Ride or Die Season 1 Review: Friendship’s Got the Wheel

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

4

Prime Video drops all 8 episodes of Ride or Die Season 1, starring Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer, on July 15.

And you COULD binge-watch the whole thing in a go. It’s certainly entertaining enough.

Ride or Die Season 1 dials the action-adventure level to 11 while liberally seasoning the characters’ relationships with humor and humanity.

Prime Video’s Ride or Die

The danger in swallowing the series whole as a high-octane John Wick-level lone-assassin-plus-one-versus-mercenary-organization horse pill, complete with unrepentantly deadly encounters.

When doing so, you miss the real tension of the narrative.

Because, as the stars stated in a recent interview with TV Fanatic, it’s the friendship that drives the series.

It’s the threat to Judith and Debbie’s friendship that truly grips the audience and keeps us on emotional tenterhooks.

Yes, they face off with killers and must take literal leaps of faith to escape, but is it worth the effort of surviving if their relationship doesn’t?

Judith Burton and Debbie Claybourne aren’t just friends or even really good friends. They are truly best friends, with a bond closer than family, tighter than marriage, more loyal than any professional affiliation.

But their relationship has vulnerabilities. There are lies woven into its fabric, and Ride or Die will expose them all.

The Question of Identity

The premise of the series is that Waddingham’s Judith has hidden her life as an assassin from Spencer’s Debbie. Well, yeah, that seems not only likely but sensible.

But what is quickly understood as the series gets rolling is that Judith’s time with Debbie — antiquing, drinking wine, commiserating about book club — is every bit as much a part of her identity as killing bad guys for money.

Because doing it for free would make her a psychopath. Seriously. More on that later.

Through artfully timed flashbacks, we learn how Judith came to her vocation and what role The Director played in shaping the woman she is today.

At the same time, Debbie’s identity has been one of redirected ability.

Meeting her husband derailed her promising legal career, and she siphoned all that intellect and energy into supporting his political career and raising their family.

It’s no coincidence that Ride or Die hits the gas on both women’s lives just as The Director and MP David Claybourne kick them to their respective curbs.

Now is the perfect time for them to re-evaluate their life priorities and refocus on themselves if they can stay alive, of course.

The Question of Honesty

While it’s challenging to be self-reflective when people are shooting at you, and you’re jumping from moving trains, Ride or Die affords its protagonists multiple opportunities to reflect on the life choices they have made.

Debbie holds true to her values in the face of rapidly changing circumstances, but, possibly in reaction to the chaos engulfing her, she also passes judgment with lightning righteousness.

Lying is unacceptable. Killing is wrong. She deems every aspect of Judith’s job reprehensible and Judith’s subterfuge the ultimate betrayal.

However, Debbie’s own honesty about her life and desires deserves just as much scrutiny. Her arc from supportive political spouse to badass DIY strategist is a breathtaking transformation.

Conversely, Judith must make the journey from a self-sufficient ace contractor with a particular set of skills to an emotionally open partner willing to share hard truths and accept the consequences.

Together, they provide proof of concept that they are stronger together, even if it means burning everything else down.

Some Will Ride, Some Will Die

One of the most impressive choices made for Ride or Die is the stunning lack of plot armor for the characters.

Being cute and quirky doesn’t mean you survive unscathed. Even genius and delightful curmudgeonliness doesn’t protect you. If you’re in this conflict, you are fair game.

And the resident psychopath (see above definition) doesn’t miss without reason.

On multiple occasions, I actually blurted out, “Aw, I really liked him/her/them…” only to be caught off-guard by the next casualty.

Another reason not to binge the series is that the protagonist-adjacent body count does start to feel overwhelming at some point.

Even The Director, played to epic pragmatic precision by Bill Nighy, finds that calling the shots doesn’t exclude him from being targeted.

If Ride or Die is trumpeting any specific message, it’s that operating in isolation can only carry you so far.

Judith and Debbie find networks of allies in unexpected places, which keeps them in the game for longer than anyone would’ve predicted.

And Judith’s dealings with previous contacts lay a groundwork of loyalty that comes in handy when her resources run short.

Even Debbie converts some of her own particular skills to on-the-fly strategies that yield surprising dividends.

As it turns out, a good eye for antique valuation is a solid ace to have up your sleeve.

Keeping It Fun

Every adventure needs a good reason behind it. John Wick had a dog to avenge. John McClane just wanted to patch things up with his wife. The Bride had some wedding housekeeping to finish up.

Ride or Die pays homage to the genre’s best films and series by never losing sight of what made them the best — heart and humor.

Even as Waddingham and Spencer careen through obstacles and evade killers at breakneck speed, their friendship holds true. It’s only when that bond begins to fray that things feel truly dire.

But even a frayed connection can save lives and be mended with care.

So if you do binge the series, Fanatics, enjoy the wild and crazy shenanigans. It’s a hoot and a half, resplendent in stylishly hyper-violent and comedically paced conflicts.

But I guarantee when you get to the end, you’ll want to revisit it at a more leisurely pace to appreciate the thoughtful moments interwoven amid the chaos.

It’s those moments that signal the depth of understanding and true affection that Judith and Debbie’s friendship is built on, and why it was worth surviving it all.

Over to you, Fanatics!

If you haven’t jumped into Ride or Die already, what sort of expectations do you have? Will Ride or Die be the action-adventure comedy hit of the summer? Drop your thoughts into the comments below!

And if you have, let us know what your favorite moments were! (Maybe with a #SpoilerWarning just to be considerate.)

Ride or Die streams in full today, June 15, on Prime Video.

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