This article contains spoilers for Hacks Season 5 Episode 3.
Taking fandom hopes and theories and projecting them onto a series rarely ends well – especially when a show like Hacks remains so assured in its narrative direction. Creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky pitched the ending when first shopping the show, so press attempts to blur the boundary between fandom and the cast and crew carry little weight in shaping where the story heads.
“No New Tricks” will therefore almost certainly divide viewers, not least because it takes Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) ‘away’ from one another – though their dynamic remains the episode’s driving force – but because it places them both in the world of dating. As a lover of their dynamic first and foremost, and someone who, too, worried that the episode would steal from their time together in a 10-episode final season, it is another hysterical instalment that cements just why Hacks is one of the definitive comedies of the 21st century.
While it is easy to go into the episode thinking it will be cringe – and it is, in true Hacks fashion – it also offers Smart and Einbinder some of their strongest material, particularly the latter, who delivers a laugh a minute. It is easy to forget how far Einbinder has come since Season 1, but episodes such as these are an excellent reminder of how much she has improved as a performer.
The Palmetto’s newest artist-in-residence, Nico Hayes (Christopher Briney), arrives with intrigue, immediately catching Ava’s attention, and more importantly, Deborah’s. When Deborah learns that Nico wants to take her to dinner – and that the internet has already branded them “Nicorah” – she approaches the date as a publicity stunt. In her words, she is “bound and gagged,” so she needs the attention. She assumes the same for Nico, who must want visibility for his residency.
Though the episode initially frames Deborah’s foray into dating as a calculated publicity play, it soon complicates that assumption in ways that feel both surprising and true to Hacks’ emotional and comic strengths. Nico mirrors Deborah as someone who understands the cost of fame and, as a result, seeks privacy. When she realises Nico genuinely likes her and treats her as a woman of her stature deserves, she settles into it. Even so, her need to control the narrative never dissipates. One could argue that the bar is on the floor, given all he offers are private dinners and fast replies, though this is a heterosexual relationship.
Smart is, as ever, operating on another level here. Whether she is relishing a red-carpet moment she claims to dread or comparing Ava’s fashion choices to those of her grandson, she finds more opportunities to exemplify why her performance as Deborah Vance is television’s greatest. While her chemistry with Briney is nowhere near that of Einbinder, Smart is a seasoned vet who knows how to turn on the charm and make the May-December relationship work. For a moment, “No New Tricks” dares to ask what it might look like if Deborah let herself enjoy something uncomplicated.
Of course, Hacks has never been interested in letting its characters off that easily. The episode’s sharpest turn comes not from the relationship itself, but from Deborah’s instincts. The reveal that she tipped off the paparazzi on their first date soon ends the budding romance between her and Nico, something that was always coming. It is a reminder that despite her growth, Deborah still defaults to control and self-preservation at any cost – and she is all the better a character for it.
Running parallel to this is Ava’s own romantic subplot, which is the episode’s most hilarious storyline. She soon charms Eli (Grady Eldridge), a sex worker who does not classify sex as work because he loves what he does. Ava’s openness and her eagerness to be progressive are both endearing and gently skewered. She counters that the phrase reflects a capitalist propaganda designed to get people to self-identify with their labour output to amass more productive hours. When he asks if she went to grad school, it becomes the hottest thing anyone has ever said to her. Again, the bar is on the floor, but writer Aisha Muharrar deftly understands that.
The episode is at its wittiest when it reveals that Eli is also an aspiring magician. Ava’s inability to take his dreams seriously exposes a blind spot that feels entirely in character. The show cleverly positions Ava – so often the moral centre behind Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) – as dismissive and, in her own way, reductive. Her position is entirely understandable, however, and allows Eli’s client, Mayor Jo (Lauren Weedman), to steal the show. When Ava dismisses the idea of magic, Eli ends his career as a sex worker, devastating Jo. Her offering a threesome, referring to Ava as Peppermint Patty – “That’s the gay one, right?” – is exquisite comedy.
Season 5 of Hacks utilises Carl Clemons-Hopkins far better than in previous seasons, though this still is not enough. His storyline this week provides a quieter but no less resonant exploration of risk. Marcus’ desire to preserve and reinvent the Paradiso reflects Hacks’s ongoing interest in legacy, focusing on what is worth saving and the costs to do so. Deborah’s initial advice, that buying the building is a risk he should not take, underlines how much her own recent setbacks have lessened her risk appetite.
That makes her eventual reversal even more significant. After Marty (Christopher McDonald) is publicly humiliated at another wedding and Deborah later rejects him, everyone learns a lesson. Deborah believes that it is a gift to take risks at their age, and in choosing to back Marcus, as a partner or silent investor, reasserts the version of herself that Bob Lipka cannot take away – nor Nico, who writes a song about her that riles up his fan army. As Ava corroborates, it will all be good for the Madison Square Garden show anyway.
“No New Tricks” may divide viewers, but its willingness to let its characters be contradictory, short-sighted, and hellbent on change is precisely what keeps Hacks compelling this far into its run. It’s an episode about risk in all its forms – romantic, professional, and emotional – and the inevitability of getting it wrong. Crucially, it understands that the missteps are where the most interesting stories lie.
