
Hacks Review: Retired / The Click (Season 2 Episodes 5 and 6)
Deborah may have broken free from her old comedy routine, but there are a few other routines she still needs to shake. Hacks Season 2 Episode 5, “Retired” and Episode 6, “The Click,” force Deborah to face some uncomfortable truths about herself.
Running into an old female comedian friend who she sabotaged back in the day makes Deborah realize her competitive nature has not always served her interests well. She grapples with the sacrifices she made to get where she did and reflects on whether it was worth it.
Although ultimately Deborah seems to accept she could have never walked away from comedy, it’s still crushing for Susan (Harriet Sansom Harris) to admit it was Deborah’s absentee parenting and its effect on DJ that encouraged her to quit comedy when she wanted to start a family.

Episode 6 forces Deborah to confront her relationship with comedy again when her new material continues to bomb. There is nothing sadder and funnier than Deborah’s stalker deciding he doesn’t like the new material (at least she still has 10 more).
Ironically, he makes some good points. Deborah is funniest when she’s taking people down.
The new, slightly more enlightened Deborah is tired of making other people the butt of the joke. That’s when she realizes there’s still one person left to make fun of, herself.
This conflict of who Deborah is versus who she thinks she is combined with Jean Smart’s performance drives the show. It just goes to show that even when you think you’ve had an epiphany, there are still more layers to unravel.

Deborah admits the worst thing to ever happen to her wasn’t her husband cheating but losing her late-night show. That’s who Deborah really is, and by being honest her material starts to click.
Ava’s development on these episodes is a little more uneven as she’s forced to spend time with her mother who shows up for a surprise visit in Memphis. Despite the setup of Ava carrying around a tennis ball canister full of ashes, the impact of her dad’s death has been fairly muted this season.
Reexploring the friction between Ava and her mother allows us to see Ava’s life from a different point of view than her work with Deborah. Deborah may give her a hard time, but she doesn’t come close to the nagging of Ava’s mother.
Instead of her father’s death bringing them together, it pushed them further apart to the point where Ava barely recognizes her bull-riding, MLM girl boss mother.

At Kiki’s suggestion Ava tries to rebuild a relationship with her mother and as a result, her mother can confront her grief. It’s a touching storyline even though Ava still gets to make a joke about her mom being a prostitute when they’re watching Pretty Woman.
Ava is pretty isolated from the world outside of Deborah and Jimmy, so these scenes with her mom and heart-to-heart with Marcus on Episode 5 ground the character a little more in reality.
The two episodes both rely on these more intimate stories to capture your attention, so it’s a little jarring when the end of Episode 6 speeds full ahead into a montage of Deborah’s comeback. Her epiphany about what’s wrong with her act makes total sense, but it would be more impactful to leave the episode there rather than drag it out.
Setting up Deborah’s comeback to focus on a filmed special (how meta would it be if the special is on HBO?) is a smart departure from her quest for a new residency. It shows how much impact Ava has on Deborah in reimagining her career.
Ava and Deborah both need someone to push them, and Hacks is at its best when they can be that person for one another. Assuming there are plans for more Hacks, framing Deborah’s return as an ascent up a mountain after climbing a hill is the perfect setup.

At the risk of harping on it, these episodes do leave me asking once again where is this lawsuit plot going? Deborah and Ava treat it like it doesn’t exist most of the time.
Deborah told Ava it would be a good lesson, but I’m not sure what lesson she’s supposed to be learning when there’s no movement in this plot.
I assume Deborah will just dismiss it, but no matter how it ends the journey there is less than satisfying.

Additional Thoughts:
- Kiki is underused this season, so I’m glad we’ll be seeing even more of Poppy Liu on our screens in The Afterparty Season 2.
- If only depression could be cured with a good steak.
- Glad Deborah left before her younger hookup’s roommate recognized her for her QVC line.
- The smear of blood on the pina colada glass is the perfect touch. I am rooting for Kayla to prove herself though.
- Your only hobby is writing?… I couldn’t relate (joking).
- “They know comedy, they dress like tableware.”
- The scene of Deborah teaching Ava to float says so much about their bond without really trying.
What did you think of this episode of Hacks? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of Hacks stream Thursdays on HBO Max.
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