often co-dependent mother-daughter dynamic.
Sure, some fans (including myself at times!) want to ship Ava and Deborah, but who could blame them when the chemistry is this good?
However, as GQ’s Olivia Ovenden noted in her interview with Hannah Einbinder, the emotional trauma of their bond plays out more like a toxic family drama than a romantic slow burn. “I am sobbing because she thinks that’s real,” Einbinder admitted when talking about THAT finale twist and the weight Ava carries.
That weight isn’t about romantic jealousy. It’s about the love you feel for someone who’s shaped your life and damaged it equally.
And it’s this heartbreakingly parental vibe that defines them: Deborah sacrifices everything for Ava, then grows resentful. Ava, who’s finally earned her mentor’s trust, now faces the burden of inheriting Deborah’s emotional mess and trying to pivot her back to her potential.
It’s not enemies-to-lovers. It’s mother-to-heir.
The Core of Hacks Lies in Deborah’s Surrogate Motherhood
Across the episodes titled “D’Christening” and “Witch of the Week”, the mother-daughter motif is everywhere.
Deborah’s strained relationship with her biological daughter, DJ, takes center stage and ends in DJ asking Ava to be her son’s godmother. Her reasoning? Ava understands a version of Deborah that DJ never could.
“That’s too clouded with my bullshit with her,” DJ says in the episode’s climax, written by Joe Mande. “I wish I could have the relationship you guys have.”
It’s a devastating admission. And proof that Hacks knows exactly what it’s doing. Ava may not be Deborah’s child, but she’s her emotional next-of-kin. She sees the vulnerable, aspirational side of a woman most would write off as ruthless.
And it’s that recognition, that belief in a better Deborah, that gives their relationship its bite. DJ can’t bridge that gap, but Ava can.
The series doesn’t romanticize this surrogate motherhood either. As Season 4 ends, Deborah’s quiet manipulation resurfaces: she gets her helpful rival Winnie fired, even though it risks breaking Ava’s trust again.
Mothers don’t always make clean choices. But they do what they think is best for their kids, even if it’s misguided.
Ava’s Real Mother Shows Who Her True Family Is
The contrast comes sharply into focus when Ava’s biological mother (played by Jane Adams) reappears and immediately derails Ava’s morning with fertility anxiety and narcissistic jabs.
In just one scene in Hacks Season 4, it becomes clear: Deborah is more of a mother to Ava than the woman who raised her ever was.
This isn’t to say their relationship is healthy. It sure isn’t.
Deborah is demanding, emotionally volatile, and constantly tests Ava’s loyalty. But she also invests in her, protects her, and, crucially, believes in her. And in return, Ava fights for a version of Deborah that’s worth believing in.
As Ava and Deborah celebrate their #1 late-night ranking, the moment is both triumphant and tragic. Their win doesn’t erase their issues…it deepens them. Deborah wants to be loved unconditionally, and Ava wants to prove that love doesn’t require compromise.
That tension’s not romantic. It’s the ache of being a chosen child.
Have you watched Hacks on Max yet? Get convinced here, if you haven’t!
