The dual drop of Hacks episodes 7 and 8 was interesting, but it makes sense for these two to air at the same time. The two work well together and set up the final three episodes well. By the end of episode 8, several conflicts have been set up that should make for some compelling television in the coming weeks.
Episode 7, D’Christening, brings the return of DJ Vance (Kaitlin Olson), which is usually great. DJ’s baby is here, and Deborah and Ava visit for his christening. Deborah knows that she is persona non grata in the Catholic church, due to some stand-up from the 80s (which is an excellent nod to Sinéad O’Connor falling out with the church in the early 90s). She is frustrated that DJ is fully invested in the church, but ultimately decides to silence her concerns when DJ threatens to go no contact to protect her son’s peace.
DJ also asks Ava to be her son’s godmother. Ava waffles on this, especially after a conversation with Marcus, who speaks so glowingly about the way that his godfather shaped his life, but concedes when AJ explains that she just wants someone to help her son know Deborah in a way that she was never able to know her. It is both touching and a little bit sad to know that DJ sees the lack in her relationship with her mom and is also focused on not allowing that to interfere with her son’s future relationship with his grandmother.
At the show, they are still struggling to break out of the bottom of the late-night heap. Ava suggests that they should try bringing on some comics, so that Deborah can boost people who might not otherwise have an opportunity in the spotlight, but they are advised to continue bringing in guests who come with a built-in audience.
Meanwhile, Jimmy and Kayla learn that Dance Mom, who recently became a brand ambassador, has some troubling behavior that they need to address. In an episode with some pretty good laughs elsewhere, nothing was funnier than Dance Mom explaining her name and talking about her “children.”
Episode 8, Witch of the Week, is where everything from season 4 comes together to create the conflict for the remainder of the season. Jimmy is struggling in nearly every aspect of his job. He plans a sit-down with Deborah and Ava to work things out with them, only to find out after the fact that they had already made up. He visits a set where he gets bitten by a dog and develops an infection. He had signed Clive (Matt Bush) before he realized he had cancer, but when Clive’s cancer goes into remission, he drops Jimmy as an agent in favor of Kayla’s dad, the firm Jimmy left.
Kayla finally enters full gorilla mode to talk to her dad, Michael (W. Earl Brown), about sniping Jimmy’s client. While she’s there, he suggests that she should come back to his firm. She shrugs this off, but the more persistent he becomes, the more we can see that she may actually be considering his offer.
When Deborah’s old friend Mayor Jo (Lauren Weedman) gets caught in a sexual encounter, all of the late-night hosts go after her, but Deborah refuses. Instead, she brings Jo on the show to tell her side of the story. The clips go viral, but because they air after the show, they don’t help the ratings. Deborah and Ava throw out the idea that they should record the show a day in advance and create the clips ahead to drive engagement. Even though this is an unheard-of tactic, it works, taking them to number one.
At the party celebrating their ascension to the top of the ratings charts, Winnie approaches Deborah and asks again about a spin-off show. Deborah, who just wants to celebrate their success, blows her off, telling Ava that she just needs Winnie to get out of her way. When Deborah arrives home, she sees a gift from network president Bob Lipka (Tony Goldwyn). She calls to thank him, and he asks what he can do. She tells him about Winnie, stressing that she just wants to be able to make her show.
The next day, when they arrive to film the show, it’s announced that Winnie has been fired. No one is sure what this means for the show, but as the episode ends, it zooms in on Ava looking concerned.
These episodes highlighted so much of what I have loved about Hacks from the beginning. The strength of the show has generally been the way that it looks at entertainment, how it works against women in particular, and how Deborah and Ava, together, are able to make something work for them. Watching them solve the problem of how to become number one in late-night television was fantastic.
This show also does a great job of examining what it means to be nice in the entertainment business compared to those who run over everyone to get what they want. In these episodes, we see that with Ava and Deborah, but even more with Jimmy and Kayla. It will be interesting to see if they can find a unique solution, in the same way that they have been able to with the challenges that Deborah and Ava have experienced in comedy as women. But right now, Jimmy is struggling, and I, for one, will be anxious to see where that goes.
Finally, these episodes deal with choosing to be child-free in a meaningful way. In episode 8, Ava’s mom, Nina (Jane Adams), visits and offers to pay for Ava to freeze her eggs. That, paired with the christening episode, allows Ava to talk openly about choosing not to have children. It is a conversation that is rarely discussed, so it was nice to see that topic addressed in a mostly affirming way.
As we’re nearing the end of season 4 of Hacks, I’m still feeling a bit mixed, but leaning toward positive. Let’s bring it home!
Hacks Season 4 is now streaming weekly on MAX.
Learn more about the show, including how to watch, at the site for the title.
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