WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Hacks season 4, episodes 1 & 2.
The coyotes seen throughoutHacksseason 4, episode 2, “Cover Girls”, are signs of impending threats, isolation, and forces out of Deborah Vance’s control. Although Jean Smart’s Deborah has been massively successful as a stand-up comedian and entertainer in Las Vegas, she finally achieved her childhood dream of becoming a late-night talk show host in theHacksseason 3 finale. Deborah quickly learns that her new opportunity doesn’t come without new pressures, expectations, and enemies.
Hannah Einbinder’s Ava Daniels has constantly chosen Deborah first throughout the first three seasons ofHacks. WhenDeborah slights Ava towards the end of season 3, naming her the new late-night head writer before lying to her about stripping the title and demoting her to staff writer, Ava starts to play Deborah’s cutthroat game. It becomes a cruel lesson of the entertainment business forAva, who once had the purest blue aura, but has sacrificed for and been scarred by Deborahtoo many times to just roll over.
The Coyote Could Represent The Trickery & Cunning Nature Of People Around Deborah In Hacks Season 4
Other Characters Could Be Gunning For Deborah’s Downfall In Hacks Season 4
The beginning of Hacks season 4, episode 2 shows Deborah sleeping and dreaming of a coyote licking her face. She later comforts her dogs as they hear coyotes eating a small animal outside at night, which is left at Deborah’s doorstep the next morning. Finally, as Deborah drives home from Winnie’s house after pretending to make up with Ava for the sake of her show, a coyote stands before her in the middle of the street, blocking her Rolls-Royce.Deborah screams at the coyote, who is not intimidated in the slightest, before backing away.
The frequent inclusion of coyotes inHacksseason 4, episode 2 could be anomen reminding Deborah to be on guard for people around her who might be manipulating her. It might be a sign for future characters down the line inHacksseason 4 who are bigger threats to her and the late-night show than just Ava. It could also simply represent the forces of nature working outside Deborah’s control. When she screams at the coyote, it doesn’t flinch, forcing Deborah to check her ego and instilling a healthy dose of fear.
The Coyote’s Appearance Is A Sign For Deborah To Make Amends With Ava
They Will Both Need Each Other To Make The Late-Night Show A Success
Coyotes can also symbolize the need to be more playful, go through transformation, and avoid self-sabotage.Deborah is making things more difficult for herself by pushing back against Ava– if she just embraced her help and put faith in her, things could be a lot easier for them.
Ava and Deborah have a genuine relationship that will hopefully be repaired by the end of the season. Without Ava around, Deborah is isolated, more vulnerable, and less creative. They’ll need to team back up to survive the demanding and competitive world of network TV inHacksseason 4.
