When Hacks picks up with season four, Deborah Vance is almost exactly where she has always wanted to be, with the one exception of her writer and friend, Ava, blackmailing her way into the head writer position. Hacks leans heavily into Deborah and Ava's history of conflict, having the two portray an argumentative relationship for the majority of the season before Ava finally hits a breaking point that allows their friendship to become more important than their arguments. Ava and Deborah's unlikely friendship is the heart and soul of Hacks, and the two could not spend forever on opposite sides of an argument. The series is fun when they are in conflict, but it is even better when they are on the same page.
Deborah and Ava's rivalry in season four offers frustration on all sides, as Ava wants to prove herself as the best candidate for the head writer job while Deborah aims to ensure Ava's ideas fail at every turn. However, it is "A Slippery Slope" that allows everything from their arguments to their reconciliation to be worth it in the end. Deborah's choice to stand by Ava and let go of her lifelong dream to host a late-night talk show is one of the biggest signs of how much their relationship has grown. Hosting the show had been Deborah's dream, and the idea that she could ever give it up seemed unthinkable. Yet, it is her relationship with Ava and recognition that they work best as a team that turns Deborah against the series she had worked so hard to return to. "A Slippery Slope" is not the season four finale, but maybe it should have been.
"A Slippery Slope" has many factors that wrap up the season nicely while teasing an upcoming dilemma. Deborah's turn against late-night television to choose her friend is a huge moment of character development for Deborah, who is known for making selfish choices and always turning the attention to herself. It is Deborah's decision in that moment, rather than Deborah's reconciliation with Ava on the beach a few episodes prior, that really makes everything they had gone through in season four, as well as in the rest of the series, worth it. Their dynamic may be unconventional, but it works for them, and at the end of the day, they have both shown their willingness to choose each other above their own individual professional desires. However, the conclusion that reveals that Deborah is under a contractual non-compete agreement, which prevents her from being on other shows or performing on stage, sets up the emotional strife of what will happen next. It is a cliffhanger ending that leaves season four in a bittersweet place, but one that could have been an exciting jump point for season five to tackle. However, the season does not end here, and "Heaven" concludes the season on what is, in comparison, a far more underwhelming finale.
"Heaven" sees Deborah bring Ava to Singapore as a way to find a loophole in her contract. Deborah is not really performing if she has a translator speaking the jokes, and thus leads to a season finale that never quite packs a punch. It does play well into Deborah's workaholic tendencies as she chooses to perform in Singapore rather than vacation in Hawaii, but the final plot twist that sends Deborah wanting to return home after a leaked obituary is not necessarily the exciting or emotionally impactful cliffhanger that this show has been known for. It acts more as a season premiere in an answer to "A Slippery Slope," giving audiences an answer about how Deborah would handle her non-compete contract immediately, rather than waiting until season five for an answer. But, there is no real plot development occurring here, and if anything, it uses more recycled plots. Hacks finds a way to have Deborah bored with performing old material. Ava becomes tired of the growing unhappiness of working with a version of Deborah that lacks an interest in updating or improving her act. They argue briefly only to reconcile later on.
"Heaven" sets the scene of what to expect to see in season five, now that Deborah and Ava are back on the same page, or at least appear to be. Unlike previous seasons, season five may have a chance of starting off without any form of conflict between Deborah and Ava, and instead, they can just jump into whatever their plan becomes to see Deborah's return to the television or stage. Season four overall is an interesting insight into the creation of late-night television and the struggle to be original, unique, and appeal to many demographics at once. To its credit, it tries as hard as it can to keep its main conflict personal between Ava and Deborah, more so than trying to find conflict within the construct or reviews of Deborah's late-night show itself, which at least allows a stronger connection to the characters, more so than the late show.
Regardless of the highs and lows portrayed throughout the episodes, season four remained strong in ensuring that Ava and Deborah's relationship stayed at the center of the series. Hacks has developed a strong world between Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and the ever-changing dynamic that occurs between Deborah and Ava personally and professionally. The upcoming fifth season has the chance to allow the two to start the new episodes on the same page, which could already let season five be a fairly unique experience in comparison to previous seasons, which have found ways to start with the two either in a fight, conflict, or somehow separated. Overall, season four delivers a series of significant storylines and character growth that sees a real payoff to Deborah and Ava's longtime push-and-pull dynamic.