THE STORY – A dysfunctional team of MI5 agents and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb, navigates the espionage world’s smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces.
THE CAST – Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Olivia Cooke, Harry Lloyd, Kyle Soller, Lucian Msamati, MyAnna Buring, Lenny Rush, and Hugo Weaving
THE TEAM – Gaby Chiappe (Showrunner/Writer) & Adam Randall (Director)
Bar none, one of the best developments of this decade in television is its slow rejection of the medium’s eventization. The ever-rampant desire to turn television into a platform for grandiose storytelling has had its highs at the expense of years of development between seasons, ballooning budgets, and the unshakeable fact that it’ll never replicate the magic of the silver screen. Now, seasons with longer episode counts and yearly turnarounds have led to an almost traditionalist revival that has made series like “The Pitt”, “The Bear”, and Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ empire the driving forces of water-cooler conversations. It also lets smaller series rise organically through the ranks, which is all the more impressive in the streaming era. That’s what makes “Slow Horses” one of television’s most rewarding stories. An international series consistently churning out exceptional seasons of television, scrappily making itself a staple for both audiences and awards bodies. Even when the series isn’t hitting every mark this time around, “Slow Horses” sixth season shows no signs of slowing down, even amid a creative shakeup. It continues to prove why it’s one of the year’s essential watches.
To no one’s surprise, everyone’s favorite rejects of MI-5 are still wasting away at Slough House, as Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb slovenly continues to watch over his flock of failures, including River Cartwright, played by Jack Lowden. River, who has proven himself time and again over the course of the series, is somehow the best Slough House has to offer and yet an often bumbling agent of espionage. Trapped working in Slough House in the middle of a family tragedy is just the beginning of River’s worst season so far, as the bodies of former Joes start turning up. River, Jackson, and the rest of Slough House are on a scattered search for safety as they find themselves in the sights of a two-person hit squad (played by Kyle Soller and MyAnna Buring) and a conspiracy that takes this all the way up to Kristin Scott Thomas’s Diana Taverner, who is now operating in the position of First Desk.
Gaby Chiappe, who steps in as showrunner this season, pulls from the series’ past, essentially making it the spy equivalent of an all-star season of “Survivor.” Familiar faces are in abundance, including the return of series favorites like Hugo Weaving’s Jack Harkness, the elusive mercenary and father of River and Rosalind Eleazar’s Louisa, who left the world of espionage in pursuit of a normal life. While the absence of former showrunner and writer Will Smith is noticeable, Chiappe and company still manage to hit all the essential hallmarks of what makes a season of “Slow Horses” as satisfying as it could be. While not as sharp as last year, there’s a comforting familiarity, mainly because of the typical framework of each season. If anything, this shouldn’t set off alarm bells about the series’ creative juices, even when it feels a bit more orchestrated than it ever has.
The fifth season, a Ho-heavy adventure with Christopher Chung at his best, returns to his role as the pestering man behind the chair while Chiappe rotates which agents have a more prominent presence this time around. That’s nothing new, as the series has always managed to shift focus exceptionally well on which agents stay in the spotlight as they’re thrust into whatever adventure. It’s a testament to the ensemble making the most of what is, at times, a brief appearance, only to get the ball rolling narratively. Where other shows would falter, “Slow Horses” thrives because it has what is arguably the most underrated ensemble in television. All these years later, Oldman has morphed Jackson’s coarse nature into one of television’s most charmingly disheveled characters. Every wise crack, grotesque bodily function, and unsightly bite of food is part of the idiosyncrasies that make Oldman’s performance one of the most memorable of his career. Meanwhile, Lowden, alongside Oldman, remains one of the series’ most consistently prominent actors, delivering his career-best work while amping up our favorite failed secret agent, still wallowing in loss and his ongoing daddy issues.
What feels different this time around is the reintroduction of characters like Olivia Cooke’s Sid Baker, who have been absent since the series’ freshman season, adding lovely energy not only to “Slow Horses” but also to what Lowden is trying to convey as a performer. Cooke’s presence is essential to the story, as she’s at the center of the calamity brought upon Slough House, which also feels like a rewarding development in a narrative that’s been years in the making. It remains to be said that despite how good Thomas is in the series, the ever more apparent splitting of storylines that has relegated her to the bureaucracy of the Park leaves someone of her caliber to the wayside more noticeably than ever. At least “Slow Horses” remains steadily helmed, with director Adam Randall tackling the entire season to a more than marvelous result. The season consistently ups the ante, especially in its latter half, delivering some of the best sequences in the series so far.
With a sixth season about to release and a seventh season currently in production, it’s a miracle a series like “Slow Horses” has managed to maintain the level of quality it has throughout its run. It may not be the best season so far, yet it’s a more-than-worthy addition to what is by far one of the best series on television. It would be a shame for one to miss out on what is one of the most entertaining shows out right now, but it could be Oldman’s last performance of his career. If that’s the case, we’re without a doubt going to need more adventures with the worst spies in England.
THE GOOD – “Slow Horses” is still as witty and riveting as it’s always been with Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, and others at the top of their game.
THE BAD – The absence of Will Smith is noticeable, leading to some of the more noticeably planned and occasionally circular writing of the series so far.
THE EMMY PROSPECTSÂ – Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
THE FINAL SCORE – 8/10
