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Hacks Season 4 Episode 1 & 2 Ending Explained: Deborah & Ava’s Truce, Vegas Retreat & new Power Moves
The premiere of Hacks season four throws viewers right into the fallout of “Baby’s First Blackmail,” and it’s anything but clean. Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels are back—suited up in jewel-toned blazers and armed with emotional grenades. What begins as icy professional warfare ends, surprisingly, with a reluctant truce… but not without deep scars that may never fully heal. In this article, we will reveal what happened in the first two episodes of Hacks season 4.
Deborah’s Fury, Ava’s Leverage — And one Power move After Another
After Deborah lands her dream late-night show but appoints someone else as head writer, Ava retaliates with blackmail, using Deborah’s secret affair with network CEO Bob Lipka as leverage. Jimmy warns Ava she’s playing with fire—after all, Deborah once allegedly got someone removed from an organ transplant list.
Deborah doesn’t take the betrayal lightly. Her first strike? A brutal HR stunt involving Ava’s worn-out underwear that results in the entire team undergoing sexual harassment training. As Ava and Deborah trade veiled threats during the session, it becomes clear that although Deborah may appear vulnerable, it’s Ava who walks away rattled.
Ava also finds herself further sidelined when Deborah bombs the show’s press conference, ignoring Ava’s sharp comebacks to ageist reporters. The fallout continues as Ava spirals—thanks to a fake HR tip about drug use and a sabotaged dinner, Ava ends up chugging Monster to pass a pee test and missing a crucial writer meet-up.
“You Wanted the Job, now do it.”
By the end of Hacks season 2 episode two, aptly titled “Cover Girls,” the dynamic between Ava and Deborah begins to shift again. Deborah realizes that her dream of hosting a late-night show is at risk, and even she can’t afford to keep sabotaging her own team. Winnie (Helen Hunt), the network head, makes it clear: the show is already behind schedule, and Deborah needs Ava, whether she likes it or not.
So she pulls her ultimate power move—not by firing Ava, but by forcing her to step up.
The episode closes with Deborah dragging Ava from her Glendale apartment to a private charter flight in Burbank. Their destination? Vegas, for a surprise writers’ retreat. “You wanted the job, now do it,” Deborah seems to say without saying it.
She’s giving Ava a shot to lead the room but also reminding her who still holds the cards. It’s a twisted form of mentorship—but one that feels painfully on-brand for their complicated relationship.
Marcus bows out—and Gives Deborah her next big win
Meanwhile, Marcus makes a major move of his own. After 22 years of loyalty, he tells Deborah he’s stepping away—and selling DV Industries to QVC. His decision is personal, but it’s also brilliant: it allows Deborah to sidestep a non-compete clause in her new network contract by technically outsourcing her brand’s product sales.
Deborah offers him an honorary executive producer title in return, but the message is clear: Marcus is moving on, and she has to let him go.
Coyotes, Nightmares, and the fear of Losing it all
Looming over these early Hacks season 4 episodes is a subtle, symbolic threat—coyotes. First appearing in Deborah’s nightmare and later outside her home, the animals symbolize trickery, fear, and vulnerability. They hint at Deborah’s paranoia as she ascends to the pinnacle of her career. They’re a haunting reminder: with success comes the fear of betrayal, of being toppled, of having your empire crumble beneath you.
“You won—and you Broke my Heart”
The emotional climax for hits during a photoshoot for The New York Times Magazine. Deborah and Ava, posed as creative partners, still snap at each other, but there’s undeniable beauty in their dysfunction. Ava looks stunning; Deborah admits defeat.
She admits that Ava won and broke Deborah’s heart.
It's raw, unfiltered—and definitive. Deborah may concede the battle, but the war between these two has only shifted fronts. As they pose for the camera—“Closer. A little closer. Perfect.”—the scene closes with more questions than answers.
Are they finally equals? Or is this just another ceasefire in a never-ending war?
Hacks season four’s opening episodes set the stage for a power struggle that’s far from over. With old alliances crumbling and new roles being tested, Deborah and Ava are headed straight into the lion’s den—together, for now. But in the world of Hacks, truce is just another word for tension waiting to explode.
Where can you Watch Hacks Season 4?
New episodes of Hacks season four are available to stream every Thursday on Max & Crave in the US and every Friday on Sky & NOW in the UK and Stan in Australia. The third episode, titled, “What Happens in Vegas” will air on April 17, 2025.
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