RELATED: 'Hacks' is a generational sucker punch Like many of her straight male comedian counterparts, she misinterprets their attention as flirting. That means she interprets her fellow passengers' individual gestures of validation and acceptance the wrong way. Ava's aware that Deborah has spent her career catering to men, gay and straight, clawing her way to success in a field dominated by straight white men. The audience cheers and claps along because they don't know Deborah – not in the way Ava does. Ava understands that her boss thinks she's communicating with the audience in some magical language, letting them know she's on their side. ' as she recognizes the mimicry.īut what Deborah does is worse than simple imitation. Seeing the first shimmy makes Ava blurt, 'Ohhh no. 'Hacks' acknowledges Ellen DeGeneres' broad influence by having its star comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) open her show on a lesbian cruise by dancing awkwardly to Pharrell's 'Happy.' This is uncharacteristic of Deborah, and her writing partner and protégé Ava (Hannah Einbinder) knows it.