Ride or Die Review

There’s nothing all that original about Ride or Die, the new comedic thriller from Prime Video. When watching it, you’ll see nearly all of the twists coming. You likely won’t find it all that funny (sorry to the writers but “harried and manic” isn’t really a viable comedic styling). And the general conceit – two people who think they know the truth about one another realize that they definitely don’t – has been done many a time. But, as is the case with a myriad of narrative sins, a whole heck of a lot about a pretty paint-by-numbers, overstuffed series can be forgiven if you have two leads with enough chemistry to make you forget all the problems with the series when they’re on screen. And in Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) and Octavia Spencer (The Help, Mama), Ride or Die has exactly that.

The basic framework of the series is simple. Waddingham plays Judith, a middle-aged woman who claims to be a forensic accountant (a job chosen because no one really knows what it is or cares enough about it to ask any questions). She’s best friends with Debbie (Spencer), an empty-nester who is married to an up-and-coming MP, David (Jamie Parker, asked to carry a lot of the comedy). Only, it turns out that Judith is actually an assassin. And Debbie? Not only does she have no idea, but it turns out she’s an absolute genius (graduated from Yale Law School, was on Law Review) who has orchestrated her husband’s rise to power. Now, Judith knows most of this, but what she doesn’t know is that Debbie is actually pretty damn capable of handling things herself – something that will come in handy when a fellow assassin decides they want to kill Judith and Debbie finds herself caught in the crossfire.

If you’ve watched any sort of spy or action film, or any film about the power of female friendship, I suspect you can guess where this show is headed. Judith’s secret will come one, Debbie will wonder if their friendship was ever real, and the pair will run into a host of roadblocks, villains, allies, and emotional turmoil before the season is through. Like I said earlier, Ride or Die doesn’t have a plot point you haven’t seen somewhere else before. And while the arc is tied up pretty nicely by the end of the season, there’s enough left up in the air for a second season, should Prime want to head in that direction.

But what makes the series work a hell of a lot more than it should is the work of Spencer and Waddingham. Each has had an impressive career in their own right – Spencer has an Oscar, among other accolades, and Waddingham snagged an Emmy for her excellent work on Ted Lasso – but the pair have chemistry for days. To sell this story, we have to believe that Judith and Debbie genuinely love and care for one another – and we absolutely do. They might make an odd couple on paper, but I never once doubted their friendship. And much of that is due to the work of Waddingham and Spencer, who bounce off one another perfectly, and know when to step back and let the other shine. It’s harder than it looks to have a series with co-leads who genuinely need to balance one another out throughout the show, but Ride or Die has the perfect balance with this pair. Aside from some less that compelling beats with some potential love interests mid-season.

However, that exceptional chemistry and casting can’t take away the fact that the story lags – this is yet another case where it could easily have been a movie, or at most a four-episode miniseries – and the supporting characters either don’t have enough to do or do way too much (Bill Nighy offers up what amounts to a glorified cameo as the head of the assassin team). When it’s Waddingham and Spencer on screen, things float along nicely. The chemistry is clear, the banter more or less works, and the emotional beats are sound. But when we get the B and C plots (which involve Judith’s handler and some of the support staff that help her survive as an assassin, as well as some Interpol officers trying to catch, well, everyone), you can’t help but wish we were back with Judith and Debbie again.

So, all-in-all, Ride or Die is a mixed bag. I enjoyed it in fits and starts, although I wished the story was less sprawling and more condensed and focused on Judith and Debbie attempting to find and thwart the assassin after them – that’s easily the best part of the story being told – and far less involved in the various financial schemes, mobsters, and other villains the duo come across in their travels. That being said, the chemistry and performances of Waddingham and Spencer are just enough to have me recommend the series. It’s got some really lovely things to say about the power and value of friendship, as well as the strength of women – especially those of a certain age who tend to be overlooked. While I was occasionally bored during the series, I was more than impressed with the central performances anchoring the story.

Ride or Die premieres on July 15 on Prime Video. All nine episodes were provided for review.