‘Hacks’ Doubleheader Delivers a One-Two Emotional Punch; Looks at Past and Future

Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment In a Hacks doubleheader on Thursday, the show’s comedienne hero Deborah Vance is forced to look both backward and forward — to confront pain from her past, ground herself in the present with her daughter D.J. for the first time (perhaps ever), and, in the second episode’s closing moments, look not toward her own future but that of her only child. That these two episodes, certainly among the stronger half-hours in the show’s swan song season , are paired together is a clever play. And that the second is an Amazing Race crossover makes the feat even more impressive: what could have been a hokey series of gags dunking on reality TV instead becomes a smart device to reunite two characters, advance Deb’s growth as a mother, and give D.J. (the always-welcome Kaitlin Olson) a series-end arc that feels both satisfying and hopeful. Related Stories TV 'Hacks' Goes Full Sitcom -- Without Losing Its Bite Sustainability Issue How Scriptation Broke Hollywood's Addiction to Paper The gang, well, most of them, are together at the top of episode four (titled “Episode 5.4,” for reasons that will come to light later), as they walk through Deborah’s past, in literal sense, via the outfits, props, and sets from the groundbreaking sitcom Who’s Making Dinner? , which she co-created, wrote, and starred in with her ex-husband Frank. In a season about legacy and the mark you leave behind, it’s inevitable we’d revisit this far back in her history, when what might now read as a broad sitcom trope (Deb dressing as a man to open a bank account!) was, decades ago, boundary-pushing comedy. It also gives a struggling Ava the inspiration she’s been searching for, as she remains stumped for her next big idea. While her Wizard of Oz -in-a-shopping-mall script is a curiosity, ...