If you are looking for a slow burn thriller that will have you yelling at the TV by the end of the season, Peacock’s new exclusive “PONIES” is the show for you.

Set during the Cold War, “PONIES” stars Emilia Clarke as Bea and Haley Lu Richardson as Twila. The women live in the USSR with their husbands, who work for the CIA. After their husbands die in a mysterious plane crash, the pair decides to return to Russia to find out what really happened to them.

The show describes two categories of people in intelligence: POIs, or persons of interest, and PONIs, persons of no interest. Posing as two secretaries that work at the American Embassy in Moscow, Bea and Twila are considered PONIs. Why would a KGB agent expect the CIA to use a female agent? It is the 1970s, after all. 

Bea is the brains of the operation, with her impressive education and fluency in Russian. Twila, on the other hand, is fearless and has good instincts. The women work with a Russian citizen, Sasha, to feed information to the Americans. They have to complete dead drops and exchange technology with the agent, running into some trouble along the way. 

Soon the women meet Andrei Vasiliev, a mid-tier agent within the KGB. Bea begins to seduce Andrei using her cover Nadiya, attempting to smuggle information about KGB activities to the CIA. Twila goes on a myriad of adventures, from setting a bar on fire to accidentally killing an elderly woman. Despite her sometimes reckless behavior, Twila proves herself to be useful to the CIA. 

The women begin to uncover secrets about Andrei, discovering a scheme in which prostitutes seduce men, often top KGB or wealthy American men, in a Moscow hotel. The hotel rooms are bugged and Andrei uses the footage to blackmail KGB agents, explaining how he’s able to move up the ranks so quickly. He then kills the prostitutes, one of whom was Sasha’s sister.

The show also features a mix of interesting romances. Bea begins to fall for Sasha, while Twila strikes up a romance with a Russian woman named Ivanna. 

“PONIES” strength is in its suspense. Although it starts slow, the show builds tension in each scene, enacting a physical reaction in its viewer. The characters are also well developed and interesting, down to the head of the Moscow station Dane Walter. 

My favorite character is Cheryl Symanski, played by Vic Michaelis of Dropout TV. Michaelis’ usual dry humor fits perfectly into the world of “PONIES.” Her acting really shines later in the season, as you learn that Cheryl may not be who she seems. 

Haley Lu Richardson and Emilia Clarke work beautifully together. Their on-screen chemistry builds throughout the season, and by the end, you can see exactly why these two women were meant to meet each other.  

I do not think I have ever had such a physical reaction to a show as I had to “PONIES.” I was literally at the edge of my seat at the end of each episode, gasping at each twist and turn. If you are looking for a thriller with a killer ’70s soundtrack, you should definitely check out “PONIES.” 

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