Selena gomez tita

Her face her changed so much over the years, is it surgery?

Since due to the effect of the twin strikes last year, it's quite looking to be an open season this year.
So what are the favourites and priorities for the studios and indies in the awards season race to the Oscars next year.
Searchlight
(1) Nightbitch, (2) A Real Pain, (3) Kinds of Kindness
Focus Features
(1) Nosferatu, (2) Conclave
Warner Bros.
(1) Juror #2, (2) Joker: Folie à Deux [Lady Gaga], (3) SupeMan: The Christopher Reeve Story
Amazon MGM
(1) The Fire Inside, (2) Nickel Boys
Paramount
(1) Gladiator II, (2) Better Man
A24
(1) The Smashing Machine [Dwayne Johnson], (2) Sing Sing
Netflix
(1) Emilia Perez [Selena Gomez], (2) The Piano Lesson, (3) His Three Daughters, (4) Hit Man
Sony
(?) Kraven the Hunter, (1) Here
Lionsgate
(?) Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Apple
Blitz
Neon
Anora
Mubi
(1) The Substance, (2) Bird
Bleecker Street
(1) Hard Truths, (2) Rumours
Roadside Attractions
Exhibiting Forgiveness
SPC
The Room Next Door

Oscar season is finally here.
Ignore the 2025 after June in my title, not sure how I messed that up.
I'm making these predictions under the assumption that Mother Mary, The Smashing Machine, The Room Next Door, Mickey 17, and Long Day's Journey into Night are all 2025 releases
In bold means I've seen it.

1. Anora
2. Queer
3. Nightbitch
4. Sing Sing
5. Dune: Part Two
6. Joker: Folie a Deux
7. Conclave
8. Blitz
9. I'm Still Here
10. Emilia Perez
11. Gladiator II
12. Nickel Boys
13. The Piano Lesson
14. A Real Pain
15. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
16. Juror No. 2
17. Challengers
18. All We Imagine as Light
19. Wicked
20. Hard Truths
21. Hedda
22. Nosferatu
23. Here

I still have Anora at 1. When I picked Anora as my BP frontrunner back in March I fully expected another Boy and the Heron situation where my prediction falls flat on its ass, but surpirse, It looks like Anora could actually win best picture! So I will be here all year
Emmanuel has gone from my number 2 to off my longlists completely. I have also removed Megalopolis from my lineup for obvious reasons, and Juror No. 2 has dropped from 10 to 15.
I have Queer at 2 now as I think this is going to be Guadagnino's most acclaimed film yet and I'm expecting Netflix to pick it up for a big campaign.
Last month I had Nightbitch somewhere after 40 in my longlist but today I have it at 3. Searchlight + December release + buzzy actress in transformative role. I think this will be the weirdo oscar bait of the year.
I'm going in on Walter Salles' I'm Still Here since SPC picked it up and I believe Fremaux was talking about it as a potential Palme winner. I could easily see Salles picking up industry support.
I’m not sure what to do with Emilia Perez because it could go either way. As crowd pleasing as it is the critics are a little too divided for me to feel comfortable predicting it, but nothing else makes sense to put in at 10.
Best Director

1. Luca Guadagnino - Queer
2. Marielle Heller - Nightbitch
3. Steve McQueen - Blitz
4. Sean Baker - Anora
5. Walter Salles - I'm Still Here
6. Todd Phillips - Joker: Folie a Deux
7. Jacques Audiard - Emilia Perez
8. Edward Berger - Conclave
9. Denis Villeneuve - Dune: Part Two
10. Greg Kwedar - Sing Sing
11. Mohammad Rasoulof - The Seed of the Sacred Fig
12. Robert Eggers - Nosferatu
13. Clint Eastwood - Juror No. 2
14. Ridley Scott - Gladiator II

Best Actress

1. Amy Adams - Nightbitch
2. Lady Gaga - Joker: Folie a Deux
3. Mikey Madison - Anora
4. Fernanda Montenegro - I'm Still Here
5. Angelina Jolie - Maria
6. Karla Sofia Gascon - Emilia Perez
7. Cynthia Erivo - Wicked
8. Tessa Thompson - Hedda
9. Zoe Saldana - Emilia Perez
10. Marianne Jean-Baptiste - Hard Truths
11. Zendaya - Challengers

Best Actor

1. Daniel Craig - Queer
2. Colman Domingo - Sing Sing
3. Ralph Fiennes - Conclave
4. Paul Mescal - Gladiator II
5. Joaquin Phoenix - Joker: Folie a Deux
6. Nicholas Hoult - Juror No. 2
7. John David Washington - The Piano Lesson
8. Jesse Plemons - Kinds of Kindness
9. Tom Hanks - Here

I kinda think Craig has this in the bag. I don't see any competition for him besides maybe Domingo but even then I do not think Domingo has a chance at a win. I keep seeing people say Domingo has a "narrative" but what is it? That you like him? And there is no way voters watch a movie about incarcerated inmates getting a second chance and choose to award the film via its leading A list actor. If Sing Sing is winning an acting award itll have to be Macklin.
Best Supporting Actress

1. Toni Collette - Juror No. 2
2. Saoirse Ronan - Blitz
3. Danielle Deadwyler - The Piano Lesson
4. Aujanue Ellis-Taylor - Nickel Boys
5. Zoe Saldana - Emilia Perez
6. Connie Nielson - Gladiator II
7. Selena Gomez - Emilia Perez
8. Lesley Manville - Queer
9. Isabella Rossellini - Conclave
10. Natasha Lyonne - His Three Daughters
11. Ariana Grande - Wicked

I think Saldana's nomination will be a surprise nominations morning, kinda like Stanfield a couple years ago.
Best Supporting Actor

1. Stanley Tucci - Conclave
2. Samuel L Jackson - The Piano Lesson
3. Clarence Macklin - Sing Sing
4. Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain
5. Drew Starkey - Queer
6. Harris Dickinson - Blitz
7. Denzel Washington - Gladiator II
8. Mark Eydelshteyn - Anora

Best Original Screenplay

1. Anora
2. Blitz
3. Emilia Perez
4. A Real Pain
5. Challengers
6. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
7. Juror No. 2
8. Kinds of Kindness
9. Maria
10. Hard Truths

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Nightbitch
2. Sing Sing
3. Queer
4. I'm Still Here
5. Conclave
6. Nickel Boys
7. Dune: Part Two
8. Hedda
9. The Piano Lesson
10. Joker: Folie a Deux

Animated Feature

1. The Wild Robot
2. Inside Out 2
3. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
4. Moana 2
5. Flow
6. Orion and the Dark
7. Kung Fu Panda 4

Cinematography

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Joker: Folie a Deux
3. Nosferatu
4. Anora
5. Queer
6. Blitz
7. Maria
8. Conclave
9. Emilia Perez

Editing

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Queer
3. Anora
4. Nightbitch
5. Conclave
6. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
7. Joker: Folie a Deux
8. Blitz
9. Sing Sing
10. Challengers
11. Emilia Perez

Production Design

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Joker: Folie a Deux
3. Gladiator II
4. Blitz
5. Wicked
6. Furiosa
7. Maria
8. Emilia Perez
9. Nosferatu

Costume Design

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Wicked
3. Joker: Folie a Deux
4. Gladiator II
5. Furiosa
6. Blitz
7. Maria
8. Emilia Perez
9. Nosferatu

Makeup and Hairstyling

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Furiosa
3. Joker: Folie a Deux
4. Nosferatu
5. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
6. Wicked
7. A Different Man
8. Sasquatch Sunset
9. The Substance

Visual Effects

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
4. Deadpool & Wolverine
5. Mufasa: The Lion King
6. Gladiator II
7. Wicked
8. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
9. Twisters

Best Sound

1. Dune Part Two
2. Furiosa
3. Joker: Folie a Deux
4. Gladiator II
5. Blitz
6. Wicked
7. Challengers
8. The Substance
9. Civil War
10. Twisters
11. Emilia Perez
12. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
13. A Quiet Place Day One

Best Score

1. Queer
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Conclave
4. Nosferatu
5. Joker: Folie a Deux
6. Blitz
7. Gladiator II
8. Challengers
9. Maria

For those you don't know about it yet, the idea is to digitally boycott celebrities who haven't spoken out about the crisis in Gaza, and it's gaining serious momentum. But I can't help but wonder, is this really the right approach?
I'm concerned about the underlying message here. Are we forcing people to support a cause or make donations? It feels like we're walking a fine line between raising awareness and compelling speech. Yes, you may want more voices to amplify the message, but should support come from genuine concern rather than fear of backlash?
For reference: https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/blockout-2024-movement-explained-why-are-a-list-celebrities-losing-followers-amid-met-gala-outrage-101715431357457.html
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/selena-gomez-loses-a-million-followers-amidst-blackout-movement/

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Apologies for the absolutely insane number of words, got carried away trying to compensate for being slower than usual with my recap.
The cold open for the finale has a nice little parallel to the cold open in S1E2, which similarly has Deborah walk in to Marty who’s in a somewhat compromising position with his trainer to deliver good news, although in this case her news is something they both celebrate, rather than a win she uses to gloat over Marty
Even though she’s in a much less combative place with Marty, Deborah still isn’t willing to admit that she came over to tell him the news in person and insists that she’s only there to return the key, showing the limited extent to which she is willing to open up even to people she’s known for a long time.
Deborah and Marty doing the tango together to basically celebrate the news is quite cute and a fun way to kick off the episode
I do think it’s kind of sweet that Kathy is quite looking forward to Deborah’s visit, and J Smith Cameron plays up Kathy’s somewhat childlike excitement at this during the opening of the phone call
Nice to see Deborah making an effort to follow up after inviting Kathy for Christmas, committing to a sister’s weekend is a not insignificant step although it also becomes clear that she’s not 100% committed to it. Waiting for Kathy to call and then tell her there’s a change in plans instead of just straight up telling her isn’t a particularly nice thing to do
Deborah has a weird look on her face when Kathy brings up her parents at the mausoleum, which I initially thought was because she didn’t really like to reflect on the past, although on a rewatch it becomes clear it’s because she knows the truth about the mausoleum.
“She’s pivoting into being an adult” Found the way Kayla phrased this part of the child star to adult actor experience to be very funny. I guess the Bella Donaldson character is supposed to be a reference to people like Zendaya, Zac Efron and Selena Gomez (Cannes Best Actress winner!!???), Disney child stars who are trying to shed their past image and be taken as serious adult actors to varying degrees of success. Also the bit about getting awards buzz for an Aronofsky movie feels a bit like what happened/ was projected to happen with Sadie Sink and The Whale
Deborah watching her old Late Night tape and Ava seeing her do that is a nice callback to and reversal of S1E3, where it was Ava watching Deborah’s tape and discovering more about her past
I love Hannah Einbinder’s simple but sincere delivery of “I knew you would” as Ava, and the way Jean Smart lets just the tiniest smile play across Deborah’s lips in response to Ava’s belief in her
Ava being able to only write stuff for Deborah’s Late Night show and not any actual material of her own shows that even though it’s been a year plus since the S2 Finale she still has the same issue of Deborah being “the one with all the stories. What do I even have to say?”
Ava’s voice going up endearingly high when she says “This is gonna be amazing” is very cute, what a touching and lovely scene between Deborah and Ava showing the respect and admiration they have for each other. I’m sure that will continue for the rest of the finale!
How does a safe in the floor of the pool even work lol
Very fun comedy freaking out by Mark Indelicato as Damien, him becoming hysterical at the thought of becoming the new Marcus is hugely entertaining.
According to Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart on Variety’s Award Circuit podcast, thy did shoot a scene for this episode where Marcus does tell Deborah that he’s leaving but it was cut from the episode. Honestly not sure what role Marcus will play next season and curious to see what the writers will do since it seems he’s going on a very different plotline than the rest of the show. If this was another show I’d say he’s being written out but from interviews and other behind the scenes material the cast and showrunners are fairly tight knit, so I’d imagine they’ll find a way which makes sense for Marcus to continue being around
Between this guest appearance as Bella Donaldson and the release of Lisa Frankenstein and Abigail, Kathryn Newton is quietly having a pretty cool 2024. She absolutely nails the passive-aggressive “nice” girl type that she’s asked to play here. Also the Zack and Cody mention is kind of neat since Newton starred along with Cole Sprouse in Lisa Frankenstein earlier this year, while the goat demon movie mentioned might possibly be a nod to Newton’s affinity for the horro horror adjacent genre?
Quite like this Jimmy/Kayla B plot, allows Meg Stalter to show a different/more emotional side to Kayla who’s usually just the very fun comedic relief. Her smiling nicely and trying to politely ward off Bella’s passive-aggressive “niceness” is such a deeply human character beat.
Deborah Margesson doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as Deborah Vance, so I guess that’s why she didn’t go back to her maiden name after the divorce.
Deborah moving her parent’s remains to Vegas and not telling Kathy for twenty plus years is absolutely deranged behaviour. “It was a corner plot” and “I used my art shipper!” are ridiculously bad responses to the situation, this being the last straw for Kathy is very understandable. Although in Deborah’s defence I guess the fact that she was willing to accompany Kathy to the mausoleum for what she knows to be a completely empty gesture is her deranged way of showing care for her sister and not wanting to hurt her feelings.
Also in hindsight Deborah lying to/not telling Kathy about their parents to avoid hurting her feelings and any conflict is good foreshadowing since that pretty much turns out to be what she does regarding Ava and the head writer job
Deborah’s look of absolute disdain/confusion after hearing the “going to the hardware store for milk” line is gold from Jean Smart
I think Kathy’s reaction to Deborah here and deciding that she’s had enough of her BS and not wanting to put herself through even more hurt in attempting to maintain a relationship is completely reasonable, really liked J Smith Cameron’s work here, as well as Jean Smart playing Deborah’s silent acceptance of this relationship blowing up yet again
Deborah standing alone in the mausoleum is a great shot
Kathy’s reaction to Deborah’s BS here serves as a great contrast to how Ava deals with Deborah’s BS later on in the episode, it truly takes someone special/equally deranged to want to continue being with Deborah despite all her flaws and the hurt she causes to those around her. To use some internet parlance, Kathy is unwilling to put up with Deborah’s freak, while Ava ends up being more than willing to match Deborah’s
Lewis Benton/ fake John Oliver’s line to Ava about her being the hardest-working person in the office is a nice reminder of how working with Deborah has changed Ava for the better in some ways by giving her a stronger work ethic
“Maybe our paths will cross again” Just speculating here, and maybe this would be too inside baseball of a storyline for a show that initially at least was about two people on the “outside” of the entertainment industry, but might there be a future storyline of Deborah competing against fake John Oliver for an Emmy? A recent Emmy rule change starting from the Emmys earlier this year means that Oliver no longer competes with the more traditional Late Night shows like Colbert, Kimmel, Meyers, The Daily Show etc prior to that this had been the case for the past ten or so years
Kayla being the funny one growing up as a defense mechanism against bullies like Bella is such a great character detail on the part of the writers, makes so much sense and explains so much about Kayla’s outlook and attitude
This conflict is so great because both Jimmy and Kayla do have a point. Obviously Jimmy standing up for Kayla who’s being bullied is a good thing for him to do as a friend, but Kayla’s also not wrong in feeling that Jimmy is kind of ignoring her work and being a bit patronising. Really liked how Meg Stalter plays Kayla’s hurt feelings in this scene, it’s a well-executed emotional beat for a generally comedic character. And this continues the throughline about whether Jimmy has what it takes/enough stones and guts to be in the business which was also seen in the back part of S2
Quite liked the scene between Deborah and Biff Cliff (what a name!), a pretty sobering reminder of the obstacles faced by women in entertainment and just how precarious making it in the business actually is, makes complete sense that it would spook Deborah to do what she does later on
I thought the Jimmy Page dating a 14 year old story was meant to be a jab and Jerry Seinfeld and his 17 year old girlfriend, but googled and found out that that was a true story too
I feel like the bit Ava has as a writer taking new headshots and the different treatment they receive compared to actors must be drawn from the real-life experiences of the writers/showrunners, it’s such a specific joke. That said I think if you asked a layperson to tell who’s a writer and who’s an actor from this Deadline photoshoot I think they’d be hard pressed to tell the difference (very complimentary).
Ava sharing her excitement over her “dream job” as head writer for Deborah with a random make-up artist is very endearing, and just makes what happens later on even more crushing
Deborah going to the exec meeting and slowly realising just how much is being invested in her is a great bit of reaction acting from Jean Smart, and further helps reinforce the pressure she’s under and explains her choices
Quite liked the scene of Deborah telling Ava that the network doesn’t want her as head writer, on first watch it seems like Deborah is just worried about how to break the bad news to Ava and let her down easy, but on rewatch it feels so obvious that Deborah is just lying through her teeth to Ava and struggling with it big time.
Jimmy’s “proposal” to Kayla on the plane is such a great comedic setpiece/skewing of the rom-con trope, everything from the overly-excited passenger who completely misreads the situation to Jimmy kneeling because the flight attendant says there’s no standing in the aisle is just perfect.
It’s also just a really good way to cap off the season long plot involving Jimmy and Kayla, we’ve seen throughout the season that they make a very good thing and that Kayla’s kind of a genius at this in her own unique way, very satisfying to see Jimmy finally recognise this and promote her. Jimmy and Kayla’s mentomentee relationship serves as a healthy contrast to Deborah and Ava,with Jimmy as a mentor who recognises the mentee’s contributions and is willing to make compromises (see his acceptance of Kayla’s three funny videos a day)
Jimmy’s voice going up absurdly high when he says “Leave us alone!!!” and “What is your deal” is fantastic comedic work from co-showrunner Paul W Downs, he’ll get Writing and Series Emmy nominations this year, but he should really be getting one for Supporting Actor too.
I guess if you want to nitpick you could say Ava running into Winnie is a very convenient thing to move the plot along, but I choose to look at is as a reminder that Ava has moved on up in the world since the end of S2 and is now at a place where she can get takeout from fancy places where a high-level network head might also dine
Ava’s look of betrayal and anger after realising that Deborah lied to her is great work from Hannah Einbinder
Deborah is reading a Churchill biography when Ava storms in
My god, Ava confronting Deborah is just a perfect perfect scene, the writing is so sharp and Jean Smart is fantastic at playing Deborah going into ice/hardened mode when being confronted, but what a tremendous performance by Hannah Einbinder. She just captures the mixture of betrayal, hurt and anger that Ava feels so naturally and powerfully
There’s so many callbacks and references to previous Deborah/Ava confrontations and scenes from across the show. Ava accusing Deborah of just doing the same thing is from their very first meeting S1E1 where she calls her a hack as well as from their argument in S1E10 when she calls her the same thing. The line about being “a shark or whatever” comes from S2E5 which is what Deborah’s retired comedian friend Susan describes her as, with Deborah later then telling Ava that “You’ve got to be a shark” at the end of S2E8. And Deborah’s advice to Ava to be ambitious and saying that she feels lonely when opening a champagne bottle comes from S3E5 (take that people who said the woods episode was pointless filler).
“You can be the woman behind the man behind the woman” What an unappealing job description, and also a sign of how far Ava has comes since the S2 finale when she was unwilling to take the credit for writing Deborah’s special. Now her time away from Deborah has allowed Ava the space to truly value herself, her achievements and be justifiably proud of them (she stresses her job at On The Contrary to Deborah back in S3E1 and stresses her co-producer role when in bed with Christina Hendricks in S3E6), and she’s no longer willing to accept this demotion and wants credit for her work.
“You’re already making decisions out of fear and you’ll keep doing it” A really cutting observation from Ava which completely nails what Deborah is doing, much like how she immediately clocks in S2E8 that Deborah is pushing her away because she’s afraid.
“It has to work. I’ve lost way too much for it not too” Deborah’s sentiment applies equally to Ava as it does to herself, and helps explain just why Ava would go to the the extremes she does later on
As much as the dialogue in the scene is great, this Deborah and Ava argument also hits hard because of the silent moments in between. The wordless ten seconds or so which rests entirely on Ava after Deborah says that she’s willing to lose her is just tremendous stuff from Hannah Einbinder, all the hurt plays across her face and Einbinder is simply terrific in making the audience feel the deep hurt and sense of betrayal of that moment
Ava saying that Deborah will die alone is something that Deborah has thought about before, saying back in S1E9 in her interview with a journalist that she accepts the truth that people leave the world completely alone and refuses to pretend otherwise
One Last Time - Deb’s Final Stand Up is the track which plays as the big Deborah/Ava argument scene closes out according to Shazam, with the track (that played in the S1 Finale) taking on a whole new meaning in this context. The soundtrack isn’t a big selling point of the show unlike something like say Succession, but the themes by Carlos Rafael Rivera are simple but always effective
Jimmy taking a selfie in his new office is quite cute, and him saying that he didn’t do it alone and comforting Ava at the end of this scene is a much needed nice beat after the intensity of the previous scene
“shows that already exist with one tiny tweak, or huge global hits” Honestly a pretty depressing but frankly accurate read of the current media/television landscape
Jimmy saying that he knows Ava will do the right thing brings to mind these Deborah lines to Ava from the previous episode “It’s so easy for you to say what’s right or wrong. It’s never that simple. One day you’ll understand that” Ava’s move of blackmailing to get Deborah to do right by her certainly falls into the “never that simple” category
Curious about the politics/legal behind the scenes stuff that needed to be cleared to have Deborah be the host of a CBS late night show in the world of Hacks, while Hacks the actual show is under Warner Bros. Discovery which does not own hacks. I guess in this universe Deborah gets the Late Late Show timeslot instead of Taylor Tomlinson with After Midnight
Deborah’s left Vegas but the vanity plate for her car will continue to follow her and be updated
Deborah excitedly taking a photo of her Host parking spot is very cute, but the beat immediately after when we see a hint of her being sad and uneasy/regretful is also great, she’s achieved her dream but at great personal cost, and has no one to share the photo and moment with
It’s been a central thesis of the show that Deborah and Ava are ultimately more alike than different despite their different ages, backgrounds etc. Even in S1E2 the antiques dealer says that Deborah and Ava are “the same” and are “both psychotic b*tches”, and in episode after episode we see just how alike they are. For example in S2E2 after Deborah finds out about the email she says that Ava is just like her, being equally cruel and selfish. Ava blackmailing her abusive boss so that she can continue to work with her is just a completely insane thing to do, and also very much something Deborah would do herself to help her career, as we saw back in S1E5 when Deborah blackmailed Marty to secure her dates at the Palmetto
This move also shows just how much Ava has learnt from Deborah and how much the student has learnt from the master. Ava takes Deborah’s advice from S2E8 to be a shark, and her advice from S3E5 to “concentrate on what’s best for you”. It’s also ends up becoming a twisted version of Ava saying that she won’t leave Deborah in that same episode too, with Ava resorting to blackmail to stay with Deborah. And Ava finally does what she said back in S2E8, which is that “I get to decide what’s best for me”. I love love love the layers to this show!
I love love love the cocky and slightly confident/smirking Ava that we get a brief glimpse of from this scene, coupled with the power suit she’s rocking it makes for such a satisfying moment as she gets one up over Deborah after being on the back foot previously
We’ve seen a different and more vulnerable side of Deborah this season in S3E5 and S3E7, and seen her be like a fangirl in S3E4, but this scene and her stepping up to Ava and slightly seething as she says “You wouldn’t” is a nice reminder that she can be absolutely terrifying when she wants to be
That tiny tiny little gulp that Hannah Einbinder does when/just after Ava says “I would” is so so good, Ava’s standing up to Deborah but Deborah is still one very scary person. Also really love her cocking her head to one side as she says “Wouldn’t you?”
This has already been pointed out on Twitter, but Deborah and Ava sitting apart in the writer’s room at the end is kind of like the pepper shakers which Deborah rearranged to be apart in S3E1. Also a nice contrast to S3E8 when they were sitting apart as Ava was reporting the journalist’s article to Deborah, even despite them sitting separately they were still very close emotionally, but now the physical distance between them is reflective of the division between them as friends/colleagues
Spoilers for Succession S2E10: This Hacks finale is very reminiscent of the Succession S2 Final This Is Not For Tears. In both episodes the older mentor who’s been trying to teach their protege/successor to be harder and tougher ends up being too good at their job and get betrayed by their mentee in a stunning rug pull moment, even though for much of the season it seems the mentee is perfectly content working undefor their mentor. It’s a plot twist that’s both completely shocking in the moment yet makes so much sense when looking back on the season and the series as a whole. And of course the finale ends on a shot of the older mentor as they take in what their mentee has done, with a mixture of anger but also just the slightest hint of pride and begrudging admiration
This final twist in the finale of Ava blackmailing Deborah is so so good and satisfying, does what great season finales do which is deliver a “twist” that feels like a gut punch initially but has actually been building over the season, and sets up a really juicy scenario/ status quo for next season
Ava blackmailing her way to head writer on Deborah’s show is such a juicy scenario to leave things for Season 4, Ava has never had power over Deborah like she does now and I’m personally very much looking forward to how that changes their dynamic next season
My only concern is that I do hope the Vegas aspect and the characters from that part of the Hacks universe don’t get left behind with the focus shifting to running a Late Night show. If there is something to ding this season of the show it’s that there’s not enough Kiki, I’m not smart enough to figure out how a Vegas casino dealer will be able to regularly show up in LA but I selfishly want the writers to figure that out because Poppy Liu is just too fun as Kiki to leave out. Also kind of curious as to how they’ll keep Marcus around since he’s now leaving Deborah’s QVC empire.
Overall a really really great season finale and a very strong season as a whole, easily the best Comedy of the year and one of the best shows of the year. Really rooting for the show to win big prizes at the Emmys later this year against the Bear although that will be tough, pulling hard for Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder to win and for the show to at least win Writing if it can’t win for Comedy Series. Also would be very happy if Meg Stalter and Paul W Downs got their first-time noms this year, they were both great this season

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