By Rose Cohen ’22 & Lucy Oster ’23
Arts & Entertainment Editor & Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
In “Hacks,” the Emmy-nominated HBO Max comedy-drama released in early May, a stubborn 70-year-old veteran comedian meets her match in a self-obsessed, flannel-wearing 25-year-old humorist. The most promising part of the 10-episode series is the unlikely bond between Deborah Vance (portrayed by “Mare of Easttown” actress Jean Smart), a stand-up comic based in Las Vegas, and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), a comedy writer who has been canceled due to an off-color tweet about a gay senator. This multifaceted relationship creates an engaging show as the episodes dig into the dynamic between these two women.
The show draws interest in the first episode when the CEO of the casino Deborah performs at, the Palmetto, threatens to cut back her weekend shows because he wants to appeal to a younger crowd. To help save the star’s career, Deborah’s agent sends Ava from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
“Hacks” ultimately pushes past the simplistic plotline of comedians telling jokes and becomes a tale of two artists connecting. It puts a new spin on the classic odd-couple storyline rehashed in sitcoms and romances time and time again. The two main characters grow to tolerate and even respect one another, despite the cruelty of the insults they hurl at each other at the start of their relationship.
Deborah and Ava’s friendship parallels several well-known relationships seen in American media from the 20th and 21st centuries. The two emulate Harry and Sally from Rob Reiner’s 1989 classic, “When Harry Met Sally.” In one scene, the show even replicates the iconic split-screen phone call from the romance film. Their sparring brings to mind the characters of Michael Scott and Dwight Shrute from the American sitcom “The Office.” But unlike the connections between the aforementioned characters, it’s difficult to identify the nature of Deborah and Ava’s relationship.
When the two comics meet, they initially resent one another. Once Deborah realizes Ava came unprepared for her interview, she calls her out for not researching her. “I’m not a fan of yours … I mean, the last thing on Earth I want to do is move to the desert to write some lame jokes for an old hack,” Ava retorts, angry that Deborah has not thanked her for taking the time to travel to Las Vegas. Comebacks like this dominate the series and leave viewers staring wide-eyed at their screens, wondering which character will back down from the insult match first.
Viewers may find the duo appealing because each character has a complicated relationship with their family, and grows to act as a surrogate family member for the other. Ava could easily be Deborah’s daughter because of her age and her desire to look out for Deborah. This is emphasized in a scene where Ava discovers Deborah’s daughter is selling unflattering pictures of the comedian to a celebrity magazine. Ava’s instinct is to protect Deborah and tell her about the photographs.
Like Deborah, Ava lives a lonely life; she has a strained relationship with her mother, who views comedy as an “unstable career.” In one scene, she tells her daughter, “Okay, so now you’re a better writer than God … I know that you think that everybody needs to hear from you.” Ava also lacks close friends; when she runs into some of her Los Angeles peers at the Palmetto, they reject her request to hang out with them. Ava assumes it’s because of her tweet, until one of them replies Ava was “an asshole” long before her social media mistake. “The last thing you asked me was for a plus one to my premiere party,” her friend explains.
As the show progresses, Deborah and Ava grow closer. After sending Ava to an antique store to secure an expensive pepper shaker, Deborah allows Ava to sort through and organize videos and publications featuring her past work. Deborah intends the job to be demeaning, and Ava takes it as such, but as she watches clips of Deborah’s old stand-up, Ava realizes she and her boss both possess a similar hunger for career success.
Viewers are also encouraged to keep watching the show because of the hinted romance between Ava and Deborah. At times, their banter seems undeniably flirtatious, despite the harshness of their insults toward one another. At one point, Ava even dreams of her and Deborah making out. It’s impossible to tell whether Deborah thinks of Ava as a possible love interest; however, some of their interactions point to the possibility of a love story.
Watchers might be tempted to turn off their screens after picking up on the odd-couple storyline, which seems somewhat predictable at this point. But “Hacks” does a fine job elevating the age-old dynamic, adding finding new empathy for the characters.