DUBAI: Despite incorporating nearly every cliché in the spy-comedy playbook, “Ride or Die” succeeds thanks to one important ingredient: The irresistible chemistry between Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer. Their easy rapport transforms what could have been another formulaic action caper into a genuinely entertaining, if predictable, binge.
Spencer plays Debbie Claybourne, the brilliant but overlooked wife of an ambitious British politician, who believes her lifelong best friend Judith Burton (Waddingham) is a mild-mannered forensic accountant. That illusion is shattered when a botched assassination exposes Judith (aka Whiptail) as a highly trained international assassin, and drags Debbie into a sprawling conspiracy that sends the pair on the run across Europe with corrupt politicians, ruthless criminals and law enforcement all in pursuit.
The supporting cast offer dependable backup, even if their characters never evolve beyond one dimension. Sylvia Hoeks is an icy foil as the calculating Ana. Bill Nighy lends gravitas as the mysterious Director, and Jamie Parker is suitably smug as Debbie’s philandering politician husband, David.
The creators understand exactly where the show’s greatest strength lies. Rather than trying to outsmart audiences with increasingly convoluted twists, they repeatedly return to the friendship between Judith and Debbie, whom Waddingham and Spencer make genuinely feel like women who have spent decades finishing each other’s sentences, irritating one another and remaining fiercely loyal. From their shared love for antiques and music to how they constantly hold each other accountable, their relationship will instantly speak to any woman with a bestie. It’s also encouraging that the show doesn’t use their age to mount cheap jokes, but genuinely sees it as an asset. As Debbie comes to terms with Judith’s double life, their relationship develops in ways that feel surprisingly genuine, giving the series an emotional core that elevates even its most predictable moments.
As Debbie and Judith unravel the conspiracy, “Ride or Die” delivers exactly what you’d expect from a globe-trotting spy caper: slick action sequences, narrow escapes and plenty of laughs.
Watching Waddingham and Spencer bounce off each other is a joy in itself. They bring warmth, wit and charisma, turning a familiar story into something far more charming than it has any right to be.
