Picture this: last month, I was sitting in a hotel corridor waiting for my turn to conduct interviews for The Handmaid’s Tale spinoff, The Testaments. Inside a nearby room, Lucy Halliday (Daisy), Chase Infiniti (Agnes) and Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia) are waiting.
I scroll through Instagram on my phone when I notice the below post being suggested to me, posted only six minutes before I sat down.
Are my eyes deceiving me, or is that Ann Dowd dressed as a blue space creature, hinting that she has a cameo in Hacks?
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I was right, as Hacks season 5 episode 2 has hilariously just proved. Even before we get into the backstory, I’m not sure I can continue to watch The Testaments on Hulu and believe that Aunt Lydia is holding up the Gilead regime in the same way.
Ann Dowd’s alien cameo in Hacks season 5 episode 2 is the unexpected light relief I needed this week
Hacks Season 5 | Official Trailer | HBO Max – YouTube
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As we learned in the season 5 premiere, Deborah (Jean Smart) believes that the best way to secure her comedic legacy is to headline a sold-out night at Madison Square Gardens… although the arena’s PR rep (Alanna Ubach) immediately refuses this in episode 2.
Desperate, Deborah enlists the help of her fanbase — affectionately dubbed Little Debbies — at a Vegas fan convention to help lobby for her MSG slot. However, they’re all sick to the back teeth of her.
While Deborah signs autographs, fans complain that she’s got “too Hollywood,” out of touch with what the fanbase needs from her. The constant criticism gets too much to bear, with Deborah stepping outside for some air… only to find a blue Ann Dowd already having a smoke break.
We don’t learn much about Dowd’s character (or if she’s even playing herself), yet she has short but sage words of wisdom. “They show up for us, we support them. That’s the frickin’ deal, mama,” she tells Deborah.
Dowd explains that being honest with her fans about what she needs will help them to feel wanted and useful. “The truth will set you free, baby doll,” she continues.
At this point, I’m silently wetting myself. Can you imagine Aunt Lydia speaking to the Gilead girls like she’s a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race? Ah, the beauty of acting.
More importantly, Dowd’s plan works. Deborah rushes back inside to tell her fans the MSG problem, and they mobilize with a scary amount of outrage. By the end of the episode — that falls short of doxxing Ubach’s character — Deborah’s dream is confirmed.
Onwards and upwards, baby.
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