Ponies Season 2 Story Prospects Shared by Stars Following Season 1’s Twist Ending

Peacock’s hit new series, Ponies, starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson, is captivating audiences. This thrilling spy story, set during the Cold War in the 1970s, delivers a surprising and intense experience, culminating in a shocking Season 1 finale.

For most of the show, Cheryl seemed like just a typical housewife to Ray. The initial focus of suspicion was on her nanny, which now appears to have been a deliberate distraction. But in the final moments of the first season, it’s revealed that Cheryl is actually a second Russian spy working for the CIA. This surprising twist left viewers stunned and creates exciting possibilities for a second season.

Russ Milheim from TopMob recently spoke with Vic Michaelis, the star of Ponies, to discuss the surprising turn of events involving Cheryl, the reasons behind her potential shift in loyalty to the Russians, and what this could mean for a potential second season of the show.

Michaelis admitted they were completely surprised by the Season 1 finale’s twist involving Cheryl. They only learned about it while flying to Hungary to begin filming Ponies. Michaelis said they reacted strongly while on the plane as they reached Episode 8, immediately messaging the show’s creators, David Iserson and Susanna Fogel. Iserson and Fogel confessed they had simply forgotten to mention the twist when Michaelis was cast.

Michaelis revealed that the clues about Cheryl’s behavior were present from the beginning, and her actions ultimately make sense when you consider her personality. They described her as exceptionally capable – someone who, in a different situation, would likely be a highly successful entrepreneur.

Michaelis observed that her unhappiness and feeling stuck in a life she didn’t feel worthy of were deeply affecting her well-being.

Michaelis explained that Cheryl genuinely believed she would marry Nicholas’ character and become part of the Kennedy family, enjoying a glamorous lifestyle with beautiful clothes. She imagined they would maintain separate lives while still appearing together in photoshoots. Of course, things didn’t turn out that way.

Despite everything, Vic Michaelis believes there’s still love between Cheryl and Ray, although they’re both approaching the relationship in very different ways.

Michaelis wouldn’t say who Cheryl’s Russian lover is, but confirmed they know the details.

You can find more of TopMob’s interview with Vic Michaelis (who plays Cheryl) and Nicholas Podany (Ray) from the show Ponies below. Ponies Season 1 is currently available to stream on Peacock, but it hasn’t been announced yet if there will be a Season 2.

Vic Michaelis Explains Cheryl’s Russian Allegiances in Twist Ending

“And As I Get to Episode 8, I Scream on This Airplane…”

TopMob: “Vic, you have some explaining to do. I had a feeling that the nanny was a red herring, but I’ll tell you, I had no idea it would be Cheryl. Did you know that twist the moment you kind of signed on to the project?”

Vic Michaelis: Absolutely not! I think I was one of the very last people to join the project. I was actually on a plane to Hungary when they started sending me the scripts to read. And I got to Episode 8 while I was still in the air and had a huge reaction! As soon as I landed, I texted David and Susanna, completely shocked. They realized then that we hadn’t told me the overall storyline for my character – it was a complete oversight that we only discovered as I was traveling.

TopMob: “How did knowing that kind of play into your performance throughout the season?”

I believe that if you think about it clearly, the story arc for the season, developed by David and Susanna with the help of the writers, is established right from the beginning. And when you consider Cheryl’s character, everything fits together logically.

I’m a huge fan, and honestly, I think she’s incredibly capable – the type of person who’d be leading a major company or even running for office in another life. But it’s so sad to watch because she feels stuck in a situation that doesn’t suit her, and it’s genuinely destroying her from the inside. It’s like she’s just being consumed by unhappiness and frustration.

David and I discussed this a lot, and it seemed like she genuinely believed she would marry Nicholas’ character and become a Kennedy. She really envisioned herself as Jackie O, enjoying the glamorous lifestyle – the beautiful clothes, the charitable foundation, and a public life of appearances and photoshoots, even if their lives would remain somewhat separate.

Things didn’t turn out as expected. She’s now in a situation where she has to handle almost everything on her own, and the frustrating, in-between nature of it all is causing her a lot of stress.

TopMob: “Who’s your Russian lover? Who is this man?”

That’s a great question! I’m not sure how it would affect the show going forward, so we talked about it, but I’m not going to reveal any details right now. I was imagining something really sparkly – I think Cheryl would love a jeweled hat. I’m picturing a jeweled beret, actually. I’m keeping that idea to myself for now.

During filming of Ponies in Hungary, Vic Michaelis talked about family members visiting the set. This reminded us to ask their opinion on the surprising Cheryl reveal at the end of Season 1.

TopMob: “Did your family just disown you when they learned your [character’s] true Russian allegiances?”

Everyone was really angry. My brother even texted me, accusing me of being disrespectful. He said something like, ‘How could you?’ – defending Ray and saying he’s a really nice guy. I just responded, ‘Okay.’

Nicholas Podany Reveals Ray’s True Weakness

“That Is a Really Gnarly Instinct to Have.”

TopMob: “Nicholas, obviously, on the surface, Cheryl and Ray seem fine together, but there are issues. One thing I noticed watching the show is that Ray treats Twila with such high respect and potentially even a little admiration. Why is it that you think we don’t really see any of that behavior towards his wife, and he’s even like condescending most of the time towards her, whether he means to or not?”

It was interesting filming a scene – though it might not make it into the final cut – where you could see Ray and Cheryl interacting calmly. Usually, whenever you see them together, they’re already arguing or disagreeing, which makes sense considering their personalities and how they approach conflict. Ray tends to try and smooth things over, while Cheryl is more direct and confrontational. These different approaches create a lot of tension between them.

We filmed a really sweet scene where you could see the couple genuinely in love, but unfortunately, it didn’t make the final cut because we needed to focus on moving the plot forward. Still, filming it was helpful for me. It really solidified that Ray loves his wife and would never be unfaithful. I believe he’s more in love with the idea of being married than with his wife as an individual, and over time, he’s lost touch with who she actually is – which is something that happens in a lot of long-term relationships. I’m curious to see how that will affect things later on.

Nick, I completely agree with that. It sounds like they’re at a critical point in their marriage, where everything is finally coming to a head. However, I genuinely believe there’s still love between them. They’re just dealing with things in very different ways.

They’ve developed a pattern of handling things, and it seems to be working for them. It’s more comfortable for both of them to avoid difficult conversations about their feelings or how they treat each other. Whenever one of them tries to address a problem directly, it quickly escalates into a major argument, so it’s just easier to stick with the status quo.

TopMob: “Do you think there’s any part of Ray that could ever suspect her on any level of betraying him? Or is he just so blind to that idea in any world?”

I believe Ray’s biggest flaw as a spy is that he’s too trusting. He works for a very suspicious person, Dane, who is a highly skilled CIA operative – and a good reason Dane chose to have him as a partner. However, Ray has a tendency to fully commit to people once he trusts them, and that could be a dangerous weakness.

Ponies Stars Tease What They’d Want To Explore in a Season 2

Vic Michaelis Just Wants “An All Out Brawl Scene In Heels…”

TopMob: “If a Season 2 does go forward, what is something you would both love to explore with your characters that we just never got to see in Season 1?”

Vic Michaelis shared that he’d mentioned his martial arts background to David and Susanna, who were very receptive. As a result, they playfully added hints of Cheryl’s karate skills into the show. Vic would love to film a full-on fight scene with heels in a potential second season, thinking it would be a lot of fun.

Nicholas Podany explained that a line he was supposed to deliver was altered. Originally, it was meant to reference Cheryl returning from yoga, but the director told him to say ‘karate’ instead. He suspects this was a deliberate, subtle reference – an ‘Easter egg’ – for fans to discover.

I really appreciate Ray’s strong moral center. The show often explores complex characters with questionable ethics, but Ray consistently sticks to his principles, remaining steadfast in his beliefs and loyal to those he cares about.

I’m really interested in seeing if that belief will be questioned, because he’s the only one who seems unwilling to change and perfectly happy as he is. It’s strange to see someone like that, especially since his steadfastness was a highlight of the first season. I’m curious to see how far they’ll push his loyalty and what will happen.

It’s fascinating to consider the final scene with RTM, where they discuss Bea, Twila, and themselves. They essentially point out that when you’re involved in espionage, there isn’t a clear right or wrong side.

I think the conflict comes from us being the heroes, while they see us as villains. I made it clear I’m patriotic because I believe my country is fundamentally good. I’m curious to see how Ray will complicate that simple idea.

2026-01-30 22:40