From Deborah’s shocking betrayal to Ava’s devious scheme, the ending of Hacks season 3 was full of surprising revelations that will completely change the show going forward. Hacks’ season 3 finale – season 3, episode 9, “Bulletproof” – sees Deborah getting ready to begin her stint as a late-night show host. At the end of episode 8, Jimmy showed up at Deborah’s house with the good news that the network had decided to give her the job, and episode 9 sees her moving to L.A. to finally achieve her lifelong dream of hosting a late-night show.

The Hacks season 3 story arc has been building up to Deborah taking the host’s chair at the Late Show since the beginning. But now that she’s got the job, she has to actually prove she can do it. Deborah has to overcome her insecurities about missing out on her last shot at late-night in order to really seize this opportunity. She doesn’t want to give the network an excuse to fire her, and she becomes blinded by those fears, so she makes some regrettable decisions that lead to jaw-dropping consequences.

Why Deborah Doesn't Choose Ava As Her Head Writer

She Is Terrified About Losing Out On Her Dream Again

When Deborah gets the Late Show hosting job, she immediately asks Ava to be her head writer. Their working relationship is stronger than ever and Deborah couldn’t have gotten the gig without Ava’s help, so she wants to repay her by giving her the top job in the writers’ room. So, Ava quits her job as a co-producer at On the Contrary, and even turns down the opportunity to take on the head writer position there. But then, she’s disappointed to learn that the network won’t let Deborah choose her own head writer. They want to keep their guy, Steve.

As a dejected Ava wanders the streets, she spots network head Winnie Landell (played by Hacks season 3 guest star Helen Hunt) waiting for her car at a valet stand. Ava pleads with Winnie to give her the head writer job and tells her that despite her lack of late-night experience, she’s the best candidate. Winnie agrees that Ava should have the job and tells her to pitch herself to Deborah, because Deborah has complete control over who to hire as head writer. When Ava confronts Deborah about the lie, she learns the real reason she didn’t get the job.

In her attempts to overcome the insecurities over her previous failed late-night hosting gig, Deborah paid a visit to Biff, the executive who fired her. Biff said that her pilot tested through the roof and she would’ve been a great late-night host, but the network couldn’t handle the negative publicity with the rumor that Deborah burned her husband’s house down. Biff advises Deborah never to give the network an excuse to get rid of her. She decided against hiring Ava and instead kept on the current head writer because she didn’t want to rock the boat at the network.

Why Marcus Is Quitting His Job With Deborah

He Has Been Feeling Ignored For A While

At the beginning of the Hacks season 3 finale, Marcus confides to Damien that he’s quitting Deborah’s team and moving on to a new career. Damien is devastated by this news and worries that Deborah’s team will crumble without having Marcus on top of everything, but Marcus assures him they’ll be okay. The reason for Marcus’ quitting was explained in season 3, episode 8, “Yes, And.” Marcus was furious at Deborah for skipping the Pride event he organized for her, and when he called her on it, he felt like he wasn’t being listened to. So, he’s letting go.

The Real Reason For Kathy's Anger At Deborah Explained

Deborah Keeps Putting Herself & Her Career Ahead Of Her Loved Ones

After Deborah and Kathy finally hashed out their issues and made peace at Deborah’s Christmas party, at the beginning of the season 3 finale, Kathy is excited to spend the weekend with Deborah. But she’s disappointed to learn that, because Deborah is so busy prepping her new late-night show, she can only spend an afternoon with Kathy. Kathy wants to visit their parents’ burial site, and she becomes incensed that Deborah takes a work call while they’re paying their respects. And then she’s even more incensed when she learns that Deborah moved their mother’s body to Vegas without telling her.

Whereas Kathy has learned from her mistakes and grown from them, Deborah is just repeating hers.

The real reason why Kathy is so angry at Deborah isn’t just because she canceled their weekend together, or because she took a work call at their parents’ graveside. It’s the connecting tissue between these two incidents. Kathy sees that Deborah is once again getting consumed by her career and losing sight of what’s really important. This is the same mistake that Deborah made decades ago that led to the rift between the two sisters. Whereas Kathy has learned from her mistakes and grown from them, Deborah is just repeating hers.

Why Jimmy Doesn't Want Kayla To Leave Their Company

She Provides Value In Her Own Unique Way

Throughout the season, Jimmy has constantly expressed disappointment with his assistant Kayla for mes his schedule and sending emails to the wrong recipients. When she’s had enough, Kayla leaves their company and heads to Mykonos. But Jimmy races onto the plane to stop her from leaving. He explains that, while she’s a terrible assistant, she’s a great manager. She’s the one who figured out how to get Deborah the Late Show job by launching a Fatty Arbuckle biopic. She’s much more useful than she seems. When Jimmy finally realizes Kayla’s value, he promotes her from assistant to partner.

Why Ava Really Buys That Bottle Of Champagne – Her Blackmail Plan Explained

She's Getting What She Wants By Becoming As Ruthless As Deborah

When she confronts Deborah about lying to her, Ava tells Deborah that she’s not just lonely when she opens a bottle of champagne; Ava tells Deborah that she’s always lonely, and she’ll die lonely, before storming out. This is a reference to their heart-to-heart from season 3, episode 5, “One Day,” in which Deborah confided that she feels particularly lonely when she cracks open a bottle of champagne. Champagne can’t be re-corked, so she has to finish it alone – and she wishes she had someone to share it with. Ava then goes to a convenience store.

While she’s paying at the checkout, she spots a bottle of champagne behind the counter and adds that to her tab. This champagne purchase is symbolic of Ava taking a leaf out of Deborah’s book. When Ava shows up for her first day as a staff writer at Deborah’s late-night show, she blackmails Deborah into giving her the head writer position by threatening to reveal that she slept with owner Bob Lipka before securing the hosting job. If the network finds out about that, they might consider it a conflict of interest and fire Deborah from her dream job.

The Real Meaning Of Hacks Season 3's Ending

Deborah & Ava's Feuds Are Getting More Intense

The season 3 finale puts yet another strain on Deborah and Ava’s relationship, like Ava’s defamatory email about Deborah in the season 1 finale and Deborah firing Ava in the season 2 finale. Ava’s blackmail scheme might be the most shocking development in their tumultuous relationship to date. Ava has always taken the high road, but she’s finally using Deborah’s duplicitous tactics against her.

How The Hacks Season 3 Ending Was Received

Critics & Fans Alike Loved The Cliffhanger

Hacks season 3 pulled off a huge upset at the 2024 Emmys by winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award over The Bear, and a big reason for the season's success is how riveting the finale is. Critics have showered Hacks with praise since its premiere, and gave season 3 a 98% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, saying that it makes a "persuasive argument for its own longevity." Having spent a lot of time with these characters, pundits were in agreement that the season 3 finale was a triumph for the show, with Harrison Richlin at Indiewire saying,

Part of the beauty of this finale is its complexity. Even though Ava is stooping to Deborah’s shark-like levels, she’s doing so for the benefit of both their careers knowing Deborah can’t see the forest for the trees and is merely operating from a place of fear.

Hacks fans also largely embraced the season 3 ending. While some were unhappy with seeing Ava stoop to Deborah's level, and expressed desire for the protégé to branch out on her own once and for all, most of us couldn't be more excited to see the two characters face off now that the stakes are so high. In a Reddit discussion about the season 3 finale, JuicyApple2023 said it best:

I enjoyed the finale immensely. We don’t have the Ava / Deborah dynamic if they are apart... Season 4 is gonna be awesome! The hate / love will be very satisfying.

How Hacks Season 3 Sets Up Season 4

Deborah & Ava Are Taking The Gloves Off

While Ava may have won the head writer battle, Hacks season 4 sees Deborah hellbent on making sure she doesn't win the war. The trailer puts Deborah's viciousness on full display, showing her popping balloons obviously set up by Ava and letting Ava hit the ground in what looks like a trust fall exercise. We also hear Jimmy warning Ava, "She's been doing this for 50 years. You're not gonna beat her at her own game."

We know how important Deborah and Ava's relationship is to both of them.

Season 4 will hardly be the first time the two Hacks main characters have been at odds, as Deborah's lawsuit against Ava was a major storyline in season 2, and season 3 premiered with Ava fostering a huge grudge against Deborah for firing her. Still, we root for both women because Hacks' genius lies in showing the vulnerability beneath their ruthlessness. The audience knows how big a deal it is for Deborah to have her late-night show become a success, and we know how important Deborah and Ava's relationship is to both of them.

No matter how contentious their relationship may get, each season of Hacks features plenty of tender moments between Deborah and Ava. We even get a peek at some in the season 4 trailer with the pair sharing a triumphant high-five and Ava refusing to let go of Deborah's hand. My guess is that they will find common ground, though not before their feud reaches brutal yet hilarious heights.