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[ThisstorycontainsspoilersfortheSeason5premiere[ThisstorycontainsspoilersfromtheseasonfivepremiereofHacks.]
In the opening moments of the fifth and final season of the HBO series HacksDebra Vance, who played Jean Smart, has died, or so scream the headlines on newspaper clippings at the memorial outside the doors of her Las Vegas mansion. The famous—and perhaps legendary—comedian is horrified at the sight of the shrine as she approaches with Ava, her head writer, comedic character, and best friend. However, being the megalomaniac that she is, Depp is even more horrified by what her obituary has to say about her life as a pioneering underdog in the world of male comedy.
The set-up, which resolves Season 4’s cliffhanger that saw Debra and Ava break up in Singapore after the collapse of her late-night show’s success, works in the same way the Emmy-winning series has since its debut in 2021. Guided by Smart’s sharp, undeniably charming performance — here she conveys Depp’s swagger and pathos as she greets fans gathered at her memorial and then reflects on her legacy during its cable infotainment — the opening sums up Hacks Underlying themes while quietly setting up for a season grappling with mortality, legacy, and control (and abandonment).
“Debra’s anger and her bitterness, and holding on to that — and feeding on her bitterness — is actually what keeps her going,” Smart said in a recent interview with the magazine. Hollywood Reporter Before the season 5 premiere. “That kind of bitterness and resentment and trying to get revenge — you know, her motto is that old classic, ‘Living well is the best revenge.’ It helped her keep going, but at the same time she paid the price.”
For Deb, living well — or more importantly, being seen to be living well after she quit her late-night show live in Season 4 rather than fire Ava, who accidentally leaked a network secret to a reporter — joins the exclusive and coveted EGOT club. The episode sees her laying the groundwork for an eventual Oscar and Grammy (the most elusive awards Depp will ever achieve alongside an Emmy and a Tony). This soon gives way to another comedic dream. Remember how the late, great Andy Kaufman once said he wanted to play Carnegie Hall? For Debra, a Hollywood creature exiled to Las Vegas, that will never be enough; Her eyes are on for something bigger and brighter — and full of her fans: Madison Square Garden, a MacGuffin and perhaps where the season and the series will end after nine more half-hour episodes.
The public cannot see any of these planned projects for 18 months, the period stipulated in the contract during which they must stay away from theaters and screens and refrain from performing comedies after their release. Just another man-made restriction for our hero. So, once again, this is Debra Vance — who can’t stand in the spotlight for fear of becoming irrelevant — the rules are being broken, and fast. Soon, she and her team are secretly orchestrating a huge wave of support from fans like Deb, Ava, and the rest of the group. Hacks Entourage takes her underground work and her battle against corporate—and certainly male—oppression, the eternal bogeyman of the series, to the people.
“The Man,” in his many forms — media executive, tech guru, or ex from beyond the grave — is not. Hacks The only villain this season is the networks, contracts and non-disclosure agreements; The public and its perception of older women; And the inevitability of irrelevance – they all come close to Depp. The bitterness and resentment Smart mentioned remain central to her public persona and personal struggles. But as the show comes to a close, its edges seem a little softer.
A lot of this has to do with the development of the show’s central relationship between Debra and Ava Hannah Einbinder. Their initial odd-couple dynamic, which gave way to vindictive one-upmanship as the series progressed, now finds them — after Debra sacrifices the late-night gig of her dreams to save the head writer’s job — working side by side toward common goals.
These goals remain largely for Deb’s benefit, and Ava isn’t given much room for subplots during the final season. Yet this seems inevitable, given who these characters are — and still are — six years later: the selfish baby boomer and the woke millennial, the bombshell and the bookworm, a star comedian clamoring for the spotlight, and the anonymous writer behind the gags.
HacksThe 10-episode final season will release new episodes weekly, concluding with the series finale on Thursday, May 28.
