Ride with Norman Reedus began its fifth season cruising around the islands of New Zealand with Josh Brolin and Dylan McDermott. Afterwards, the show’s host was set to travel to Italy and Croatia to shoot additional episodes but the pandemic hit and the bikes were grounded. Instead of visiting the European locales, the travel series took some time to reflect on all the previous adventures.
The episode is a nice clip show looking back at moments fans may have enjoyed. It included the diverse mix of co-rider’s Reedus has had and the various celebrities from fellow The Walking Dead castmates to other actors to musicians. It’s fun hearing anecdotes behind certain scenes such as the encounter with Ian Anderson, lead singer and flautist of Jethro Tull, who also happens to be Andrew Lincoln’s father-in-law.
Other interesting aspects of the retrospective include the never-before-seen candid moments when the stars were off the clock but the cameras kept rolling. While filming in South Carolina with Dave Chapelle, the pair had to wait out inclement weather beneath an over pass. We catch a more personable side to the famed comedian outside of the funny man on stage. We also learn how a chance meeting following a The Walking Dead after party in New York lead to Chapelle’s appearance on the series.
As much fun as Ride with Norman Reedus looks, some of the experiences turned out to be transformative for some of the guests. Friend and DJ, Dom Rocket, had hit a funk in his life and their trip through Costa Rica allowed Rocket to pull things together. Similarly, Melissa McBride grew closer to her heritage when she made the trek to Scotland. You can’t forget when the Dixon brothers hit the road again as Reedus and Michael Rooker rode to Atlanta and the guest was gifted a pleasant honor from The Walking Dead for his contributions as Merle. These uplifting stories provide a positive spin.
The episode also shines a light on the riding culture in general. They break the stereotypical perception of motorcycle clubs by focusing on ones comprised of people of color. The lovely ladies of Carmel Curves have stunning rides and love to peel out. Rapper, Sen Dog, heads up the appropriately named Cypress Hillbillies. I’m sure to the host’s liking, the MC is a big fan of The Boondock Saints. For even more levity, and if you ever wanted to know, Reedus also addresses bathroom breaks during filming and references his time in Hawaii.
This episode is fine filler considering the circumstances revisiting memorable scenes with commentary and anecdotes for added context. However, it is still a clip show.
Ride with Norman Reedus airs Sunday nights on AMC.
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