Ponies finale: Cheryl revealed as mole; CIA evidence destroyed in Moscow

In Peacock’s spy thriller Ponies, set in 1977 Moscow, the season finale reveals that Cheryl (Vic Michaelis) is the mole — she kills the nanny Eevi and a tracking device taken into the ambassador’s vault explodes, destroying evidence and triggering chaos and a fire at the CIA, Collider reports.

Michaelis said she signed on late and was shocked when she read the finale script, calling Cheryl “an absolute dream character.” She described getting the tracking device into the vault as “a ballet” and said she enjoyed rooting for her character’s villainy in the moment. The show’s creators, Susanna Fogel and David Iserson, have said they left Cheryl’s killing of Eevi ambiguous, Michaelis noted, but she told Collider she believes Cheryl killed Eevi to protect her family — fearing Eevi waking and talking could expose Cheryl and harm her son and husband.

Nicholas Podany, who plays Ray Szymanski, noted that the CIA — and even Ray himself — are unaware that Cheryl is the mole. Podany said Ray is loyal to a short list of people and that being forced into the field and confronting questions of trust would be a compelling direction for him in a possible Season 2.

Both actors described Ray and Cheryl’s marriage as fragile but containing real affection beneath the dysfunction. The creators have teased “more complicated loyalties” ahead, the series premiered Jan.

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