I'm approaching the end of "Hacks." One thing I really value is a well-considered title. "Hacks" stands out as a punchy, memorable label. (I can't read the non-fiction book "Checkmate," by Ben Mezrich, because the title seems so lazy. It seems to have originated in the "brain" of an AI machine.)
Any writer will tell you that the work does not get easier. A blank page is always a source of terror. It doesn't matter how much experience you have. So--in the last stages of her life--Deborah is still a hack. This is both dispiriting *and* inspiring. (Also, it's plausible that Deborah, in her victimhood, would crazily imagine that the right path forward is a long set about Joan of Arc. This makes me think of Billy Eichner, foolishly believing that people will buy tickets because of a comedy's "important" and "historic" premise.)
In another corner of the world, Ava is considering a reboot of "Who's Making Dinner?" (The title evokes thoughts of "Who's the Boss"--surely, this is intentional.) In Ava's vision, listless twentysomethings will inherit a particular "I Love Lucy" house--but, because, we're in 2026, no one will be getting married, no one will be starting a family. Polyamorous overeducated would-be artists will struggle with the "gig" economy. How do I build a life in the midst of all these speeches about AI? Given the facts about climate change, should I even spend my time *wondering* how to build a life? (Here, the writers seem to be engaging with the legacy of Lena Dunham and "Girls.")
On top of all this, it's still interesting to see the friction within the Deborah/Ava friendship--Deborah lying about her cancer, Ava rolling her eyes at Deborah's "restrictive eating." (The concept of Hollywood dieting sent me down an Internet rabbit hole. Horrifying.) One of my favorite moments recalls a Dorothy Parker joke: Ava claims that she is sitting out by the pond for an intense writing session, then admits that an hour has passed since her pen slipped and fell down, down through subaqueous depths. (In the early days of "The New Yorker," Parker was asked why she never gave her time to the office. "I tried," she said, "but someone was using the pencil.")
Delighted to spend these last few hours with "Hacks."
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