SummaryA group of MI5 agents demoted to desk duty led by Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) seek redemption in the espionage drama based on Mick Herron's novels.
SummaryA group of MI5 agents demoted to desk duty led by Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) seek redemption in the espionage drama based on Mick Herron's novels.
They can be loyal to one another, and even heroic, if not in a way that their bosses will ever recognize. This might make for a depressing real-world status quo, but on Slow Horses, it translates into exemplary television: the most unlikely champions saving the day (and themselves) in ways that only we, the viewers, can truly appreciate.
The drama makes great use of its London setting, filmed in and around the Barbican, and there are funny little touches that only a British show would include, such as the bungling head of security at MI5’s Regent’s Park headquarters dunking a KitKat Chunky into his cup of tea. As ever, the writing is top quality, particularly the insults.
Somehow, the Slow Horses continue to be plausible as both bumblers and authentic heroes, and this third TV season maintains the balance even more gracefully than the hugely charming previous installments. It’s Dad TV done at a high level, now arguably even higher than before.
“Slow Horses” is back for season 3 on Apple TV+, and it’s a joy. The story line is fine — it’s less twisty and cerebral than those of the previous two seasons, perhaps, which is fine. .... But the characters, and particularly Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, are more entertaining than ever.
The show’s strengths remain, if somewhat downplayed. Gary Oldman is the walking embodiment of body odor and mental acuity as Jackson Lamb. .... The other slow horses remain too underdeveloped to really build out the show’s world in unexpectedly compelling ways.