Written by Ronnie Gorham
Ponies, the new Peacock original spy series, is one of those shows you start on a lazy night thinking, “Alright, let’s see what this is,” and suddenly it’s four in the morning and you’ve binged all eight episodes feeling emotionally invested, and Googling whether Season 2 was greenlit or not. Ponies is an awesome show. It’s messy, fun, heartfelt and full of lots of “what just happened?” moments.
Written by Susanna Fogel (Booksmart) and David Iserson (Mr. Robot, New Girl), Ponies is spy thriller that follows two Americans, Bea (Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones) and Twila Hasbeck (Haley Lu Richardson, The Edge of Seventeen), living in 1970’s Moscow while both their undercover CIA agent husbands are working. However, shit hits the fan when their husbands are killed in a plane crash. Angry, upset and riddled with a lack of answers, Bea and Twila decide instead of going home, to investigate the death of their husbands by volunteering as undercover operatives known as PONIES (Persons of No Interest) for the CIA. What starts off as a journey for answers turns into a full-blown suicide mission to uncover the truth about a trail of dead prostitutes, corruption within the KGB and a villain named Andrew Vasiliev (Artjom Gilz, Without Remorse) who could have given Hans Gruber a run for his money if villains could crossover into different franchises.
The series feels like a mashup between the ’80s female buddy cop show Cagney and Lacey and the ’90s roadtrip classic Thelma and Louise — with the only exceptions being Bea and Twila are not cops or fugitives on the run. Ponies has the same “two women against the world” vibe though. Their friendship is the engine, humor is the fuel, and the danger is the navigation system constantly yelling “recalculate!” And, most importantly the chemistry between Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson is ridiculous in the best way.
The two actresses bounce off each other like they’ve been friends for years. Bea (Clarke) is reserved, uptight and afraid of her own shadow while Twila (Richardson) is loud, spontaneous and impulsive. Bea and Twila carry the heart of the story and make you want to root for the things they try to accomplish during the season. Together they create beautiful chaos episode after episode that makes you want to tune in for the next exciting adventure.
Ponies is a fantastic sleeper hit of a show that everyone needs to watch. The story is solid and Bea and Twila steal every scene they’re in. Two characters who make you laugh, make you care and make you wish Season 2 was already out. Ponies is worth a watch.
