WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Hacks season 4, episode 9.

season 4, episode 9, "A Slippery Slope," calls back two season 3 supporting characters who had seemingly been abandoned up to this point. The penultimate episode of Hacks season 4 saw the shocking decision of Deborah Vance ending her late-night show to defend her head writer, Ava Daniels, and to stand up to Bob Lipka's movie studio, which had tried to protect their controversial movie star ahead of a major motion picture release. Ultimately, Deborah chose to stand by her loyal friend, whom she had notably been feuding with throughout season 4, although it cost her dearly.

Although Deborah and Ava's shared storyline takes most of the spotlight in Hacks season 4, episode 9, Jimmy and Kayla are given more emphasis than they had previously been given throughout the season. Kayla ultimately chose not to accept her father's bribes from Hacks season 4, episode 8, to return to a cozy corner office position at the Latitude agency. Instead, she defends Jimmy as he gets tossed out of Deborah's late-night studio to prevent Bob from cutting Deborah's feed. Apart from all this drama, , circling back to season 3's episode starring Christopher Lloyd.

Jimmy and Kayla are seen working on the Fatty Arbuckle biopic that was first mentioned in Hacks season 3. We hadn't heard anything about the Fatty Arbuckle movie that Christopher Lloyd's Larry character had written back in Hacks season 3 until late in Hacks season 4. Hacks season 3 character Jack Danby is also revealed to be starring in it, creating another sort of Easter egg connection going on in the background of Hacks season 4. Although neither Larry nor Jack are featured in Hacks season 4, episode 9, it's good to have a reference to them since, for a moment, .

Now that Deborah (and Ava) are apparently unable to work for 18 months due to Bob's non-compete clause in Deborah's contract, Jimmy's Fatty Arbuckle biopic storyline should get more attention. Jimmy and Kayla won't be able to bring any work-related things to Deborah for quite a while, which frees their characters to pursue other endeavors. Since Jimmy just lost a client to Latitude, Kayla should start working to bring in more talent, potentially poaching clients from her dad's company to return the favor for stealing one of Jimmy's clients. Additionally, .

Similar to seeing the poster for Ethan Sommers' Shadow Solider blockbuster movie, it would be great to see some "footage" or posters from Jack Danby and Larry's Fatty Arbuckle movie, since it has been referenced multiple times now. With Deborah's late-night show officially over, J, which became much more of a prominent setting in Hacks season 4 than in previous seasons. Getting Lloyd back would be fantastic for a potential Hacks season 5 and switch the behind-the-scenes moments from TV to movies.

in a potential Hacks season 5. While she can't do stand-up comedy or endorse her brand, which she doesn't even own anymore, she could perhaps get more involved in Jimmy, Kayla, and Larry's Fatty Arbuckle movie as an executive producer. While this would certainly be out of Deborah's wheelhouse, she will likely be grasping for relevancy and excitement during her forced vacation period from the spotlight. Ava could hop on as a writer, or better yet, Jimmy could produce a new movie with Deborah to star in, set to release after her contract expires in .