‘Slow Horses’ Season 3 is Character-Driven Spy TV at Its Best
The latest chapter of Jackson Lamb’s Slough House exquisitely highlights why we love watching screwups in action.
It’s a rarity for any spy story to rely as heavily on its characters as Will Smith’s (no, not the slappy one) Apple TV+ series Slow Horses does. In a genre often defined by intricacy and twists — plot-driven narratives that usually rule and dominate — leaving less room for character drama, Smith’s thriller (based on Mick Herron’s Slough House novels) is a welcome exception. Don’t get me wrong, throughout its three seasons (so far), the inner workings of MI5, terror threats, Cold War secrets, and conspiring Russians have all played a vital part in the show’s steadily growing success. But Season 3 drives home a crucial point: we keep coming back every year for the mesmerizingly miserable and unreasonably cocky rejects led by Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb.
This time around, the conflict stems from the kidnapping of one of the Slough House employees, Standish (Saskia Reeves), the office administrator and Lamb’s verbal punching bag, who walks into a trap after attending an AA meeting. As one of the newcomers asks for help to become his sponsor, she agrees to go for a coffee but soon realizes the whole act is a set-up. We know the man, Sean Donovan (Sope Dirisu), isn’t who he says he is, but the writing niftily keeps his identity and motive in the dark. Before we find out the real reason behind his plan, things are quickly set in motion by Donovan and his crew, demanding a certain file that’s in the possession of MI5. The catch is the only person they contact is Cartwright (Jack Lowden), who has about two hours to get the file, and if he tells anyone, Standish won’t live to see another day.
Although this is the most uncomplicated and straightforward season out of the three, it's also the most intense and high-stakes. By putting one of the main characters in immediate danger, the writers create a breakneck pace and pressure under which the slow horses don't do that well as we know — especially Cartwright. Yet this sense of urgency is what makes these six episodes (which were provided for review) a captivating nail-biter with mounting suspense. Despite (and perhaps because of) a slightly less elaborate plot (compared to Season 1 and 2, at least), there's more time for character development. While everyone has their role in the search for Standish and unraveling Donovan's identity, the script delves into each character's personal struggle, building on the very concept that makes Slow Horses so intriguing.
Drawing on the events of the previous season, Louisa (Rosalind Eleazar) is still grieving Harper (Dustin Demri-Buns), burying herself in work, late-night drinking, and having meaningless sex with strangers to shut her harboring feelings out. Meanwhile, Cartwright — who, at one point, tries to console Louisa, which turns into a hilarious yet genuinely heart-warming moment between the two — still tends to act first and think later, a mistake he can’t stop repeating, and what made him end up at Slough House in the first place. Marcus (Kadiff Kirwan) and Shirley (Aimee-Ffion Edwards), the frenetically egotistical duo in self-denial, are both fighting addiction (gambling and drugs) that neither of them wants to admit is a problem. And Lamb, the MVP of gigantic but brilliant assholes, is set in his ways of self-destruction that he gladly continues to ignore despite his doctor’s warning.
Everyone’s a fuckup here (with zero willingness to change), and that's what makes them so appealing. They keep giving in to their worst urges that generally land them in a world of trouble, simply incapable of getting out of their own ways, to wound up exactly where they started. The series is at its best when it revels in this quality, having each character come full circle to remind us that they're deeply flawed and dysfunctional — and the only time these people seem to overcome their weaknesses is when they work together as a team. Alone, and without competent supervision, they’re doomed to fail.
Naturally, the man in charge greatly despises them, never missing a chance to voice that opinion in the cruelest and most demeaning way possible to put a smile on our faces. As the constantly farting, mocking, and patronizing Lamb, Gary Oldman is outdoing himself year by year, repeatedly topping his performance by being the biggest prick in every room he steps in. At this point, we can confidently say that he’s become the show’s signature — and what more would you want if you had him?
The one substantial difference here is the amount of action that primarily takes place in the back half of the season. The final two episodes almost feel excessive with their heavy gunfight sequences that slightly come across as overkill in a show that usually prides itself on wits and smarts. Not to worry, though, there’s nothing as outrageous as Tom Cruise jumping off a mountaintop with a motorcycle, but the creators definitely upped their games in that department to make these scenes look more imposing than ever. And, of course, Lamb's approach to taking out bad guys in his creatively deadly ways is as bonkers and badass as you hope it would be.
Though the current television landscape offering peak shows is a little bland right now (a consequence of the writers and actors’ strike), Slow Horses Season 3 would be top-tier even amongst the toughest competition because it’s simply as good as spy TV can get.
Last week, I praised the overlooked Christmas TV show, The Moodys, for Paste Magazine (an American remake that didn’t get as much attention as it deserved, and which has become one of my favorite series to watch during the holidays).
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