Hacks' Finale Was Sublime. It Was Always Supposed to End That Way, According to Its Creators.

Deborah prepares to leave the stage after a long comedy career, reaching peace after a major Central Park performance that surpasses an earlier stolen production. She tells Ava she is dying and has decided not to pursue cancer treatment, choosing to die with dignity and quit while ahead. Ava, who has been building her own success through a new TV show inspired by their friendship, initially struggles with the decision but agrees to accompany Deborah on a final trip to Paris. In a train station scene, they talk about enjoying pastries without future worries and then search for the best joke about dying. Deborah writes a new joke in her notebook, realizing she is not finished and will keep working.

"Deborah wants to call her own light-a reference to the signal comedians get when it's time to leave. After a long and storied career-the last phase of which saw her reaching new heights alongside her much younger comedy partner, Ava ( Hannah Einbinder)-she's ready to go, even if we don't want her to. Having successfully performed a once-in-a-lifetime comedy show in Central Park that far eclipsed the Madison Square Garden production that executive Bob Lipka (Tony Goldwyn) stole from her, Deborah is finally at peace, comfortable that her legacy is forever secured."

"It's fitting because, as she reveals to Ava, she's dying and has opted not to pursue cancer treatment. Deborah's decision to die with dignity and quit while she's ahead causes Ava-who has spent the season finding her own way to success as the creator of a new TV show inspired by their friendship-much pain and distress, but she eventually agrees to accompany her boss/mentor/soulmate on one last trip to Paris."

"In a beautiful scene in the episode's final few minutes, Deborah and Ava are sitting in a train station, awaiting their train to Zurich, where Deborah plans to die by assisted suicide. Slowly, they begin riffing about the fact that Deborah seems to finally be allowing herself to enjoy unlimited pastries without a worry for future repercussions. Then suddenly, the pair are riffing, trying to find the best joke about dying."

"As Ava excuses herself for the bathroom, Deborah instinctively reaches for her notebook, writing down a joke she's workshopped for a crowd for whom she'll never again perform-or will she? As the music swells, Deborah realizes she's not done and never will be. She needs to keep working. "I may not have 30 years,"

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