This article contains spoilers for Hacks Season 5 Episode 8.
All good things come to an end, and Hacks Season 5 Episode 8 is the epitome of that. While the final season has carried a melancholic tone throughout, “The Cube” feels like the beginning of everything coming together for its characters as we bid farewell to the series. Written by Genevieve Aniello and Jess Dweck, the episode escalates Deborah’s (Jean Smart) attempts to sell out Madison Square Garden while simultaneously pushing Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) and Kayla (Meg Stalter) towards an emotional crossroads that feels long overdue. It’s a funny instalment, but also one of the season’s saddest.
“The Cube” wastes no time in establishing the rather impossible standards Deborah continues to set for herself to reach audiences. She wants to start her MSG show by being lifted into the air in a straitjacket while gagged – a reference to her literally being bound and gagged by Bob Lipka. Though don’t worry, her team are “in talks with Pink’s aerial team,” a line sharp enough to remind viewers just how much television will miss Hacks once it ends.
Amanda (Alanna Ubach) is less concerned with the optics and needs Deborah to hold a press conference to announce the ticket-on-sale date. Deborah cannot do that because of the gag order, so she insists her team will come up with “something out of the box” instead.
That “something out of the box” is drag queen Katya Zamolodchikova, a guest appearance that aligns far more naturally with both Hacks and its audience than Trisha Paytas’ cameo earlier this season. Once again, the show has something to say about legacy and the treatment of ageing talent. Katya embodies ‘90s Deborah, going wildly off-script, much to Deborah’s horror, while Deborah attempts to position the imitation as the current version of her brand rather than a nostalgic relic. Unsurprisingly, it does not work. After the Deborah-on-Deborah violence – which in itself is a delight – Deborah concludes the stunt will never feel bold because, ultimately, she must promote the MSG show herself.
Crucially, Hacks never mocks Deborah for seeking relevance. Instead, the episode highlights how exhausting it must be to constantly reinvent yourself within an industry that discards women the moment they fail to meet impossible standards surrounding age and desirability. It’s made clear that Deborah feels trapped by those expectations, even as she actively contributes to them. Since she technically cannot perform herself, the Amazing Stephen (Rhys Mitchell) can randomly select her from the audience of one of his magic shows as a volunteer instead.
The emotional centre of the episode emerges once Deborah’s stunt inevitably goes wrong. Suspended high above the Las Vegas strip inside a transparent cube, Deborah suddenly becomes trapped during a city-wide blackout, leaving her stranded in the air with no way down. Few comedies can make viewers laugh and feel physically anxious as quickly as Hacks does here. The episode still finds time for smaller comedic moments – including Stephen assuming Ava (Hannah Einbinder) is Deborah’s girlfriend – but much of “The Cube” carries gutting weight.
Einbinder continues going from strength to strength opposite Smart, delivering some of her strongest material of the season. Ava and Deborah’s conversations, as Deborah hangs suspended above Vegas, reflect the emotional crux of Season 5. Deborah admits she no longer understands why she keeps forcing herself into impossible situations when countless easier promotional opportunities existed. Ava’s response – that Deborah does her best work backed into a corner – encapsulates both their relationship and Ava’s unwavering belief in Deborah as a performer.
Smart is also extraordinary throughout the entire ordeal. When Ava points out that Deborah is not in immediate danger, Deborah begins strategising, calling upon Damien (Mark Indelicato), Danny at Channel 6, and Mayor Jo (Lauren Weedman). Much like the earlier Pink reference, Hacks continues proving how sharp its cultural references remain. A livestream of Deborah trapped inside the cube features comments ranging from “if u live, come to Brazil” to “release the Snyder Cut” and “release the Epstein files” in all capitals, perfectly reflecting the internet’s ability to turn serious situations into content.
Weedman also steals every scene she appears in as Mayor Jo returns. She addresses the media and explains that Deborah could potentially burn alive in the Vegas heat if the power does not return, which somehow becomes one of the episode’s funniest turns, as Weedman delivers every line with complete sincerity. Moments later, when Deborah uses her lipstick to write “help me sell tix” on the Cube, entertaining the crowd with the clown dance, Jo recognises it as the traditional Mexican clown dance, an excellent callback to Episode 5.
When the Vegas lights finally return, and Deborah is safely lowered to the ground, the episode delivers the moment everybody has been waiting for. MSG sells out in ten minutes, and Amanda reluctantly admits Deborah’s ridiculous stunt worked.
Elsewhere, “The Cube” gives Downs and Stalter some of their most effective material yet. Jimmy and Kayla’s storyline initially plays for laughs as they pack up the Schaefer & LuSaque office amid mounting financial collapse. However, a lawsuit filed by Kayla’s father, Michael (W. Earl Brown), following a loss of commissions connected to Bruno Fox pushes both characters – and performances – into devastating territory.
The pair’s strongest scene arrives later when their electric car dies in the middle of the road, leaving them stranded. Kayla refuses to surrender to her father’s control, but Jimmy recognises the impossible reality of their situation. They do not have the money to fight the lawsuit, nor can they continue protecting their clients without resources or industry support. Returning to Latitude would at least guarantee stability for the talent they represent, namely Ava and Deborah, even if it destroys everything they attempted to build independently.
What makes the scene work so beautifully is how Hacks completely trusts their relationship. Like Deborah and Ava, Jimmy and Kayla’s partnership becomes whatever viewers interpret it to be. Kayla’s frustration goes far beyond the business itself. She hates watching her father manipulate Jimmy the same way he has controlled her for years, and she cannot stand the idea of him taking credit for Deborah’s success. Stalter continues proving there is far more emotional depth beneath Kayla’s eccentricity than the series initially suggests, while Downs delivers heartbreaking work as Jimmy accepts defeat.
Their chemistry remains one of the show’s most underrated strengths. Jimmy admitting that running the business together was fun while it lasted lands as one of the episode’s most gut-wrenching moments, especially after Kayla reveals she joined the industry to spend time with him. Downs and Stalter have surely secured Emmy nominations here.
While Deborah succeeds in her efforts, the closing scene only heightens the sadness running throughout “The Cube”. Jimmy, Kayla, and Randi (Robby Hoffman) return to Latitude. While Kayla’s and Randi’s positions remain protected, Jimmy gets demoted to the office mailroom. Downs plays the humiliation quietly, which makes Jimmy stumbling across a Variety cover celebrating Deborah selling out MSG and returning to Latitude Management hit even harder. Even Deborah’s triumph now belongs to somebody else.
As Hacks nears its end, “The Cube” proves the series still has its finger on the pulse, unlike anything else on television. After maintaining such consistency throughout its run, it deserves to bow out on a high. That does not mean saying goodbye will come easily.
