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Jean Smart: "Hacks"

 I was recently at war with a firm that tries to prep kids for college admissions.


One facet of the war was this. A school asked, "If you could choose or design one course for fun, what would you choose? What academic project is intriguing to you?"

I took this question at face value. A student of mine--though ostensibly interested in a business career--happened to have a deep love for the Titanic. She was curious about the class divisions, the reasoning behind the terrible engineering, the role of the crash in literary history and film history. Given that a liberal arts degree is about asking questions, learning how to learn, the Titanic topic seemed worth exploring.

My employer was aghast. She said, "No school wants to hear what the child is actually interested in. This question is an opportunity for pre-professional musing. If the child doesn't have a profession in mind, she should just make one up, and she should tailor her answer to fit that particular body."

I mostly think I was right, and the person paying me was wrong. But I also think I can be a little too stubbornly individualistic--and so I've never really enjoyed working for another person--and so, possibly, I am not the best guy in the world to intuit what a Baylor University "admissions judge" might want to hear.

All of this was on my mind during "Hacks" last night. The two antagonists--Ava and DV--must establish a writers' room. Ava believes that writers do their best work when they are comfortable. DV doesn't care about comfort; she wants immediate results. Although Ava is obviously the more sensible voice, there is still something to be said for DV's bluntness. A total lack of structure can result in wheels-spinning-in-the-mud. The tension builds until the room self-destructs; a desperate faux-party begins, and puking ensues. Drugs ensue. An awkward lap dance is a kind of end to the evening.

The writing is so strong because it is grounded in character. DV says she cannot be bothered with warm feelings of togetherness; "I don't have time to learn last names." Another character shudders at the memory of Los Angeles; the weather was "just too cold." Also, a flashback to DV's vindictive past. It's not that she actively had a former friend deported to Macau. It's just that--when the deportation process began--DV didn't really get in the way, if you know what I mean....

Looking forward to more.
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