by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
When I first started writing reviews, I wanted to try to broaden my taste in movies. Little did I know that I would gravitate more towards TV shows. Late last year, I was talking to my friend Amy about TV shows we were both watching, and I asked her for some recommendations while also giving some of mine. I recommended Reservation Dogs,which was my favorite show of last year. We talked about The Morning Show andTed Lasso. We also talked about shows we were looking forward to. She recommended a show to me that I watched almost immediately: Hacks, which was one of my favorite shows of last year.
Hacks, created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, is about veteran comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) as she navigates the changing entertainment landscape while her career is starting to sunset. She partners with Ava (Hannah Einbinder), a young, talented, but recently canceled writer who is hired to help write new jokes. With the help of Deborah’s team, including her manager Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) and CEO of her brand Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins), she tries to stay in the spotlight a little while longer.
Season two starts with Deborah deciding to go on the road to test out her new material. This road trip dynamic was a great touch because it gets Deborah out of her comfort zone. She is put in some interesting and fun situations that someone like her normally isn’t in. For instance, some of the stops on her tour include a cruise, a state fair, and a stop in Memphis. There are some hilarious moments with Deborah on stage and moments when she was interacting with people from the place she is performing.
Hacks is dependent on its main character being at the top of her game, and I’m floored by how great Smart is in this season. She deserved all the accolades and awards she got for her season one performance, and I can see a second set of awards for her performance for season two. Watching her struggle to find her material on the road and go through the discouragement of realizing her material might not be working like she hoped it would was a nice way to show how hard she is trying to work to get her groove back. Smart is extremely funny in this season as well, and we see a much more confident and stronger Deborah. The evolution of her character was a refreshing change of pace from season one, and I loved watching it. It wasn’t always pretty to watch, but that’s part of the point. This also brings about some great dynamics with some other characters.
From the start of this show, the relationship between Ava and Deborah has been toxic, material, destructive, and uplifting. It’s a messy relationship that I really love watching. This season starts off rough when Ava admits something that happened from the previous season. Deborah’s response to this was surprising, but then her true intentions came out. Ava, similar to Deborah, also struggles this season with figuring out what’s next. Einbinder is also great in this season, and I really think her performance showed some growth and maturity that I think the audience wanted to see from her last season.The similarities between Deborah and Ava are on point, and I like how they both recognize that about one another. It was an interesting dynamic about how they both are married to their work. Even Marcus has this explored too. His love for his work cost him a lot in season one. Marcus and Ava had some chances to interact this season, and I definitely want more of that in the future.
The final episode of this season had everything. It had some wonderfully dark humor and emotional moments. It wasn’t the ending I was expecting, but I understood why Deborah did what she did. There were a few moments in the final episode that made me tear up, which was a little surprising to me. I guess it just goes to show how invested I was in these characters and their relationships with one another. I like the direction the final season took and the lessons that had to be learned by both Deborah and Ava. Now that certain choices were made, I’m very curious to see how this pans out in the future.
There were only two parts of the season that I wasn’t a fan of. Both are ticky-tack at best. The first is that Weed (Laurie Metcalf) is a completely wasted character. Metcalf is a wonderful comedic actor and I can’t help but wonder why they cast someone like her and not utilize her enough. I was hoping for more banter and interaction, but what we get is definitely lacking. The other is that this season starts out slow. My feeling is this was a little intentional because it might mirror the creative process. There is a lot of trial and error along with struggle. Once you finally find your voice, though, things just start clicking. I’m guessing the choice to start this season off slow was so the payoff at the end would be better, which it definitely was.
Hacks is an amazing show that is underrated at this point. To focus the show on such wonderful characters and to watch them grow has been a treat. I really liked this season, what it had to say about entertainment and hustle, and the relationship dynamics that were explored. I’m hoping season three is in the books — if Hacks continues to be recognized for its excellence, then HBO will have no choice but to renew it for future seasons. This is a recommendation and definitely a favorite of this year so far.
Grade: 9/10
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