Comedy Is Saving Lives
The Hacks finale and how it moved me
The series finale of Hacks aired last Thursday, and it moved me in more ways than I thought it would. Suffice to say, they ate that. Series finales are always hard. They must come, but I never want them to. It’s a goodbye that feels like you’re losing your friends, even though you can always (usually) put the show back on.
I felt compelled to talk about the Hacks finale because it stirred many emotions in me, and I love what they did. Below, I get into the details of a particular moment that struck a chord; a chord I’m sure many comedians relate to. If you have not watched Hacks or the finale, there are spoilers beyond this point! But if you have watched, please read and let’s kiki about it!
Spoiler territory…
So, as you know, in the finale, Deborah’s cancer returned, and instead of opting for treatment, she wanted to end things on her terms: going on a European adventure with Ava, ending with assisted suicide in a facility. Deborah insisted this is what she wanted, and she wanted to end her life on a high note. It wasn’t going to get any better than what she just accomplished.
That was a hard pill to swallow. I thought, “Wow. She’s really doing this.” They were going there. Ava protests, but finally goes on the trip with her. She attempts to convince Deborah even on the trip, but Deborah’s mind is made up.
Then there’s a tender scene towards the end. Deborah and Ava are at a little cafe patio, enjoying bread and riffing before the train ride to Deborah’s final destination. They are going back and forth, joking, and punching up said jokes with each other as is customary for them when they communicate. Ava gets up to go to the bathroom before the train arrives, and the next moment is what moved me to tears.
As Ava leaves, Deborah writes down a joke in her tiny joke journal, a ritual of hers. Then, Deborah has a moment as she’s setting the journal down. In total silence, Jean Smart has an incredible acting moment. She has a silent realization as if to say, “I’ll never be able to write a joke down again.” This habit of hers was ending. This traditional riffing was ending. Finding the next joke…there would be no next joke. In this silent moment, I gasped. I knew. I just knew what was going to happen.
Comedy was saving her life. Working with Ava was saving her life. Over and over again.
Ava comes back and grabs their suitcases, urging Deborah to hurry, or they’ll miss the train. Deborah has a moment of pause. She’s deep in thought about something. She yells at Ava to stop, to wait. When Deborah catches up to her, she lands a joke, referring to what she and Ava were talking about pre-bathroom. The scene is a callback to their very first meeting when Deborah chased down Ava in her car, only to cut her off to pitch a joke. “That’s a funnier joke,” she says both times. Ava concedes, yeah, that is a funnier joke.
Deborah ends the interaction by realizing she may not have many years left, but she’s got another “hour” in her. Meaning, another stand-up hour / special. She and Ava share a long hug, and Deborah decides to receive treatment and fight the cancer.
Ohhhhh my goooosshh.
The way the moment moved me. I couldn’t believe it. I was fully ready to accept that Deborah was going to die. I thought she had made up her mind. I told myself, “It makes sense. She’s like this.” No one can stop her, and who are we to tell her what she should and shouldn’t do? But when the thought of never being able to do jokes again crossed her mind…she couldn’t bring herself to stop. The comedy can’t stop. Death would be the end of it. I thought “comedy is her love.” And of course, working with Ava is too.
Comedy is my love. I really saw her in that moment. I recognized. It was beautiful.
People often say comedy helps them in dark times or “saves their life.” And they’re usually referring to watching or taking in the comedy. But doing comedy also saves lives.
What would I do if I couldn’t make people laugh? What would I do if I couldn’t obsess over fine-tuning a joke? What would I do if I couldn’t write what I wanted? What would I do if I had no one to bounce material off of?
I love this stuff. It’s cathartic, it’s fun, it’s just…it’s so good. And it’s hard to explain why. I guess maybe DJ Vance (Deborah’s daughter) said it best in Hacks season 3. "You know, I spent my whole life thinking you were a narcissist, but turns out you're actually an addict, like me. You're addicted to getting laughs."
Despite this being a darker definition, there is truth in there. When you love the thing you do, you have to do it.
I was lucky enough to meet Paul W. Downs a few days after the finale aired. He is one of the creators and stars of Hacks. I shook his hand, introduced myself, and told him that the finale of Hacks was—and I just made a sound because I had no words. He asked, “You’re all caught up?” Yes! I responded. “It’s intense,” he said. And I told him about the moment with the journal. It was my favorite moment of the episode.
“As soon as she set that journal down—”
“Did you know right then?!”
“Yes, I knew. I was like, ‘she’s never going to be able to write another joke!’”
And he said he wondered if people were going to pick up on that right away or not. He had wondered if people would understand the notebook moment. I understood it deeply.
He told me some people told him that they thought Deborah had died in that moment. “What?” I thought. And he continued, yeah, quite a few people said they thought Deborah was dead in that scene when Ava leaves, and he didn’t really understand why…I don’t understand either. It’s a patient scene where we’re alone with Deborah for a bit, but…I kind of think that’s a weird take. Sorry if you thought that lol.
But I went on to tell him what I said above more succinctly, and he agreed and was glad that’s what I got from it. His emphasis was a little more on Ava being her comedy partner, but we both were on the same page.
It was a lovely moment, and I can’t believe it, and I’m so thankful that I got to share that with one of the creators of Hacks. Like, wow! He is so kind and generous.
I never would’ve guessed they would end the series this way, and I love the journey they took us on. Episode 9 was already a high and a win. I wasn’t sure how they would wrap up the show. I love the themes throughout this series of Ava and Deborah saving each other and showing up for each other time and time again. They need each other and comedy. It all culminated in this moment. Again, they ate that. The direction by Lucia Aniello was beautiful, and everyone was acting their ass off.
In the recent Hollywood Reporter Roundtable featuring Quinta Brunson, Keke Palmer, Rachel Sennott, Lisa Kudrow, Ashley Padilla, and Hannah Einbinder, Hannah Einbinder mentioned some insecurities around her acting since she came from the world of stand-up. Lisa Kudrow affirmed that she is very good at acting. And let me just affirm it too because mama was ACTING.
Comedy may not sound as necessary or as important as other professions, but it saves people every day. And that’s why I respect and love it so much.
What did you think of the Hacks finale?
I also just finished season 1 of Psycho-Pass, and it also blew my mind. TV is so good. What are you watching? This publication is free, but if you’d like to donate to me, please click “Buy Me a Tea” below!
Cheers,
Paige Elson