Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Hacks season 2.
Hacks season 2 continues the series' recurring conversations involving Ava discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with Deborah, this time referencing the Kinsey scale. Ava and Deborah's discussions about SOGI started out as setups for jokes that point out either Deborah's traditional notions about sexuality or Ava's bisexuality and progressive views. Ava and Deborah's conversation on the cruise in Hacks season 2, episode 4 “The Captain's Wife” is no different. However, with the evolution of Ava and Deborah's mentoring relationship and the inclusion of the Kinsey scale into the conversation, their short but recurring talks about SOGI are starting to dig deeper into the underlying sociopolitics of gender and sexuality. This is particularly crucial as the dynamic between Ava and Deborah has notably changed following Hacks' tour/road trip plotline.
Thinking that she booked a gay cruise, Deborah is distraught at finding out that she actually booked a lesbian cruise, which scraps her plan to do her old material which gay men love. Ava takes this opportunity to socialize, and before she goes off to the ship's bar, Deborah notices the horrid condition of Ava's nails and insists on giving Ava a manicure. While Deborah does Ava's nails on the bed, Ava once again opens up the SOGI conversation. Ava mentions the Kinsey scale, which Deborah is familiar with, but the two never really get into the details.
Hacks using the Kinsey scale is indicative of the show's general direction. Though the Kinsey scale is flawed by today's standards, it still marks a historical leap for the world's understanding of SOGI in the 20th century. This is important because Hacks is based on real people and events, so it makes sense for the show to start realistically examining Deborah's traditional views from a historical standpoint. As Ava tells Deborah, "Your sexuality isn't a choice, but whether or not you examine it, I think, is."
What Is The Kinsey Scale?
First published in 1948, the Kinsey scale is also known as the Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale, and is used to measure or describe a person's desire for homosexual experiences from 0 to 6. 0 indicates a desire for exclusively heterosexual encounters, 1 to 5 ranges from predominantly heterosexual to homosexual desires, and 6 means that the person is homosexual. Meanwhile, X on the scale indicates “no socio-sexual contacts or relations.”
Alfred Kinsey, known in certain circles as “the father of the sexual revolution,” created the Kinsey scale because he believed that sexuality is fluid, and that it doesn't necessarily fit into the binary notion of heterosexual and homosexual. As the cast of Hacks is comprised of many members of the LGBTQ+ community, it should be noted however that many queer folks today consider the Kinsey scale to be problematic. It's true that the Kinsey scale was one of the concepts that opened the minds of entire generations to the fact that sexuality is a spectrum, laying the foundations for the modern understanding of SOGI, including the concept of asexuality and bisexuality. That said, in the 21st century, as people are becoming much more aware of how sexual orientation and gender identity are constantly shaped by biological, social, and political factors, the Kinsey scale's 0 to 6 (and X) rating can be very prescriptive and contradictory to the idea of diversity.
Why The (Problematic) Kinsey Scale Is In Hacks
Hacks' use of the Kinsey scale foreshadowed the terrible outcome of Deborah insisting on confidently making misogynist jokes about women for an audience of lesbians from different generations, a key turning point in Deborah and Ava's problematic relationship. While Deborah is able to dismiss Ava's progressive talking points about SOGI during their private conversations, Deborah very quickly finds out that the public isn't as easy to dismiss once she airs her outdated views. However, considering how Deborah is at least aware of the Kinsey scale, and how she and Ava constantly discuss SOGI throughout the series, there's still hope that comedic legend Deborah Vance can catch up to the 21st century. Moreover, this experience will no doubt translate into new material for the flawed but brilliant stand-up comic.
Hacks releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.