TV MINISERIES REVIEW
RIDE OR DIE
Rated TV-MA
8 50-Minute Episodes
Released July 15th on Amazon Prime
“Debbie,” the American wife of a British Parliament member living in England, has been friends with British “Judith” for some 20 years. Housewife Debbie has always thought that Judith was a forensic accountant. Only now does she discover that her friend has been a covert assassin the whole time. When a hit goes wrong, Judith’s past comes back to haunt her, and operatives are dispatched to track her down and take her out.
Bored with her life and distrustful of her husband’s dealings, Debbie chooses to go on the run with Judith. She hardly hesitates to follow her friend down the rabbit hole as her trusted sidekick – and what a rabbit hole it turns out to be. Think thriller car chases, fierce hand-to-hand combat, shoot-outs, fast getaways by motorcycle, breaking out of impossible situations. At first Debbie is a fish-out-of-water, but Judith protects her and trains her.
Now you would expect that these two fugitives might be played by either men or by hot action film femmes such as Jennifer Lawrence, Sydney Sweeney, Scarlett Johansson, Gal Gadot, or Charlize Theron. Guess again! This powerful pair is played by two strong actresses in their 50’s who are physical opposites at 5’2” and 5’11,” respectively, but twins in spirit, Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham.
This show makes you sit up and watch, as the unlikely duo in this fast-paced, heart-stopping series of life-or-death adventures is held together by their unbroken friendship. The camera work makes the characters and the action jump off the screen. Action scenes whisk you from one point of view to another with dizzying pace. The camera lingers over faces at emotional peaks. This limited series is shot like a feature film and was filmed entirely on location in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
The friendship between Spencer’s character and Waddington’s is so effortless, it feels like they’re family. The actresses did not know each other before shooting Ride or Die, but they quickly developed a strong real-life bond from their first day on set. They worked with each other daily and carved out time to have dinner together every two weeks. Reportedly, the whole cast developed an uncanny sense of friendship, as if they had lived together for years, due to the positive atmosphere on set. Spencer notes that the magic of the story about two 50-ish women is that the characters have so much lived experience to share.
The show was created by Tessa Coates and developed by show-runner Matt Miller with directors Peyton Reed, who directed the outrageously fun Ant-Man films, Alison Liddy-Brown of Friday Night Lights fame, Demare Davis and Lauren Wolkstein. I can sense the raw emotion and unexpected comedy from Reed and Liddy-Brown. Waddington commented that “Tessa Coates has written the most extraordinary script.” Ride or Die is a refreshing departure from the usual spy thriller. Waddingham is James Bond in female form. She can beat any man to the draw and can fight with the best of either sex. And cast in the “Moneypenny” role is the always-awesome Bill Nighy, who brings his trademark mysterious and quietly intense power to “The Director.”
Waddingham and Spencer are both musical theatre actors; Waddingham since the beginning of her career and Spencer more recently. Musical theatre is one of the best bases for developing incredible energy and precision as an actor, and that background shows in their performances here. To play the hard-hitting Judith, Waddingham had to train 3-5 times a week. Both actresses are also executive producers on this show.
Other performers to watch for on Ride or Die are Savannah Steyn as “Queenie,” who endures a terrible tragedy and never loses her charisma, and Calam Lynch as “Sam,” who shows a mastery of subtle comedy as the nerd of the crew.
Ride or Die is going to be one of the hot series of this summer. Two middle-aged women on the run – huh? Yes, believe it. There is so much screen presence, cast chemistry, and breathtaking action in this show, you will forget almost immediately that the two stars seem oddly yet so beautifully matched, and you will identify with their unbreakable friendship. The key is that they see themselves with a gloriously grounded sense of humor.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com.
