Slow Horses might be the best show not on terrestrial television. As season four launches and Gary Oldman gets to crawl under the skin of Jackson Lamb for a fourth time, why this show has eluded audiences remains the biggest mystery. Adapted from the Mick Herron novel Spook Street, this latest instalment finds River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) encountering a spot of bother at his father’s (Jonathn Pryce) home. Struggling with early on set dementia, David Cartwright is forced to go on the run when an old adversary threatens his life. Opening a can of worms at Slough House and putting everyone at The Park on the back foot.
What continues to make Slow Horses a runaway success among AppleTV advocates is the storytelling. This down at heel contemporary drama feels rough and ready, delivers some serious performances, but plays like an ensemble effort. Oscar winner Gary Oldman (The Darkest Hour) might take all the plaudits for his portrayal of Jackson Lamb, but elsewhere he benefits from some serious supporting players. Front and centre is Jack Lowden, forever finding himself under fire as River Cartwright. Beaten, bruised, but still bitching – he remains Lamb’s whipping boy. Other agents in Jackson’s arsenal at Slough House include comms expert Chris Chung (Roddy Ho) and personal PA Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves). Each one of whom bends over backwards to accommodate his idiosyncrasies.
Long time leader of The Park Diana Tarvener (Kristin Scott-Thomas) also makes a welcome return, this time with a new attack dog Emma Flyte (Ruth Bradley). This brings a fresh dynamic into the mix, putting Flyte up against Lamb and Cartwright respectively. Throw mystery man Jack Harness (Hugo Weaving) into the mix, alongside lethal assassins marauding across London, and before long a whole bevy of deep-seated secrets come spilling out. However, Slow Horses season four is far from conventional territory, weaving an intricate story between characters who live their lives in shades of grey.
Modern day London serves as an engaging backdrop to the misadventures of those agents within Slough House, revealing these spies to be far from incompetent. Lamb himself remains a deeply complex character, hiding behind his addictions, and cloaking any sense of compassion with verbal barbs. Sharp as a razor and reckless with those under his charge, Oldman continues to shape Lamb into a career best performance. Oscars aside, Jackson is clearly the most fun he has had for some time, delivering pithy one-liners and indifference with perfect timing. For anyone after a solid show that never drops the ball – look no further than Slow Horses.
Slow Horses Season 1-4 is available to stream on AppleTV now.