'Hacks' Season 5 Episode 9 Review, 'Deborah' Struggles With Comeback, 'Ava' Secures Career Milestone

Hacks is a HBO dark comedy series that might serve as a comfort watch for people who are desperately looking to hold on to their position or make a comeback. It explores the turbulent work dynamics between two women belonging to different eras. They are a legendary, ageing Las Vegas stand-up comedian, 'Deborah Vance' (played by Jean Smart) and an outcast, 25-year-old comedy writer, 'Ava Daniels' (played by Hannah Einbinder). 'Ava' is young and entitled, entitled, who once had a bright career as a comedy writer in LA.

However, things went downhill after 'Hannah' posted an insensitive tweet, leading to her getting cancelled and left unhirable. It is at this low phase that she comes across 'Deborah'. She reluctantly hires 'Hannah' to revamp her content. It leads to a chaotic partnership in which the two women continually clash over generational differences and their sense of humour. The unique plot-oriented series recently released its penultimate episode of Season 5 on May 21, 2026. Let's take a look at whether it's a hit or a miss.

Hacks Season 5 Episode 9 sees 'Deborah Vance's' dream comeback foil

In Hacks Season 5 Episode 9, titled The Garden, 'Deborah Vance' is finally on the brink of making her much-awaited comeback. The say she was waiting for has finally arrived but did it go according to her plans? No. The showmakers added an interesting twist of conflict in the otherwise straight plot. Right before taking the stage in her hard-won Carol Burnett jumpsuit, 'Deborah' and her team ('Ava', 'Jimmy', 'Kayla', and 'Randi') notice a strange thing, which is a total absence of crowd noise.

When 'Deborah' looks out to check what the issue was, she sees that the entire 20,000-seat Madison Square Garden stadium is completely empty, except for 'Bob Lipka'  (Tony Goldwyn) sitting alone in the audience. Now comes the big moment of reality check for 'Deborah', who, even after keeping ticket prices very low for her comeback show, failed to draw an audience. However, it wasn't her fault; rather, it was a calculated act of revenge by 'Bob'.

'Bob' offers to negotiate with 'Deborah', but she stands her ground

'Bob', who was once very attractive to 'Deborah', is now her biggest eyesore. To take revenge on her, he leverages her low-cost tickets to buy out the entire MSG arena. He tells her that he would let the audience in on one condition, i.e. 'Deborah' must sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) promising never to speak about him or late-night television. She, however, holds her ground and refuses to give in to the blackmail. 'Deborah' rejects his deal, walking away from her MSG milestone. The character is true to her real self, and fans love her for choosing her self-respect over the lucrative offer from 'Bob'.

'Deborah's' redemption after the MSG crisis

After the MSG plan falls apart, 'Deborah' and her team desperately look for an alternative venue and head to Central Park, where they find a massive stage being torn down. Luckily, 'Deborah' finds a familiar face among the dismantlers and convinces him to let her use the stage before he destroys it. She then delivers a successful performance there, setting an all-time attendance record for the location. During the show, she also breaks her long-standing feud with 'Joy Behar' and surprises 'Ava' by publicly acknowledging that they are performing on stolen land.

'Ava's' career milestone amid 'Deborah's' MSG situation

Much of the episode's focus is on 'Deborah' and her complete arc of conflict, fight back and redemption. The problem and solution are presented in the same episode, resulting in a perfect conclusion to the chapter. Now, the spotlight falls on 'Ava' and what will her story's ending be like. While 'Deborah' deals with the MSG crisis, 'Ava' pitches her reboot to the network. She draws on her personal experience with 'Deborah' to find the perfect angle for the series' plot. It centres around two women from different generations who butt heads but ultimately make each other better people. By the end of the episode, Ava officially receives a pilot order for her reboot, marking a major career milestone.

'Deborah' reconnects with an old flame

Following the gruelling career-oriented episode, it shifts to a more personal tone when 'Deborah' reconnects with 'Marty' (Christopher McDonald), her long-term friend, ex-lover, and former business associate. Following the loss of his job at the Palmetto casino, 'Marty' comes across 'Deborah' and the duo share a heartfelt, platonic moment of reconnection. She then offers him a position to help 'Marcus' (Carl Clemons-Hopkins) look after operations at her management company, The Diva, which he accepts. Thus, the episode offers a rollercoaster of emotions, from initial struggles to everything eventually falling into place. It sets the stage for a likely happy ending, which will be revealed as the Season 5 finale airs on May 28, 2026.

Photos Credit: HBO Max

What are your thoughts on Hacks Season 3 Episode 9's timeline of events? Let us know.

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