“Ride or Die” arrives on Prime Video this week, and its title is accurate in multiple ways. Calling someone your “ride or die” means they’ve got your back no matter what: you need to bury a body, they’ve got the shovel; you need a getaway driver, they’ve already filled up the gas tank. Adding another layer to this story, Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham go on a comedic “Thelma & Louise” inspired adventure, where they either keep running or get permanently extinguished.
That 1991 classic isn’t the only foremother for “Ride or Die.” This eight-episode action-comedy caper proudly blooms from its family tree. A sort of Miss Marple meets “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” in Spencer’s Debbie, an antique-hunting woman-behind-the-man who’s been underestimated but turns out to be sharper than her doubters. She’s paired with the assassin chic of a “La Femme Nikita” with a “Black Widow”infusion in Waddingham’s Judith. A deceptively sensitive woman who isn’t just posing as a forensic accountant, she excels at finance too. Not only do we get the open-road, no-more-apologizing fury of “Thelma & Louise” (with lots of much-needed apologizing), but there are whispers of the “Killing Eve” brand of psychological gamesmanship, and a full-blown French detective version of Lupin. Oh, hello.
This show is the offspring of an entire fictional lineage of ungovernable women. That’s a lot for one series to hold. Mostly, it carries the weight. Created by Tessa Coates alongside showrunner Matt Miller and director Peyton Reed, of “Ant-Man” fame, the premise is primed for shenanigans: Debbie (Spencer) thinks she knows everything about her lifelong best friend Judith (Waddingham). She’s probably right except for one tiny detail: Judith is an international assassin. After Debbie’s husband crosses an unforgiving criminal organization, and one of Judith’s past hits goes sideways, the two get catapulted into a frantic chase across Europe, pursued by cops, killers, and lies.
But the heart of the matter is a test of what two besties will do to protect one another—no matter what. It’s also about the second life that begins around fifty, when women finally shed the things that have been holding them back, others’ expectations, unrewarded compromises, and what they thought they wanted but don’t. Debbie and Judith blow up each other’s lives. Their disasters are mutual; their resolutions might be the same.
Waddingham and Spencer live up to their lore. Beyond the action-hero swagger and big feminine energy, they convey depth, often with conflicting emotions, in single expressions. Waddingham holds guilt, hope, and tenderness with contrasting ruthlessness. Spencer shimmers with swallowed rage, devastation, and unearned confidence. More than anything, their chemistry is the catalyst for the show, which sparks like a Roman candle, but yes, possibly burns for too long. However, when they’re up against the villainous Ana (Sylvia Hoeks) or playing love games with Ed Skrein—a delight—and Jacky Ido—the Lupin analog I mentioned, you can’t help but smile.
Hoeks gives Waddingham a mirror with none of the warmth but clinging to the same desires in the most misguided ways. She’s a great foil for the leads. Bill Nighy does what needs to be done, giving them all fits as the source of Judith’s daddy issues (wait for it, that doesn’t mean what you think it means). And if I had my wish, the mother-daughter pairing of Cathy Tyson and Savannah Steyn would have their own spinoff. The quietly not-quite-confident Sam (Calam Lynch) rounds out a cast that makes this midlife catastrophe well worth the trip.
What’s most refreshing is “Ride or Die” doesn’t ask these women to be precious or repeat the current psychological thrills. It lets them be ridiculous, needy, and dangerous on the way to realizing who they want to be. A Season 2 seems highly probable, given the ratio of assassins to loose ends, a surprising reveal, and the closing cliffhanger. Seems like Debbie and Judith are just getting started. I guess finding out your best friend is a killer for hire is the perfect excuse for an extended girl trip.
As I mentioned, “Ride or Die” is more like one long movie caper than a series. I probably could have done with fewer episodes. The pacing is good, but at times the plotting feels self-indulgent, especially with all eight episodes releasing on July 15. It might have worked better if they dropped two episodes a week—like a K-drama. I may not be texting “you must watch” alerts to my friends, but I enjoyed this. Of course, two besties versus an assassin guild with high-speed action and comedic twists is hard to resist, so don’t. Give in to “Ride or Die” and get your fake passport stamped with heists, second chances, and a friendship that never says die.
Entire series screened for review. Premieres on Prime Video on July 15.