Hacks Recap: Send In The Clowns

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From the very beginning of this episode, with Deborah, Marcus, and their team searching for staff for their new casino, “The Diva,” it felt like a full episode could have unfolded. However, the show focused on The Amazing Race. How much you enjoy this episode will likely depend on how much you like that reality show. For DJ, The Amazing Race is incredibly important – she credits it with helping her stay sober. Deborah once promised DJ she’d join her on a celebrity season if one ever happened, assuming it wouldn’t. But surprisingly, it did! DJ is thrilled, even when she finds out the prize money will be donated to charity instead of going to her personally (she was hoping for a million dollars a year!). Kiki and Ava convince Deborah to participate, seeing it as a chance to regain attention and promote her upcoming MSG show, so Deborah agrees to keep her promise.

Okay, so exciting news about the Ava reboot! Jessica Duncan had this amazing idea for Who’s Making Dinner? and honestly, I loved it. Now she just needs Deborah’s okay. Usually, getting Deborah on board would be the hard part, but because it’s the last season and everyone’s being so nice, Deborah gave her blessing right away! The only catch? Frank left the rights to the show to Kathy. That’s a bit of a snag, but hopefully, they can work it out!

Remember Kathy (the amazing J. Smith Cameron)? She’d ended her friendship with Deborah, who she felt had treated her badly for years. Now, showing her loyalty to Ava – a stark contrast to her relationship with DJ – Deborah helps Ava unexpectedly show up at an open house Kathy is hosting as a real estate agent. It’s great to learn Deborah hired a private investigator to follow Kathy, and that DJ cleverly arranged two separate christening ceremonies for AJ, asking both Kathy and Ava to be godmothers.

Kathy understands what her sibling wants – she confided in Jimmy, even though her therapist advised against it – and has made a request in return: the porcelain salt and pepper shakers that once belonged to their mother. Kathy believes her sister, Deborah, stole them. While I completely believe Kathy, Deborah refuses to give the shakers back, no matter what.

I noted that Ava surprisingly handled the situation well, given how ridiculous it was. It turns out she had a plan: she wanted to go back to the antiques shop from the first season’s second episode with Marcus. He’d be happy to buy a lot of the shop’s items at a fair price for his new casino, as long as the shop owner (Jefferson Mays) could make her an exact copy of the shakers she’d previously stolen from Deborah. Though she previously threatened to destroy the shop, Ava approaches peacefully this time, and the owner reveals he’s the forger she needs.

I wouldn’t have recommended that DJ and her mother, Deborah, risk their already delicate relationship on a competitive reality show, especially with the cameras rolling and the results broadcast for everyone to see. But my opinion wasn’t asked for. Now, we’re watching them compete alongside well-known faces like Drew and Jonathan from Property Brothers, who plan to donate any winnings to the Alzheimer’s Foundation, and Jordan Firstman and Trisha Paytas, who seem determined to make Deborah feel out of touch. It’s surprising Deborah didn’t suggest a charity or even a playful jab about how attending her concert reportedly benefits mental health – a bit of a rookie move, honestly!

I really loved seeing Deborah as her typical overbearing mom – her comment about the racerback top was hilarious! – and Kaitlin Olson’s lines were fantastic, especially the bit about being a princess and a milkmaid. However, the episode mostly felt like it was stalling until the predictable outcome. It was clear the girls were going to fail, and DJ seemed to be doing all of this just to get her mother’s attention, especially since she already struggles with feeling inadequate. So late in the season, it felt like unnecessary filler. After the last episode so clearly focused on the season’s main theme, this one completely dropped it.

The bigger question is whether watching DJ and Deborah repeatedly fail at the clown dance – in full clown costumes – was worth the time. I actually found it surprisingly relatable; the challenge, and their inability to succeed at it, felt like something that could easily tear my own family apart. It seems odd they chose this over something they were both good at, like smashing ceramics! DJ is proud she didn’t give up, even though she came in last and was eliminated first. But the outcome of this whole bit felt predictable: DJ sincerely asks for one last chance at the dance, and immediately messes it up. There’s a sweet moment at the airport where Deborah is amused by the boarding process on a commercial flight – something new for someone who usually flies private (“I remember boarding groups!”) – and DJ admits she knows her mom is better at everything and should have been the one doing the challenges. Deborah tells DJ she’s proud of her for being strong, but it feels a bit repetitive, honestly.

Ava had a good day. Disguised in a trench coat, she delivered the fake collectibles to Kathy, who was deeply moved – she actually thought they were real and exclaimed she could feel a connection to the previous owner! I almost feel bad for Kathy and wish Ava had swapped the fakes with the real items, giving Kathy something she’d truly appreciate. Kathy, believing Ava stole the collectibles for her, happily claims ownership of the rights to the show Who’s Making Dinner?

When Deborah discovered Ava’s betrayal, she reacted with a fierce cry. She surprisingly found more of herself reflected in Ava than in her own daughter, and shockingly refers to her protégé as “an evil bitch,” admitting she feels a strange closeness to her. However, she also passes an opportunity to her actual daughter: the episode concludes with DJ selling her D’Jewelry line on QVC – specifically, earrings designed to be safely worn by mothers with babies who like to pull on them. It’s actually a pretty clever idea, and good for her for pursuing it.

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2026-05-01 05:59