‘Ponies’ Review: Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson Bring The Spirit Of Fun Back To International Espionage Thrillers

Don’t get mad, get even. Everyone knows this turn of phrase, but there’s a part of me that has always wished it was slightly tweaked. My suggestion? Don’t get mad, get BETTER.

That quote — amended as it may be — lives in my mind rent-free and feels distinctly applicable when describing the plot of Peacock‘s set-in-the-’70s spy thriller, Ponies, starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson.

In this brand new dramedy, the alums of Game of Thrones and the White Lotus leave the Home Box Office to step into a world of espionage — or es-SHE-ionage as I’ve been jokingly referring to it as — after both of their husbands, workers for the C.I.A. in Moscow, die mysteriously. Rather than accept their fate as helpless widows, Twila (Richardson), a spunky and fearless spitfire, and Bea (Clarke), a Wellesley-educated secretary fluent in Russian, opt to head back to the Kremlin to try and get to the bottom of what really happened to their husbands. To their surprise, the C.I.A. actually puts them to work, realizing that the KGB would never suspect two women — Persons of No Interest, a.k.a. “PONIs” — of being in on an operation.

What happens next is your general spy fare, complete with car chases, secret trysts, major twists, and a few dead bodies. What you might not expect is a story of two women independently discovering themselves and unearthing their own capabilities, albeit through the medium of heartbroken widows who would do anything to avenge their husbands.

As far as spy projects go, we certainly in the middle of a mini-renaissance for the genre. Prime Video just brought back The Night Manager for a second season a decade after releasing the first, Slow Horses continues to be a huge success for Apple TV+, Netflix has Black Doves, hell, even Peacock is double dipping (see also: The Copenhagen Test, starring Simu Liu and Melissa Barrera, which has been sitting atop the streamer’s most viewed charts for a few weeks now). As a viewer of all of these, it’s not hard to understand why these types of shows have been resonating with viewers.

One thing I’ve struggled with as I’ve bounced from one show to another, however, is the idea that these various films and TV series have a purpose. I’m not in the camp that every single project needs to have a dissertation and a point it’s trying to drive home — god knows I am here for a mindless program with bright colors and lights to satisfy my lizard brain — but it’s always nice to watch something and walk away feeling like its voice is loud and clear.

Make no mistake that Ponies, which comes from Booksmart and The Spy Who Dumped Me co-writer Susanna Fogel, has some thoughts about women’s contributions to the world of espionage. Zoom out and it questions the role of women in the world writ large. Like Dr. Rosalind Franklin’s crucial (and underattributed) contributions to Watson and Crick’s discovery of the DNA-helix, Ponies begs the audience to analyze their own predispositions.

In its opening sequence, the series highlights how easy it is to overlook women, using the camera to zoom past shots of Clarke’s character in favor of the more suspicious and discernible spies, i.e., men looking shifty. It’s a great example of the show setting the tone right out of the gate and preparing the audience for the message it will convey, albeit a superficial version.

In reality, Ponies sidesteps and avoids some, but not all, of the pitfalls and tropes often accompanied by the women in spy-dom genre. You know the ones I’m talking about: they don’t know how to shoot a gun, they can’t get down with going to great lengths — cough, cough seducing a suspect — they’re jealous and competitive, etc. The stuff that eyerolls are made of, essentially. Luckily, the show trades some of those clichés for genuine thrills and surprises, including the use of Harriet Walter — another HBO prestige TV vet! — in a role that feels as lively as it is unpredictable.

That unpredictable quality is where the show finds its best moments, relying on the dynamic duo of Clarke and Richardson to sell the crazier-than-fiction characters and storylines. It’s through their wildly endearing personalities and performances that the viewer can find that extra boost of enjoyment in an already enjoyable series. Clarke and Richardson are magic together and the spell they cast will have even the most casual of fans begging for more.

It’s difficult in this day and age to make a spy thriller and a period piece — let alone a show that attempts to do both well — feel fresh and fun, but thankfully, that is not a challenge that Ponies faces. It’s a wildly entertaining rollercoaster that will have you rooting for the complex characters, questioning who you can trust, and reexamining your own biases in a way that doesn’t feel derivative.

Ponies is exactly the kind of hilarious and heart-racing thriller the world needs now, just be ready to learn a lesson about what women are truly capable of. Spoiler alert: Anything.

How To Watch Ponies

All eight episodes of Ponies stream on Peacock Thursday, January 15.

Peacock currently offers two subscription types: Premium with ads and Premium Plus ad-free. Peacock Premium costs $10.99/month, while Premium Plus costs $16.99/month.

You can save a bit by subscribing to one of Peacock’s annual plans, which give you 12 months for the price of 10. These cost either $109.99 with ads or $169.99 without ads.

Peacock Premium Plus is also available to subscribe to via Prime Video with a seven-day free trial that you can’t get by subscribing directly on Peacock.