REVIEW: ‘Ride Or Die’ Is A Spotlight for Hannah Waddingham

While Hannah Waddingham has known about Hannah Waddingham’s greatness for some time, the actor’s performance on Apple TV’s Ted Lasso is what made her a household name in the US. But while the World Cup was going on, Waddingham’s latest television endeavor was far from soccer – although, it was international. Led by Waddingham and Octavia Spencer, Ride or Die is a Prime Video action comedy series that throws expectations out the window. 

Created by Tessa Coates, Ride or Die Season 1 takes a tried-and-tested formula of a hitman and their out-of-the-loop friend. The series defies expectations with Waddingham as Judith Burton, a hitman whose double life is exposed when her best friend, Debbie Claybourne, played by Spencer, is unceremoniously brought into her criminal, espionage-filled world. 

Debbie and Judith start as two best friends who think that they know everything about each other. But while one is an international assassin, the other is married to a man she really doesn’t know. When a mysterious figure emerges from Judith’s past, and a hit goes horribly wrong, both of their worlds are turned upside down as they’re forced to go on the run together to survive. 

Racing against a clock, the two are on a global road trip across Europe, with everyone on their heels and trust issues brewing between them. A buddy comedy with more emotional depth as the two women explore their friendships and identities together; the action comes in spades, and the humor is driven by the women’s connection to each other. 

Ride or Die Season 1 is action built on friendship… and comedy.

Judith is a woman who knows who she is. She loves herself and has no issue with conquering men in the bedroom. She also has a bit of a temper. Deadly at close or long range, Judith is unashamed of her strength, even if it makes her too worried about being vulnerable. Her clothes are sexy, and her attitude is unwavering, but she also has a solid defense around her heart, and one that really only her best friend can clear.

Debbie has been married for so long, book club is the most exciting thing about her life, and violence isn’t the answer. She’s a woman who believes her best years are behind her, and now, she’s just a wife and a friend, looking for softness in the world.

When her husband reveals himself to be a liar, Debbie has a choice to make. She can follow her rowdy best friend and trust that she is still the woman she loves, even if she lied about her life, or just sit and wait to be snuffed out by the organization chasing them. What follows next are two best friends attempting to hold each other together and adapt to the situation and each other. 

One of the best examples of this is how quickly Judith resorts to violence and killing people. An assassin, Judith’s main focus is ensuring her best friend is safe and protected. But with a strong moral stance, Debbie doesn’t want that protection if it means hurting others. Or, more importantly, means violence first and questions later if their opponent survives.

One of the first boundaries that gets set between the two is Debbie asking Judith not to kill. While Debbie aims to soften her best friend, Judith is aiming to add a little bite to Debbie’s life. With her husband effectively becoming a liar and a man she doesn’t truly know, Debbie has the chance to see that there is life after marriage as she gets hit on by different men that the duo comes across. 

There is a confidence that grows in Debbie when she’s playing the role of someone new. When she gets her fake name and backstory, she comes to life. And it’s a more adventurous side of herself than Judith has ever seen before. Her spark for life comes back, and as she finds out that the men they meet are interested in her, well, her confidence grows. 

Hannah Waddingham can be an action star, and I think she should be.

The friendship at the core of Ride or Die is its strength, and it’s where Octavia Spencer gets the most opportunity to show the audience who she is. That said, for the action part of the series, that’s where Waddingham takes hold. While she does soften her touch, thanks to Debbie, ultimately, Judith is still an assassin. 

The physical altercations and fight sequences that Waddingham gets pulled into as Judith may be underserved by subpar effects work, but the woman at the center of it is never the problem. As Judith Waddingham throws herself into the role, especially when it comes to physicality, and it’s a joy to see. Truthfully, I would take many more action-adventures with Waddingham at their center. 

The dynamic between Debbie and Judith is one where they each put each other first. It’s a story built on friendship more than action or comedy. The way they push each other to be stronger and better people is a common thread that the series’ writers keep pulling on throughout, and it pays off for those looking for sincerity in their Prime Video Original. 

In addition to our leading stars, the series also features Bill Nighy, Ed Skrein, Sylvia Hoeks, Calam Lynch, Savannah Steyn, and Jamie Parker. All of whom bring something unique and perfectly in line with the action tropes to the table. Even if this is really Waddingham’s show, and everyone else is just making guest appearances (and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible to the actress who steals every scene the moment she walks into the room).

Ride or Die isn’t perfect. On the contrary, it’s overexplanatory at parts, with a fair amount of asking the audience to suspend disbelief only long enough for a plot hole to erupt. It’s not the best action series that Prime Video has put out, but it is one of the few times I have ever seen women in their 50s treated like stars who are thriving because of their experience, not in spite of it. 

The way that both Debbie and Judith are allowed to have sex, find love, be angry, fight, and ultimately support each other is an important reminder that women in Hollywood are more than the maiden or the Crone. Here, the women who get to play the roles men do in hitman actioners, and the casting of its leads, make this excel. Despite the series’ misses, it’s hard not to root for Judith and Debbie and the actresses who bring them to life. More women in action, more middle-aged women thriving on screen, and we all win. 

The characters and the actresses who play them aren’t trying to do anything subversive, but they’re also not trying to cater their appearances or ages to what Hollywood thinks a woman in their roles should be. Proving that sometimes, just being yourself offers up the joy that people need to see. 

Ride or Die is not without its faults, but the chemistry and friendship that Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham show as they bring their characters to life is more than enough to get the series through its rough patches. As Prime Video doubles down on action television series and direct-to-streaming movies, Ride or Die is the kind of swing they need to take.

Ride or Die Season 1 is streaming now, exclusively on Prime Video.