Something I bring to the table as an avid television watcher (lol) is an obsessive attention to the way that characters, like real people, can only say one thing at a time and sometimes they’re saying what they mean and sometimes they’re saying what needs to be said to get something done and sometimes they’re saying what they don’t mean and all the possibilities in-between. I’m constantly aware that even when listening to a character who’s been written with care and intention, that care and intention (infused by both writer and actor) shows up not only in what is said but in the negative space around all the words. I think this is probably a big reason why I tend to be pretty generous about TV—I won’t say overly generous, but some would. I can’t stand it when dialogue sounds off, but as long as it’s in pitch I’m willing to explore a multitude of reasons for everything that’s said and left unsaid.
So I basically feel giddy about Hacks 5x7 because of all the different stuff they fit into their approach to fake dating and the very real relationship lessons that emerge:
Kelly and Monica end the episode genuinely believing that Ava and Deborah are in a relationship—and that’s not only their truth, it’s just TRUE (I’ve seen some posts mourning the concept of Ava and Deborah’s conversation as they drive away being about making the gay fans feel silly for thinking Ava and Deborah could be in a relationship, but personally I think the episode was written to honor the lesbians’ outsider perspective even if their perceptions aren’t perfectly 100% accurate)
Ava, a character who has done her very gentle yet pointed due diligence around opening doors for Deborah to explore her bisexuality, repeatedly refers to Deborah as straight in this episode of all episodes. There are so many different reasons for why she might do this, including wanting her own emotional distance from the insanity of having performed a lesbian relationship with Deborah of all people when she’s felt so strongly about her for so long, including wanting to respect Deborah’s personal truth about her sexual orientation even if she disagrees (because what right would she have to use a word other than the one the person in question uses?), including the possibility that Ava has evolved in her own thinking about Deb to conclude that maybe Deb is right about being straight. And this is to say nothing of what might be going through Deborah’s head as she hears herself described this way. Is she comforted to be perceived as straight? Does she agree? Does she consciously or unconsciously find it easier to stick with that than to reopen earlier conversations?
It’s only after spending a weekend making up very personal lies about her sex life with Deborah that Ava confronts her tendencies to overshare in a way that could believably stick and cause her to rethink her approach to conversations where she’s out of her element.
Deborah, established in 1x1 as something of an equal opportunity offender, is insecure enough about looking dumb that she resorts to parroting clichés and somewhat nonsensical lesbian jokes, which of course makes her look actually dumb like she was afraid of. S5 has been particularly good about showing Deb’s own awareness about how afraid she is of being made a fool, and she’s had to confront a lot of rumors and perceptions while under this non-compete/restraining order that prevents her from being able to perform. She is literally and legally cut off from a substantial portion of her truth, or at least how she expresses it. Her jokes aren’t great or anything, but I think that’s the point. Deb is only convincing about the fake relationship when she’s staying in the moment and observing/enacting/improvising with Ava, and in front of an audience that’s solely comprised of her bisexual creative soulmate and two lesbians, her prepared material falls as flat as it ever does.
The deep undercurrent of intimacy between Ava and Deborah is never stronger than when they’re alone together or acting like they’re alone together. When Ava interrupts the apology meet-up with Kelly and immediately launches into the intimacy of their domestic lives together?! When they come up with the same “out of [my/your] league” joke in the car at the end, finally getting to be for real funny about why their relationship wouldn’t work in ways that reinforce why the relationship they do have works perfectly?! When it genuinely feels like Ava cheated on Deb with Monica because Deb actually would need monogamy in a sexual relationship scenario and she and Ava both know that to the point that the commitment feels real to them?! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Ava and Deborah might not be in a committed sexual and romantic relationship with each other, but the intimacy and chemistry and deep commitment they do have is—BY FAR—the realest thing about either of their lives. (And I honestly think is a good thing.)
So, yeah. I’ve been reading both the celebrations and critiques of this storyline and understand all the reactions, but really wanted to share the things that made me enjoy not only the trope-y goodness but what I felt were some of the most authentic exchanges of information in five seasons of carefully-constructed dialogue.
