Peacock spy TV series offers compelling thrills

Remember the Mila Kunis/Kate McKinnon spy comedy “The Spy Who Dumped Me”? Of course you don’t; neither did I. But it did come back to me when the dynamic between the straight-laced Beatrice “Bea” Grant (Emilia Clarke) and the dry-witted Twila Hasbeck (Haley Lu Richardson) reared its head in Peacock’s espionage thriller series, “Ponies.”

“Ponies” feels like writer/co-creators David Iserson and Susanna Fogel aiming to refine the familiar mechanics of their prior “female buddy spy” story for television, tailoring them instead for the “Americans” crowd. I say that because it is a well-made and entertaining period espionage show that, despite the numerous broad strokes it fires, hits its target with solid, entertaining precision.

PONIES — Pictured: (l-r) Haley Lu Richardson as Twila, Emilia Clarke as Bea — (Photo by: Katalin Vermes/PEACOCK)

Moscow, 1977. American-born wives of CIA agents, Bea and Twila, are in contrasting positions. Twila is unhappy as a neglected housewife to Tom (John MacMillan). Bea, on the other hand, is employed as a secretary in the USSR and sustains a happy marriage with Chris (Louis Boyer). The wives become friends right away after meeting at a flea market, where Twila helps Bea in a dispute with an overcharging merchant. Within that argument, the show adequately highlights their respective traits: Twila is perceptive and abrasive, while Bea is kind-hearted to the point of being a pushover. Though unlike her colleague, she speaks Russian fluently due to her Soviet immigrant background.

Later, at a USSR event, Bea and Twila are informed by their husbands’ superiors, Dane Walter (a fantastic Adrian Lester), the intimidating head of CIA Moscow, and Ray Szymanski (a charming Nicholas Podany), a sweet-natured analyst, that Tom and Chris were killed in a fatal plane crash. They’re instantly flown back to their American hometowns. Twila despises the podunk Indiana roots that she worked so hard to escape. In Providence, Bea reflects on her lack of self-fulfillment outside of Chris’s shadow. Wanting to have purpose in their lives and solve their husbands’ ominous deaths, the two convince Dane and Ray to assume their husbands’ positions as CIA operatives. 

Dane ultimately endorses the plan, telling George H.W. Bush (Patrick Fabian) that they can leverage Bea & Twila’s invisibility as PONIs (Persons of No Interest) rather than their POIs to their advantage and use it to infiltrate the KGB.

The series doesn’t immediately rush Twila and Bea to dangerous missions, though. It takes its time, leveling them up through training that forces them and their neuroses out of their comfort zone. Bea has to activate her bold side by going undercover as Nadiya and snooping around Soviet technician Sasha’s home (Petro Ninovskyi). Yet her efforts attract Andrei Vasiliev (Artjom Gilz), a lethal KGB officer, and she plays into being his girlfriend to obtain intelligence while she, still in mourning, considers herself loyal to her late husband. Then, Twila has to strengthen her social skills by charming her boss before handling her first asset. 

Once they are out in the field and start investigations, the two uncover a conspiracy plot regarding the increasing deaths of sex workers within the country, which is tied to Alexi and the criminal underworld. 

PONIES — Episode 101 — Pictured: (l-r) Haley Lu Richardson as Twila, Adrian Lester as Dane — (Photo by: Peacock)

“Ponies” is propelled by Fogel and Iserson’s meticulous character writing, in conjunction with Clarke and Richardson’s magnetic central performances. As Twila projects a bold, fierce exterior, she subtly sheds her internal insecurities through a dry-witted line delivery that wavers between funny comic relief and a defense mechanism in intense moments. As for Clarke, she plays Bea with grace that pressure cooks into commanding power as the series progresses. But the pair are at their best when together. Their bright charisma dictates the tonal trajectory, naturally balancing the humorous and intense moments that challenge Bea and Twila’s friendship.

“Ponies” gleefully embodies the visual style of classic spy shows, complete with wipe transitions and split screens during espionage sequences, set in the context of the Cold War. The art department’s meticulous location and production design, within the Russian-set and USSR interiors, contribute to the show’s unique look and immersion in its setting. The same goes for costume designer Anastasia Magoutas’ exquisite style, which adds pizazz to each character, especially Twila’s colorful, rebellious wardrobe. 

Yet not all of the ’70s pastiche works; it falters with being overly reliant on late-’70s needle drops. Sometimes different tunes would play, scene after scene, one after another, to maintain the viewers’ attention. Thankfully, as the story gains self-assurance amid rising tension, the series becomes less dependent on them. 

The Cold War’s heightened tensions between the United States and Russia are enriched by the series’s well-rounded cast of captivating supporting characters. Harriet Walter steals the show as Bea’s devoted grandmother Manya, a Holocaust survivor and Soviet immigrant to America who eventually returns to Russia. “Ponies,” however, struggles in highlighting the dullest CIA personnel while neglecting others who are underutilized. 

One of its prominent subplots involves the Szymanskis, in which the people-pleasing Ray and his combative wife, Cheryl (Vic Michaelis), face a marital impasse as they bring in a Russian nanny, Eeve (Clare Hughs), into their home. It is given rather frequent attention that could have been not as padded out, and is only engaging due to Podany and Michaelis’s spirited performances. Yet, Adrian Lester’s Dane Walter barely has solo limelight, and with one swift swoop late into the season, he’s shown to be more enticing than the Szymanskis. 

“Ponies” is rather overfamiliar in its spy narrative, with many predictable twists and turns throughout the eight-episode season. However, it never loses sight of its primary objective: building the duo’s shared quest toward triumphant self-actualization through their spy roles. By its open-ended finale, Iserson and Fogel successfully accomplish their mission, building a compelling, female-driven buddy spy thriller that is enough to hold out hope for a second season.

Full season screened for review.

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