It’s almost criminal just how good Slow Horses, the AppleTV+ spy series based on Mick Herron’s novels, is. Seriously. And, after a pretty good but not great season four – which saw us traveling back into River Cartwright’s (Jack Lowden, given less than usual to do this season) family history to stop a terrorist attack on London – season five is a true tour de force that gives every member of Slough House a chance to shine. And shine they do in a gripping mystery that has plenty of twists and turns while taking the time to flesh out some of the show’s best – but often underutilized – supporting characters.
This season’s arc kicks off with a shooting in Abbotsfield, appearing to be a one-off attack on the mayor of London (who happens to be in the midst of a grueling re-election campaign), but turns out to be only the opening salvo in a string of escalating actions that are aimed at bringing Britain to its knees. At the center of it all, surprisingly, is everyone’s favorite over-confident tech whiz and self-proclaimed ladies’ man, Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung, who is so good this season when given more to do). After Shirley (Aimee-Ffion Edwards, also given a lot more to do this season) – who is still suffering the after effects of watching her friend, Marcus, get gunned down at the end of season four and is refusing to deal with any of the emotional strain its causing – claims she saved his life from a van that was maybe trying to hit him, it comes out that Roddy has a real, flesh and blood girlfriend.
And that piece of information – as well as River and Shirley tailing Roddy while on a date with said girlfriend – convince Lamb (Gary Oldman, at the top of his game this season) and the rest of Slough House that something just isn’t right here. When an actual assassination attempt on Roddy get thwarted, it brings down the might of The Park on the Slow Horses as MI5 tries to get a handle on just what Roddy knows – and what he might have accidentally or on purpose told his mysterious new girlfriend, who, wouldn’t you know it, can’t be found.
The story is tightly drawn, with each piece of information revealed and then looping back to come into play later on in the story. For my money, it’s the best season of the series yet – and I chalk that up to how balanced the storytelling was in terms of making use of the series’ expansive cast. While season four ended up becoming the River Cartwright story, season five requires each and every key character to make the story work. From Lamb trusting his agents more than he would ever tell them to their face, to Taverner (Kristen Scott Thomas) desperately trying to mitigate the walking disaster that is Claude Whelan (James Callis, who is so good at playing this particular brand of pompous, privileged prick) on First Desk, there’s a shocking amount of character growth. Hell, Coe (Tom Brooke) not only gets to speak multiple times, but he’s also crucial to breaking down just what is happening with this particular terrorist plot.
But what makes Slow Horses work each and every time is how the writing shows us just how capable each of the agents could be if they could just move beyond their particular set of failings that landed them in Slough House. If Shirley could conquer not only her addictions but her deep emotional scarring from her past losses, she could be one of the finest agents out there. Roddy might have all the outward bravado in the world, but he feels incredible inadequate in every facet of his life, so he talks a big game he can never live up to and refuses to ask for help when he needs it. And then there’s River, who truly believes he’s better than everyone at Slough House – to the point of dismissing them and their theories – while continuing to screw up left and right without ever accepting responsibility. They all have the talent and drive to be special, yet they cannot get out of their own way. But together, somehow, they balance each other out and can see things in ways the “real” agents never can. And despite protesting left and right, Lamb believes in them as well. Otherwise, he would have walked away a long time ago.
It’s always a joy to watch a series that feels intentionally put together like a jigsaw puzzle. There’s no excess fat to be found in Slow Horses – at only six episodes, every moment counts. But what makes the series work is how the writing serves both the overall mystery – just who is staging escalating attacks on London and why they are doing it – as well as the development of these characters. There aren’t easy answers to be had in either realm of the writing, with the answer to the central mystery twisting and turning throughout and the character growth coming through some very hard truths. And, to be frank, you might find yourself not particularly happy with one or more of the main characters and their actions by the close of the season – I know I had a pretty big bone to pick with one of them. But that’s what make Slow Horses a cut above the rest. It doesn’t tie things up in a nice bow at the end. A mystery is solved, but we know there’s much more for Slough House to do. After all, season six is already filmed and ready for us next year.
Season five of Slow Horses premieres on September 24. All six episodes were provided for review.
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