Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder describe Deborah and Ava’s dynamic as ‘Two steps forward, five steps back’ — View

When we last left the ladies HackingDeborah fired her writer and student Ava, so that the young writer could concentrate on her own career. When the Season 3 premiere picks up again (the first two episodes are now available to stream on Max), nine months have passed, but it doesn’t take long for the women to reunite and kick-start their wildly entertaining , yet wry verbal action. spruce.

Ava found success with her own writing for a hit show, while Deborah continues to ride the success of her special. She sells out larger venues, spends a lot of money on commercial performances and is surrounded by ‘yes’ people who are happy and willing to carry out her wishes. But she ghosted Ava’s texts and opted for a clean break, and all that radio silence hurt Ava’s feelings. So when the women accidentally bump into each other in an elevator at a comedy festival in Montreal, things get awkward and real feelings quickly surface.

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“I think (Ava) is surprised by the fact that she finds herself in a dynamic that is so familiar and yet there is an inherent awkwardness that is if not typical of the way they have always been connected,” says Hannah Einbinder (who is Ava) tells TVLine in the video above. “Even the first day they met, it was off to the races and confrontational. It’s the first time we see them in this context and I think Ava is trying to play it cool and not start a desperate plea for an explanation.

“And that takes about 30 seconds,” adds Jean Smart, laughing. “The things that would probably make (Deborah) the happiest are the things that she seems to push away the hardest… I think she missed that back and forth. She doesn’t have that kind of relationship with anyone and (she) misses that one person who will tell you the truth. The more and more she is surrounded by sycophants, she misses that dynamic a bit.”

Einbinder describes the characters’ evolution as being “in line with their typical dynamic, which is two steps forward, five steps back… (Ava) lays down the law and has that conversation and tries to create better boundaries, but of course, as we know it: nothing lasts.”

In the first part of our Hacking Covering Season 3 (which you can watch above, with more to come in the coming weeks), Einbinder and Smart delve deeper into the complicated connection between Deborah and Ava, before co-creators and executive producers Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs share their thoughts and tease what’s to come. As always, rate the episodes below and leave your thoughts in the comments!

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