Decades – that’s how long Deborah has waited for her own Late Night Show. Now that it’s finally a reality, she should be over the moon, right? Instead, it has been one giant headache: guests are canceling at the last minute, Ava’s not giving her the jokes she wants, and worst of all, Deborah is about to receive an award the network basically bought for her just to drum up publicity. She’s finally living her dream, but it’s nothing like she pictured it, and she is certainly not happy.

And neither is Ava. In fact, the writer is downright miserable. After Cher cancels her appearance on the show, Deborah’s team scrambles to book actress Ruby Rojas… aka Ava’s ex. Things spiral from bad to worse when Deborah trashes Ava’s jokes. She even rejects the five pages of rewrites Ava and the writers crank out in just half an hour. She scraps Ava’s entire bit and instead gives Ruby even more airtime. Oh, and just to twist the knife further, Deborah has Ruby tell the humiliating story of how Ava once mistook a prop ring Ruby brought home from set for an actual engagement ring. And Ava is standing in the front row, forced to listen to it all. Brutal!

But wait, there’s more bad luck in store for the young woman! The married couple she is seeing breaks up with her because they believe her to be emotionally unavailable. Then she finds out the writers not only have a secret group chat without her, but they have also been quietly milking her lunch contributions. Since each writer only gets a few bucks a day for food, Ava’s been pitching in extra so they can all eat decently. But instead of just ordering proper meals, they’ve been splurging – adding “extras for the table,” like today’s $70 branzino… which nobody even bothers to eat. It just sits there, getting cold, while Ava foots the bill.

That’s it. She’s had enough. Ava finally snaps. Channeling her inner Deborah, she hurls the branzino at the window, yells “I quit,” and storms out, peeling through the parking lot gate like she’s auditioning for The Fast and the Furious while screaming her guts out.

With Ava gone and nowhere to be found, Deborah is somewhat rattled. She finds she does not like taping without her head writer in the wings. Poking around Ava’s office after the show, Deborah happens to stumble open THE photo: young Deborah on stage, the snapshot Ava once swiped off a comedy club wall. It’s a gut punch. A reminder of where they started and just how powerfully they click when they’re together. Their relationship is messy, sure, but it’s unique, and it somehow brings out the best in them both.

Reluctantly, Deborah drags herself to the awards ceremony to collect her fake trophy, which is presented to her, in a fantastic cameo by Rosie O’Donnell. And like all the best Hacks cameos, Rosie’s not only there for a laugh but also to give advice. When Deborah admits her show has been hit or miss, Rosie tells her, “Some days you wanna pull your hair out. But other days, you’re just sitting there laughing your ass off with some of your favorite people in the whole world. You gotta focus on that…because to tell you truth… that’s what I miss most.” We all know who flashes through Deborah’s mind in that moment, right? Hint: ginger, chaotic, awkward, and currently MIA.

Back home, the night takes another sharp downturn when Barry, one of Deborah’s beloved corgis, slips outside and gets attacked by a coyote. She manages to save the puppy, but the breakdown that follows feels… bigger than it just being about the dog.

Meanwhile, Jimmy and Kayla are out searching for “the ginger lesbian,” and by this point, Deborah is worried enough to join in. She even shows Ava’s picture to people waiting in line at a comedy club, asking if they’ve seen her. And it’s not just any photo, not a headshot or a press still, but a goofy selfie Ava probably once texted her. To top it off, Deborah apparently left the house wearing just slippers, too worried about her friend to care about appearances.

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

When someone suggests the “Find My iPhone” app and helps the comedian use it, Deborah locates Ava somewhere by the ocean. She races there and panics when she sees someone wading into the waves. Believing Ava wants to drown herself she chases after her. Dressed in expensive fur Deborah plunges into the freezing cold water to save Ava – only to realize it’s not Ava at all. Just some random swimmer. Ava, of course, was casually strolling along the beach the entire time.

Finally, they collide. Deborah, drenched and shivering, comes face-to-face with Ava at last. They huddle together at an empty bar, find Deb some dry clothes, and for the first time in what feels like forever they finally talk,

Ava thanks Deborah for trying to “save her life”. She very much appreciates that the older woman ruined her second-favorite fur coat for her. Then comes one of the rawest, most honest exchanges we’ve ever seen between these two: Ava admits that Deborah was right all along. She was never the right person for the head writing job.

Deborah: “The only reason you’re failing is because I set you up to fail. I’m sorry. Give me another chance. Please… even though I probably don’t deserve one.”

Ava tells Deborah she can’t trust her anymore, that in the end, Deborah always breaks her heart. She always lets her down. But Deborah pleads for another chance, promising she’ll do better and begging Ava to return to the show.

Ava: “Even if I did came back… I don’t if I can do the job. I don’t even know your voice anymore.”

Deborah: “You ARE my voice.”

You can picture me crying on the couch at this point.

Ava: “But I kinda hate you now.”
 
Deborah: “So? Lots of people do. You are part of a vibrant community.”
 
Ava: “I can’t write a show that appeals to millions of people.”
 
Deborah: “I… I was wrong to focus on them. We can’t make it for them. We have to make it for each other.”

Deborah, reflecting on Rosie O’Donnell’s advice, realizes that trying to please everyone with the show is a losing game. But at the very least, they can have fun making it… And neither of them has had fun in a long time.

It’s messy, it’s raw, it’s funny, and it’s perfect. They bicker, they laugh, they toast with months-old champagne Ava digs out of her trunk, and they roast Stacy from HR. Sure, the Late Night Show’s ratings may still be circling the drain, but at least Deborah and Ava are back where they belong: working together, not against each other. And that’s the real win. From here, the only way is up.

What almost slips by amid all the bustle is DJ’s brief appearance in the episode. She is still very pregnant, several days overdue, and hoping someone she trusts will be there when the baby arrives. Naturally, Deborah assumes she’s the one DJ wants. She brushes her daughter off, saying she’s too swamped with the show to be there for the birth. Turns out, DJ never wanted her all along. She was talking about Josefina. Sure, that revelation stings a little… but it’s nothing compared to the sting Deborah feels when Ava turns her down.

Last week may have been the season’s weakest episode so far, but this week more than delivered. Between the insults, the meltdowns, the ocean rescue, and the months-old champagne toast, Hacks gave us everything we could want. And reminded us that as long as Deborah and Ava are tangled up in each other’s lives, the magic isn’t going anywhere.

Are you as thrilled as I am to see Deborah and Ava patch things up? Drop a comment!