Universal Television, HBO Max
I have to admit, I’ve had a certain disgust for award shows as of late. With our outside world spinning so wildly out of control, gold statuettes feel a bit trifle and out of touch, no matter the politically-infused acceptance speeches, buttons or hand bags. However, I after watching Hack Season 1, Episode 2 Primm, I wonder why there’s not a category for Best Monologue. I imagine during The West Wing Aaron Sorkian days he and his actors would have cleaned house for such an accolade. The season, however, the honor belongs to writer Paul W. Downs and actor Jean Smart as Hack’s legendary comedian, Deborah Vance. Stunningly heartbreaking and seemingly true, I tip my hit to you both – I was deliriously gutted by every single word.
Deborah: You think this is hard? You don’t know what hard is. you got plucked off the internet at what? 20? you just got lucky.
Ava: I may have been lucky but I’m also good.
Deborah: I should hope so. Good is the minimum. It’s the baseline. you have to be so much more than good and even if you’re great AND lucky you still have to work really fucking hard and even that is not enough. You have to scratch and claw and it never fucking ends. And it doesn’t get better. It just gets harder.
While I couldn’t find a clean cut of the monologue on YouTube, criminal, check out the trailer to see the monologue cut to the edit and feel the fury.