It’s almost hard to believe that Apple TV+’s Slow Horses first premiered three years ago. With Will Smith’s spy series now on the verge of debuting its fifth season, it’s managed to deliver tense, gripping television at a rate that other streamers can really only dream of — and succeeded at topping itself with every subsequent installment. While Season 1 introduced us to the disgraced MI5 agents who make up the banishment department of Slough House, led by the slovenly yet brilliant Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), every season thereafter has only fleshed out this team of misfits further, making them unlikely heroes in their own right. Simultaneously, Slow Horses’ expert blend of witty comedy and espionage thrills has resulted in some of the best moments on television, streaming or otherwise.
Last season’s jaw-dropping reveal, which confirmed ex-CIA hired gun Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving) as the father of River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), signaled that Slow Horses wasn’t only breaking the mold on streaming, but that it was also bold enough to redefine its own storytelling parameters. Although Season 5, which is adapted from author Mick Herron‘s London Rules, doesn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessor, it finds success through focusing on the show’s biggest strengths, bringing the titular rejects back together for a more straightforward story that, much like the Slow Horses themselves, stumbles into relevancy through what feels like sheer coincidence.
What Is ‘Slow Horses’ Season 5 About?
In the wake of the Season 4 attack that left Slough House’s dingy headquarters shot to pieces and saw one of their own killed (RIP, Marcus), everyone seems to be dealing with it — or not — in their own way. River has convinced himself that he’s perfectly fine to continue as if he didn’t just experience an earthshattering revelation about his biological father, but he’s also dodging calls from his grandfather, David (Jonathan Pryce), who’s now in assisted living. Shirley Dander (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) is convinced she needs to be approved to carry an official firearm in case someone attacks the office again, with Lamb finding different ways to say no at every turn.
Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves) is back in the office, but she’s mostly preoccupied with stopping Lamb from sneaking hits of his forbidden cigarettes, while J.K. Coe (Tom Brooke) keeps his cool by keeping his earbuds in. Perhaps the most rational out of all of them is Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar), who’s decided to go on mental health leave, but maybe she’s secretly weighing over whether to come back to Slough House at the end of it all. As for Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung), he seems to have gotten over the heartbreak of realizing his last girlfriend was an internet chatbot by moving on to the real thing, but that’s exactly what starts pinging Shirley’s suspicion, especially in the wake of what she believes to be a hit-and-run attempt on Roddy’s life. While the others are initially tempted to chalk her voiced concerns up to some unaddressed trauma on the heels of Marcus’ death, given their closeness, River’s spy senses also start tingling when he spots Roddy at a nightclub with his new girlfriend, Tara (Hiba Bennani).
No matter which way you slice it, this woman is unquestionably out of Roddy’s league, but are Slough House’s instincts right when it comes to their annoying colleague, or are they seeing threats where there aren’t any? The Park initially doesn’t want to entertain wild, outlandish theories, at any rate. MI5’s bumbling First Desk Claude Whelan (James Callis) and Second Desk Diana Tavener (Kristin Scott Thomas), the real brains behind the operation, have already got their hands full with a series of strange, seemingly unrelated events happening all over London, including a plot against Mayor Zafar Jaffrey (Nick Mohammed) — but when Coe, of all people, points out that everything might actually be connected, it’s up to the rest of the Slow Horses to figure out how, as well as whether Ho was an intended target from the very beginning.
‘Slow Horses’ Gets the Team Back Together for a Back-to-Basics Season 5
Slow Horses Season 4 was a game-changer in more ways than one, from the bombshell reveal that turned everything on its head for the Cartwright family to the show’s willingness to break its own well-established formula. By comparison, Season 5 is a return to the familiar, a comfort-food installment that isn’t really trying to top what came before — but that doesn’t mean it’s still not a hell of a lot of fun. One of the biggest questions hanging over everything early on is whether the Slow Horses have lost their edge in the realm of espionage, and whether the trauma caused by Harkness and his mercenaries still lingers, but Season 5 emphasizes that it doesn’t have to be an either/or situation. Shirley’s still grieving the loss of her closest friend and colleague, but her concern about another attack on the office doesn’t mean her instincts are incorrect. River may not have fully dealt with the discovery that Harkness is his father, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take the lead on a new investigation (or does it?). More than ever before, Slow Horses Season 5 reminds us that, despite their previous screw-ups, these outcasts are still skilled spies who can… well, probably get the job done when the stakes are at their highest.
As the show returns to more of a straightforward espionage narrative, there’s also the bonus of seeing the Slow Horses reunited and working together. Last season, River was mostly removed from the rest of the team on his own solo mission, investigating his family’s greatest secret, which made for a terrific change of pace but also meant that Lowden’s only scene with Oldman came at the very end of the finale. This time around, with River being back on familiar stomping grounds, the show seizes the perfect opportunity to partner different characters together, and the results are both welcome and hilarious. From Shirley and Standish teaming up to tail Roddy to River and Coe pursuing a lead that goes off the rails in the most unexpected ways, there’s no shortage of scenes that capitalize on the undeniable chemistry of the show’s ensemble. It’s a little disappointing to see one party exit in a way that may or may not be permanent, depending on how next season pans out, but Slow Horses’ rotating door of actors usually stays open for any potential return.
If Slow Horses Season 5 proves anything, it’s that even an installment of this show that favors a back-to-basics approach is still definitely worth tuning in for. After spending three years and five seasons with these characters, they’ve become unlikely heroes to follow along with and even root for, and while they’re still prone to screwing things up, they’re just as likely to save their country from yet another major threat. The cast has firmly settled into their roles — you never thought you’d be so happy to hear Jackson Lamb’s flatulence again — and the narrative’s emphasis on Slough House means that we’re treated to different character combinations that bode well for the show’s longevity. Given that a renewal has already been secured through Season 7, it’s clear that Slow Horses isn’t going anywhere, and thank goodness for that.
Release Date
April 1, 2022
Network
Apple TV+
Directors
Saul Metzstein, James Hawes, Jeremy Lovering
Writers
Mark Denton, Jonny Stockwood
Pros & Cons
The Slow Horses working as more of a team allows for new and fun pairings, like River and Coe or Shirley and Standish.
It’s always nice to be reminded that, at their core, MI5’s rejects are still good spies.
Season 5 doesn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessor, Season 4, and how much it upended the narrative with major character reveals.