Deborah Is Her Own Worst Enemy

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Hacks Season 4 Episode 2.

The Season 4 premiere of Hacks was emotionally explosive, picking up right where we left off in the Season 3 finale, with both Ava (Hannah Einbinder) and Deborah (Jean Smart) fueled with rage for very different reasons following Ava’s brutal, sneaky decision to claim the head writer position after blackmailing Deborah. The final moments of Season 4, Episode 1, “Big, Brave Girl,” are devastating, as Ava and Deborah’s emotions seep through during the magazine cover shoot. Through the fake smiles and adorning poses, Deborah quietly tells Ava that she hopes Late Night lasts for a long time and is successful, but then she never wants to speak to Ava again, and Ava stoically utters a cold-hearted, “Good.”

However, the traces of their beautiful bond are flickering in their eyes, as Einbinder and Smart’s brilliant line deliveries make it clear that both Ava and Deborah would actually be heartbroken if they never spoke again after Late Night ends. The show must go on, and, with our dynamic duo being more divided than ever, Hacks creators Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello, and Paul W. Downs have created perhaps the most interesting and difficult set of circumstances for Ava and Deborah to navigate thus far, as they have to work together to get this version of Late Night off the ground by overcoming incredible odds and obstacles.

Deborah Is Incredibly Paranoid

Episode 2, “Cover Girls,” directed by Aniello, opens on a dark note — literally. Deborah, asleep in bed, is suddenly woken up by the licks of a… coyote? Yes. Though we quickly see this is just a bad dream Deborah is having, it’s a significant motif that’ll recur this season. As we inch closer to getting Late Night on the air, Deborah starts to feel her world is closing in on her, and she still can’t quite shake the fear that the show will be taken away from her just as it was decades ago.

Though Deborah’s morning on paper seems like an oasis — her loyal housekeeper, Josefina (Rose Abdoo), delivering her breakfast as she reads outside on her mansion’s beautiful patio — Deborah is bitter and getting angry at everything. (Though thankfully not the coffee, much to Josefina’s relief.) She’s disgusted by the cover story that the New York Times did on her and Ava and calls out “the death of print journalism.” Deborah’s then faced with the discarded animal remains that a coyote left on her doorstep, which she promptly removes from her property with a vengeance. In a way, Deborah’s already trying to fend off competition and people — er, animals — that she thinks are out to get her. Does she even have any reason to be mad at the cover story that touts her and Ava as the “Queens of Comedy”?

Deborah Is Making It Difficult for Ava To Do Her Job

Ava is all smiles as she jumps into her role of head writer — that is, in between moments where Deborah tests her sanity. After a lovely interaction with a receptionist at the studio about how this new role is her dream come true, she’s faced with Diana (Polly Draper), Deborah’s psychic, who Deborah decided to bring on board the show as a consulting producer. This “consulting” involves cleansing the “sad, divorced men” energy of the writers’ room, and letting Ava know that her once-pure aura is now “rancid.” All of this seems to just be another obstacle Deborah’s putting in the way of Ava being successful at her job.

What makes this situation even more frustrating for Ava is that she’s already working incredibly hard at her job as head writer and is not taking this responsibility lightly, and yet, Deborah doesn’t care. Ava knows the power she has to welcome in young, fresh talent to the industry who have otherwise struggled to be heard or even have the opportunity to work in Hollywood at all. Just a few years ago, Ava was in their shoes, desperate to have a steady gig as a comedy writer and have some doors open for her so she could prove herself. She might’ve gone about getting the job in an inappropriate way, but she’s working her ass off to make sure that Late Night (and, by extension, Deborah) is the best it can possibly be. Deborah’s still on the defensive and holding a grudge against Ava for becoming an “extortionist,” so her approach to everything is radically tainted.

Even though Ava took the time to review the roughly 800 writer submissions and narrow it down to the 12 best for Deborah to choose from, Deborah already knows who she wants to hire: seasoned professionals. The thought of hiring people who might not have written professionally yet is terrifying — and frankly, disgusting — to Deborah. Ava, meanwhile, trying to explain to Deborah how a late-night writers’ room works, is like talking to a wall. Deborah, whose mindset has never been more risk-averse than it is now, is trying to take the safe route with every creative decision, which is ironically killing any creativity the show could possibly produce. Ava, however, knows that Deborah was at her best when she leaned into risks, as they either paid off instantly or proved to be a learning experience (three words: lesbian cruise ship). Much to Ava’s surprise, Deborah also wants to be in the writers’ room, something that is largely uncommon for a host, who typically just approves the jokes that have been vetted and approved by the trusted head writer. What could possibly go… right?

Kayla Is Taking Some Big Swings — and Scaring Jimmy

Another smart move that Hacks’ team made was setting up Kayla (Megan Stalter) and Jimmy’s (Downs) friendship and creative partnership for more evolution. As we’ve seen over the seasons with Kayla, she often has really sharp instincts, but her execution tends to make Jimmy’s cortisol levels skyrocket. That’s what makes them such a productive professional pairing, though; Jimmy balances out Kayla’s big personality and grounds her big-swing ideas in reality. Hilariously, Kayla usually takes it upon herself to make big decisions that ultimately pay off without first consulting Jimmy, leading to her typically having an, “okay, hear me out…” relationship with her boss-turned-business partner.

Jimmy’s situation right now is echoing that of the pilot. After walking through a sea of barking dogs and screaming children seeking representation in their new office space (trust the process, Kayla’s got a plan), Jimmy deals with dueling phone calls from Ava and Deborah, who are both yelling at him to get the other in line. (A particularly great insult is Deborah referring to Ava as “Ginger Judas.”) The phone calls awkwardly end with Jimmy, who accidentally syncs up their conversations, trying to calm down both parties — and wrap his head around whatever the hell Kayla has planned for them. Heck, they can’t even decide whose last name should be first for the name of their management company.

Adding to the chaos and unpredictability of Jimmy’s life is the fact that Kayla went ahead and hired an assistant for herself off of LinkedIn, seemingly on a whim. Hiring Randi (Robby Hoffman) is a capital C choice. “Last week I was a Hasidic Lubavitch Jew living in Crown Heights, NY. Now I’m in LA, I’m gay, and probably an atheist. ‘Til last week, I never even seen a movie.” Thankfully, though, she has now seen Speed. Her first big idea? Get Sandra Bullock as a client. Robby brings a fun new energy to the Kayla and Jimmy dynamic that we know and love, testing Jimmy’s patience in the process. The attention to detail can’t go unnoticed in the show’s worldbuilding; Kayla sporting a pen with a big pompom hilariously and subtly indicates that, while she might be in a new role with big responsibilities and her own office, the Kayla we know and love isn’t going anywhere. Stalter is truly a one-of-a-kind comedic voice.

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Wrangling a Writers’ Room Is No Small Task

Polly Draper plays her part of the psychic out of her element effortlessly, infusing every scene she’s in with wit and laugh-out-loud line deliveries. She’s weirdly confident even though she doesn’t know what she’s supposed to be doing, and just enjoys the little perks that come with working for a TV show. (In the middle of Ava and Deborah bickering over the type of coffee that should be available for the writers, Diana’s casually toasting a bagel.) Draper is the perfect tension release for Smart and Einbinder’s contentious working relationship on the show this season, making any time she pops up on-screen a guaranteed hearty laugh.

If Deborah has stooped as low as micromanaging the coffee (she refuses Ava’s pour-over idea and believes an efficient, basic Mr. Coffee will do just fine for the writers, which is yet another example of her not wanting to make any changes for the better) then Ava getting any of her innovative ideas off the ground will be impossible. Rather than trusting Ava with scouting comedy clubs for promising comics, Deborah decides to tag along to the Comedy Store and see for herself. Upon seeing that the comedian (whose credits include the roast of Naomi Watts, which is wonderfully random and specific) is pregnant, Deborah walks out of the club, and Ava follows after her. Deborah explains that she doesn’t want to waste her time checking out the work of a writer who will soon be busy with motherhood and unable to give her all to Deborah. Ava, furious, scolds Deborah and asks her when she’s going to let her actually do her job, which, lest we forget, Deborah wanted her for in the first place.

This leads to an emotionally-fueled and increasingly loud exchange between Ava and Deborah that shows off Einbinder and Smart’s unmatched chemistry. Deborah explains to Ava that the cover story only confirmed to her that she shouldn’t have offered the job to Ava in the first place because Ava essentially would continue to push Deborah to be vulnerable and risky in her comedy, which would likely only appeal to a smaller group of people. Deborah callously explains that Late Night is for “housewives and mechanics,” meaning that she needs as broad an appeal as possible in order to have bulletproof ratings. Yes, Ava coming into her life when she was in a rut with the Vegas residency and encouraging her to be more honest in her stand-up was hugely important and is why she is in the position she is in now, but if she wants to keep this hosting gig, she needs to largely play it safe. At least, that’s what she’s telling herself, and yelling at Ava, “You’re wrong, and I’m going to prove it to you,” seems like an impossible promise Ava is making.

Winnie Gives Ava and Deborah a Wake-Up Call

Meanwhile, Kayla’s current “OK, hear me out…” situation is paying off in dividends. Much to Jimmy’s surprise, Randi has set up a website for Kayla and Jimmy’s management company and suggests being Jimmy’s assistant as well, which would take sifting through resumes for an assistant off Jimmy’s plate. Even more of a relief? Kayla has already sold a series with a new client: a half-hour Lassie reboot. So, yes, while Jimmy might be stepping in literal dog shit, he metaphorically stepped in shit when he made Kayla a partner. She might not know how to schedule an appointment, but she is always thinking three steps ahead.

Tensions are at a boiling point when Winnie (Helen Hunt) gets a last-minute dinner with Ava and Deborah on the books at her house. Both comedians are a bit uneasy, but Deborah is especially tightly wound, as an impromptu meeting with Winnie is most likely not a good thing. Hunt nails the cold-as-ice, cut-to-the-chase studio head, avoiding any small pleasantries to bluntly ask, “What’s going on between you two?” She saw a video that leaked of Ava and Deborah’s heated exchange outside the comedy club and reminds Ava that she’s a public figure now and has to remember that, as well as tells Deborah that she’s a different kind of public figure now: one with a bigger platform.

In addition to keeping up appearances in public, Late Night itself is incredibly behind schedule, as they still owe answers to the marketing team and need to hire writers. In short, Deborah and Ava’s collaboration doesn’t seem to be working, and they need to get over their differences, quickly. Winnie also reveals information that puts even more pressure on Deborah: it wasn’t down to her or another host, but it was actually down to her or doing away with Late Night altogether and filling the slot with a clip show. Ava and Deborah have a month to get everything ready for air, and the show needs to be a hit by the end of the year. Ava’s confidence shatters following this meeting, and more than anything else, she needs Deborah the friend to make an appearance and assure her that everything will be fine. There’s a second of respite and apparent sincerity when Deborah pulls Ava in for a hug, though it’s quickly replaced by one of the most chilling and disheartening moments of the series: right as Ava lets her guard down and embraces the hug, Deborah whispers, “Smile, we’re on camera,” referring to Winnie’s security cameras. Turns out, Deborah pulling Ava in for a hug was simply strategic, which crushes Ava like a boulder.

Deborah Finally Gets Honest With Marcus

Remember the coyote from earlier? As Deborah drives home late at night following that eerie dinner, a coyote makes her stop in her tracks. Chromatics’ “Burning Bridges” is the perfect soundtrack for Deborah’s fear of the unknown and paranoia as to what’s ahead. Despite getting out of her car and trying to scare the coyote away, it doesn’t budge, perhaps serving as a reminder that this journey wasn’t ever going to be easy.

The next morning, Deborah admits to Marcus that the deal he made for her with QVC was actually excellent, and she was being difficult about it earlier because she doesn’t want to lose him and was finding any excuse to keep around someone she trusts so dearly. Marcus, who’s professionally and personally grown so much over the three seasons, assures Deborah that this is all for the best and that there is no spot for him in Deborah’s next chapter. When she says that Ava is “out of her depth,” he reminds her that when she hired and took a chance on him, he was younger and way more inexperienced than Ava ever was, and that she needs to “dance with the one who brought ya.” A tearful Deborah knows he’s right, and that she needs to let Marcus fly. Their heartfelt moment is interrupted by Damien (Mark Indelicato), who asks Deborah where to spray the bear pee she made him buy, which is supposedly going to repel the coyotes.

Deborah Swallows Her Pride and Listens to Ava

To Ava’s horror, Deborah tracks her down at the Glendale mall, where, upon seeing her head writer’s get-up, quips, “You’re not funny enough to dress like Adam Sandler.” Unshowered with a Barnes & Noble Café coffee in hand, a groggy Ava listens to Deborah explain the plan of attack. To Deborah’s credit, she’s really stepping up and attempting to bury the hatchet (okay, not “bury,” more like put a light coating of dirt over it) and took the time to read through the top submissions Ava chose and even reached out to the pregnant comedian (who ended up turning them down, anyway).

The writers will be mostly from Ava’s selection, with the addition of some seasoned vets, including Merril Markoe (who, in real life, was the head writer for Late Night with David Letterman). Deborah finally realizes that a truce is needed for the show to get anything done and be successful, and, unbeknownst to Ava, she has orchestrated a writers’ retreat for everyone to get to work and bond, which is a loaded word when Deborah is in charge. And where’s this retreat taking place? Why, Vegas, of course!

New episodes of Hacks Season 4 premiere Thursdays on Max.

Hacks

In Hacks Season 4 Episode 2, Deborah gets a hard wake-up call about how difficult she’s being with Ava.

Release Date

May 13, 2021

Pros & Cons

• Deborah starts to realize her stubbornness isn’t sustainable or productive.
• Kayla and Jimmy introduce Robby Hoffman’s Randi, a fun third wheel to their dynamic.
• Bringing back Polly Draper’s Diana was a clever, hilarious decision.