Slough House Shenanigans: A Review of Slow Horses
Slow Horses is a spy thriller TV show that streams on Apple TV+. If you like tension, dark humour, backstabbing and twists, it will be right up your alley.
Based on Mick Herron’s acclaimed series of novels, Slow Horses follows a group of MI5 agents who have been relegated to a dingy London outpost called Slough House. These agents, dubbed “slow horses,” have messed up too many times and now find themselves stuck in bureaucratic purgatory, far away from the action of the real spy world.
Led by the cantankerous and flatulent Jackson Lamb, played with gritty brilliance by Gary Oldman, the motley crew of misfits at Slough House are supposed to bide their time doing more routine office work and low-level gigs as a penance.
But they soon find themselves dragged back into the game when a young Muslim man is abducted off the streets of London by some far-right nutters who threaten to cut his head off on the internet. What follows is a twisted tale of espionage, betrayal, and redemption, all set against the backdrop of a gritty and rain-soaked London.
Slow Horses is driven by superb characters
The six-episode show is based on the book ‘Slow Horses’, the first in Mick Herron’s Slough House series. As is often the case with shows based on books, the characters are superb.
Each team member brings their own baggage and quirks to the table, particularly Jackson Lamb. They make for a dynamic, likeable, and often hilarious ensemble. We’re introduced to them all partly through the point of view of River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), a cocky and ambitious young agent who’s landed in Slough House after a very public but incredibly exciting blunder. When the kid is kidnapped, Cartwright sees a chance to redeem himself. The rest get dragged in with him.
The characters are varied with their own reasons for being on the team – one was an alcoholic, another left a top-secret disc on a train, and so on. Lamb, played (predictably) superbly by Gary Oldman, is blunt, slovenly, and rude but is also something of a legend and is clearly a brilliant operator and spy. I adored his character. There are also excellent performances from Kristen Scott Thomas, Jack Bowden, Olivia Cooke, and the rest.
The story and plot also work well
Slow Horses doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to its darker themes. As the mystery unfolds, the show delves into issues of loyalty, sacrifice, and the moral ambiguity of the intelligence world. It’s a refreshing take on the spy genre that doesn’t shy away from the complexities of its subject matter.
Of course, this would only work with a solid script, and Slow Horses delivers in spades. Writer Will Smith (no, not the happy-slappy Will Smith) has crafted a tight, suspenseful narrative that keeps you guessing until the end. It takes the spy genre’s requisite twists and turns and adds a layer of gritty realism that feels uncomfortably close to the bone. This isn’t a show about stopping a villain with a laser on the moon; it’s about navigating the treacherous, morally grey waters of modern espionage, where the biggest threats often wear suits and sit in office chairs.
Yet, for all its cynicism and shadows, Slow Horses is imbued with hope. In Slough House, redemption is always possible, and even the most disgraced spy can find a path back to grace—albeit a path littered with bad decisions, worse luck, and an impressive amount of alcohol.
My predictable conclusion
As you can probably tell, I loved Slow Horses. It is the kind of twisty-turny, morally grey spy thriller I enjoy. (I also love James Bond, but this is realistic and utterly different.) Six episodes is the perfect length for the story it is trying to tell. It also meant I binged season one in a single evening, and I enjoyed season two the next day even more. I have one more series to watch, but I am rationing myself.
Fortunately, it has proved such a hit for Apple TV that season four will be out later this year (2024), and a fifth has been commissioned. Each season will be an individual novel from the Slough House book series. I am trying to ration myself.
Slow Horses offers a refreshingly flawed, deeply human take on the world of espionage. I highly recommend it.
You can check out the book series here.
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