After burning it all down in last week’s mic-drop moment, Deborah Vance finds herself in unfamiliar territory: stuck. The non-compete clause Bob Lipka so smugly threw in her face at the end of last week’s episode, is airtight. Every fancy lawyer in town agrees – and so do the shady ones, because Deb asked them all. There’s simply no loophole. She can’t perform, not for the next 18 months. Even if she were willing to pay the damages (which would be A LOT), no venue would want to be dragged into a legal battle with a media conglomerate.

The Late Night Show was Deborah’s dream. She never imagined she’d walk away from it. So, for once, she didn’t obsess over the fine print like she usually would. And now, this is the consequence: she’s being silenced, both legally and creatively. It’s brutal. And it’s heartbreaking.

Ava, of course, tries to help – despite being completely out of her depth. She feels guilty, knowing Deborah only lost the show because she refused to fire her. But not once does Deborah blame her. She never even hints at regret. She hates that she can’t perform, but not that she stood up to Lipka.

Ava encourages her to keep working on new material in the meantime. After all, “it’s only 18 months.”

“That’s a long time for me,” Deborah says. And it is. Losing a year and a half of stage time is no small thing, especially when you’re in your seventies and burning with energy and ideas.

“If I’m not on that stage, I have nothing,” she admits, before telling Ava she’s heading back to Vegas. Alone. She needs space.

She spends time with her grandson which is undeniably adorable to watch, but it’s not exactly fulfilling. Not for her, and not for us. She visits Marcus, hoping to revive Deborah Vance Industries, but even that’s out of reach. “I can’t perform. I don’t even own my own name,” she says, and the weight of that line lands like a punch.

Slowly, Deborah starts to unravel. She sleeps late. Watches hours of mindless TV. Josefina checks in just to make sure she’s still breathing. And the clearest sign that Deborah Vance has hit rock bottom: she steps outside wearing SWEATPANTS. In public!

At a shop, she spots a glittery hat that says “DIVA,” but walks out with one that simply reads “GIRL.” That’s what she is now: just a woman, unnamed. Not the icon. Not the legend.

Then Marty calls. I wasn’t exactly thrilled – it’s Marty after all – but he genuinely seems worried. He invites her to his hotel in Hawaii, sensing that she needs a break from herself, from everything. He reminds her of some of the good times they once had, and for a brief moment, we see it: there used to be real affection there. I’ll admit, I was worried he’d take advantage of her vulnerability, try to start something up again. But to his credit, he didn’t. And for a split second, that almost made him likable.

After thinking it over, Deborah decides to take Marty up on his offer and head to Hawaii. Naturally, Ava comes along. And while I fully support them vacationing together, I have to admit that I was a little confused. Just a few scenes ago, Deborah was moping around Vegas, seemingly with zero contact with Ava. Now suddenly, they’re jetting off together like it’s the most natural thing in the world? It feels like we missed a scene … or three.

They board the flight to Hawaii… only to wake up in Singapore. Deborah changed their destination mid-flight while Ava was knocked out on Xanax.

Turns out this trip isn’t a vacation at all. It’s a loophole. Deborah has found a casino in Singapore that will let her perform. The audience is mostly tourists, and a translator will relay her jokes in real time, essentially performing her material for her. That’s the workaround. Technically, Deborah isn’t “performing” under the terms of her contract. It’s ridiculous but also genius. 

Ava thinks it’s insane. But Deborah doesn’t care. She is on stage again, and that’s all that matters. She kills. Sort of. She’s mainly doing her old material and she’s drinking way too much. But she has an audience which makes her happy … or at least happy enough.

Over time, Deborah’s standards start slipping. She stops working on new material, stops trying. She leans into leisure … playing bingo, singing karaoke, making friends. And for like half a second, it’s sweet to see her let loose a little. But it’s not who she is.

They’ve been in Singapore for months now, spending all their time together. The lines between friendship and something more are blurring again. Deborah calls Ava “honey.” Ava calls her “babe.” They have their rhythm, but something is clearly off.

Eventually, Ava breaks. She tells Deborah she’s not happy, and she’s pretty sure Deborah isn’t either. “It’s beautiful here but it’s not real life,” she says. They are living in a bubble. They should go back home.

Deborah refuses. She’s fine. She’s busy playing bingo and making friends. Ava pushes back, she’s worried. Deborah’s not acting like herself, and she’s drinking way too much. Woa, Ava when did you become the grown-up?

Deborah gets defensive, the only way she knows how to deal with Ava’s honesty and concern is to snap back. Vulnerability isn’t exactly her strong suit, especially when she feels exposed. So instead of engaging, she deflects. She throws it back at Ava, knowing exactly where to hit. “Why are you even still here?” she asks. Then she lands the real blow: “You are 29 years old and I’m your only friend. Isn’t that weird?”

And just like that, they’re fighting again. Ava promises she’ll catch the first flight back home in the morning. For a moment, it feels like we’re heading straight for yet another season-ending breakup. And I’ll admit, I was already annoyed at the idea of watching the same conflict play out yet again, just on a different continent. But thankfully, Hacks had one last twist up its sleeve.

When Ava wakes up the next morning, she has around 100 missed calls from Jimmy. Why? Because TMZ is reporting that Deborah is dead. Ava panics – and so do I.

She sprints through the hotel, banging on Deborah’s door. No answer. More knocking. Still nothing. She is terrified.

Then Deborah finally opens the door. She is hungover but very much alive.

She explains that most news outlets keep prewritten obituaries on file, just in case, and occasionally, one slips through and gets published by mistake. That might be what happened here.

Together, they read the article. According to TMZ, Deborah died in quiet disgrace, having retreated to Singapore after “killing” the late-night format. Deborah is furious. This is NOT how her story ends.

And just like that, the fire is back! There’s no way this is the legacy she leaves behind!
She starts packing right away. She’s going home. 

And she is not going quietly, she is going to kick some ass!

“Heaven” – HACKS. Pictured: Jean Smart as Deborah Vance. Photo: Jake Giles Netter/Max ©2025 HBO Max, Inc. All Rights Reserved

It’s a strangely poetic full circle. Deborah had to lose everything – not just the show, but her sense of identity – to remember what she’s really made of.

But one thing keeps nagging at me: where is Deborah’s audience? She used to be the number one Late Night host in the country. She publicly exposed the network. She took a stand, spoke her truth, and walked away at the height of her success. So where’s the outrage over her being trapped by that airtight contract? Where are the viewers? The applause? The cultural ripple effect? 

And while I’m relieved the season didn’t end with yet another betrayal (Thank god! We’ve been down that road too many times) I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the finale overall. The Singapore arc felt a little far-fetched, a little dreamlike. But maybe that was the point. Deborah did escape into another world. She needed distance. She needed to forget reality for a while. Now, she’s ready to return.

And when Deborah Vance decides to come home, you better believe she’s coming for everything.

What did you think of the finale? Did Deborah’s fake death give you a heart attack too? Drop your thoughts in the comments – and rejoice: Hacks is officially coming back for Season 5!