Aahana Swrup
After charting an electrifying narrative, season 1 of ‘Ponies‘ ends on an equally thrilling note. Bea Grant and Twila Hasbeck come into their own as CIA operatives, learning to trust their gut and each other. Yet, despite narrowly avoiding ruin on multiple occasions, unforeseen outside forces back them into an impossible situation. Thanks to the mole, or potentially two moles, installed in the American Embassy, the KGB manages to blow up the government building and send in their own agents as firefighters to collect useful information from the fire.
This ends up benefiting KGB agent Andrei Vasiliev, who was being held hostage by Bea and Twila in a negotiation that was far from unfolding in his favor. As a result, by the end of the season, the two agents are moments away from becoming KGB prisoners, while Dane Walter makes a startling discovery of his own. Thus, even though a confirmation hasn’t been announced yet regarding the show’s renewal, fans are bound to grow impatient for a potential future season. If it’s announced soon enough, season 2’s release could be in the cards as soon as late 2027.
Ponies Season 2 Will Dive Deeper Into Bea and Twila’s Partnership
Throughout season 1, a defining aspect of ‘Ponies’ stems from the friendship and partnership that grows between the co-leads, Bea and Twila. Even though the duo face some hardships in their interpersonal dynamic, they manage to find their way back to each other, forming a real and reliable bond. As such, even when season 1 ends with the duo surrounded by KGB Agents and having guns pointed at their heads, they’re able to find some comfort and confidence in each other’s presence. In the event of a potential season 2, things will undoubtedly start out tense for Bea, Twila, and the other CIA operatives. In fact, the revelation of Chris’ survival and defection promises to have a prominent effect on his former wife.
Nonetheless, Bea and Twila will have each other by their side through any curveball that the narrative is sure to throw their way. Thus, we can expect their relationship to remain at the center of the storyline, as they potentially become Andrei’s hostages. In a conversation with Time Magazine, co-creator Susanna Fogel discussed the same and said, “The premise of ‘Ponies’ is that it’s all in service of figuring out what happened to Chris, the person who Bea thought defined her life. By the end of the season (1), her loyalties are complicated; she’s not the person she was at the beginning. Losing Chris sent her on this journey that’s made her a much stronger person. How does or doesn’t he fit into her life now? And what does it mean for Bea if he doesn’t fit?”
Ponies Season 2 Will Likely See a Return For Most of the Cast Members
In season 1 of ‘Ponies’, the show effectively sets up many moving pieces in an overarching story. Therefore, in an effort to continue unfolding these narrative pieces, the series is likely to bring back most of its core cast for potential future season(s). The co-leading actresses, Haley Lu Richardson and Emilia Clarke, the latter of whom is also an executive producer on the project, will definitely return to their characters. Additionally, the CIA agents the protagonists are most closely connected to, Dane Walter (Adrian Lester), Ray (Nicholas Podany), and Chris Grant (Louis Boyer), will also make a comeback. Similarly, the show’s central antagonist, KGB Agent Andrei Vasiliev (Artjom Gilz), and unexpected traitor, Cheryl (Vic Michaelis), can also be expected to reprise their roles.
Alternatively, another major character, Sasha Shevchenko, retains an ambiguous fate, as he faces the possibility of death by the end of season 1. Therefore, things are less certain when it comes to the return of actor Petro Ninovskyi to the series. On a similar note, characters like Bea’s grandmother, Manya Caplan (Harriet Walter), Twila’s love interest Ivanna (Lili Walters), and Dane’s Frenchman agent Emile (Pál Mácsai) also have unconfirmed futures with the project. Depending on how the creators decide to maintain the flow of these characters’ story in the protagonists’ narratives, these actors may or may not return for a much-anticipated potential season 2.
Ponies Season 2 Will Examine the Moral Ambiguity of Spy Agencies
At the beginning of the show, when Bea and Twila are in the early days of their CIA recruitment, the moralities surrounding the agency seem to be pretty clear-cut. The duo can console themselves with the belief that they are pursuing matters of international security by throwing themselves into the life of a spy. Nonetheless, over time, the crisp lines in morality begin to blur. Conspiracies, departmental secrets, and moles compel the characters and the audience to question moral ambiguity surrounding the CIA and their operations. By the end of the season, Andrei delivers a monologue that supports this thematic turn. Therefore, fans can expect the show to continue pushing these boundaries in a future season 2. The series will likely carry forward unresolved storylines like Galyna’s death, the blackmail tapes, and Chris’ betrayal.
Through these storylines, Bea and Twila will get to delve further into the reality of their enemies as well as the spy agency they work for. Furthermore, the story will dive into their own backstories, particularly Twila’s, exploring how their past pushed them into this line of work. “We’ve often seen the idea that any American collaborating with the Russians is bad,” Susanna Fogel shared. “But that’s not the version of the story we want to tell, because we want to have these characters who are more than just the sum of their national identities. We want to understand these people apart from their allegiances, so that when we throw them into situations where they’re acting on behalf of a country, there’s a personal motivation that’s sometimes at odds with what their country wants them to do.” Thus, fans can expect the show to dig deeper into the gritty corners of its period setting as the narrative moves forward in the future.
Read More: IPonies Ending Explained: Who is the Mole in the CIA?
