★★★★ | Thoroughbred
Slow Horses is one of the consistently best shows on streaming. If regular television was still a thing, it would be the best thing on that. For four compelling seasons, the misfits at Slough House have kept things brisk, fun, and always entertaining. While the latest isn’t the best season in the series, it’s yet another reminder that Apple’s streak of picking winners remains unbroken.
This time, Slow Horses makes things more difficult for itself by breaking the team up for most of the season. After River’s visit to his grandfather’s house goes tragically wrong, it’s up to the team to pick up the pieces. Meanwhile, Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) has to deal with the new First Desk at MI5. In the aftermath, others struggle with the new normal of a shattered team.
That new First Desk, played by James Callis, is a vain, jittery mess, who can’t tie his shoelaces without asking Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas). Together, they’re a blast as heads of MI5. They have an innate ability to balance the sly humor with implied malice. It’s especially a joy to see Callis play off Thomas’s withering stare, as he breaks down with every muttered sentence.
Praise must be sung at Jack Lowden, who continues to impress River Cartwright. In an ensemble series, it’s he and Lamb who often stand out as the leads. Where Lamb gets the big and juicy dialog, it’s Lowden who continues to quietly impress as a man with greater ambition for good than he has the stones for. It’s a delightfully contradictory role, one that could easily fall into pantomime. Yet Lowden brings River back from the brink at every turn. We like him because he tries, even when his attempts are half-baked at best.
Once again, it’s Oldman who proves to be the MVP of the series. As Lamb, he’s in every element of the show, even when he’s not on-screen. It’s a consistently inventive, brilliant performance. Slovenly and loud, but nuanced and tender all at once. Watch, for example, how his comfort of his agents has changed throughout the years. He won’t ever say a nice word to them, but the silence he offers instead speaks volumes. Oldman’s brilliance is that he lets Lamb disarm us with his bravado, but he never lampoons the character or the material.
The problem is that this season has more story than any previous one to date. At just six episodes in length, it’s not enough to cover everything Slow Horses throws at us. By the end, it feels like an intro more than anything. Especially as we’re now veering further into territory not in Mick Herron’s fantastic book series. By the time this season’s villain (the superb Hugo Weaving) finally joins the game, we’re already halfway through. If anything deserved a longer runtime, it’s Slow Horses.
Despite this, Slow Horses remains a treat. Another season is already underway. Oldman has said he’ll play Lamb forever if he could. If we’re lucky, it means we have many more years of Slough House shenanigans in store. I will tune in every time.