How ‘Hacks’ Ends Deb & Ava’s Story In Finale

SPOILERS: This post contains details about the Hacks series finale

After five seasons, Hacks gave fans an emotional farewell on Thursday with the series finale of the HBO Max comedy drama.

In the episode ‘Hacks’, directed by Lucia Aniello from a script she wrote with her co-creators Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, Deborah (Jean Smart) follows through on taking Ava (Hannah Einbinder) to Europe after performing her record-breaking Central Park stand-up set, which she put together at the last minute after Bob Lipka (Tony Goldwyn) sabotaged her Madison Square Garden date.

Following months of trying to solidify her legacy, which includes the grand opening of her own casino, The Diva, Deb reveals to Ava that the mass she had removed earlier in the season has come back and spread.

“You’re not going to like this next part,” Deborah tells Ava.

Instead of going through treatment, she decides to go out on her own terms. Following their Parisian getaway, Deb plans to take a train to Zurich, where she’ll check into Dignitize, “the best” assisted suicide facility.

Ava fights back, refusing to accept Deborah’s decision and her humorous approach to death, but she ultimately agrees to go on the trip.

The pair has a picture-perfect visit to the City of Love, where Ava convinces Deborah to take drugs with her at a nightclub, and Deb introduces Ava to “real bread,” in addition to teaching her how to properly bargain at a Parisian flea market.

Taking the lesson to “never accept the first offer,” Ava makes one last attempt to change Deborah’s mind, complete with research about the latest treatments. Ultimately, Ava gives in with a heartbreakingly emotional performance from Einbinder.

While waiting for the train to Zurich, the pair gets back into their comedic banter, exchanging jokes about the best and worst parts of dying. As Ava heads to their train, Deb hangs back to write down a joke before chasing after her.

“The worst part about dying is I can’t even enjoy being bone thin… that’s the better joke,” she tells her, mirroring their exchange in Deborah’s driveway from the pilot episode, in which she first hires Ava.

“I may not have 30 years, but I think I have another hour … will you help me write it?” asks Deborah, as Ava embraces her with a tearful hug. “Always,” she replies.

Back home in Los Angeles, their manager Jimmy (Downs) makes an incriminating discovery at Latitude, where he was forced to return as a mailroom clerk after he and Kayla’s (Megan Stalter) management company went under.

Together, they crash Latitude’s retreat, where they confront Kayla’s dad/the boss, Michael (Earl Brown), with evidence he’s been selling deceased clients’ likenesses and voices to AI companies and keeping the profit for himself. Threatening to turn him in if he doesn’t, Michael agrees to their demands that he step down and turn the company over to the two of them.

Sounds like the perfect ingredients for a spin-off series. Eh, HBO Max?

The episode ends on a heartwarming, upbeat note, as Deborah and Ava walk arm-and-arm down the Las Vegas Strip to ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’ by Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand.