“Slow Horses” (2022–2023)
Highly recommended British spy drama.
Everything you could wish to know about this highly recommended series is contained within a small sized, pun intended bite of Apple’s original British spy drama, and the opening song by Mick Jagger that introduces every episode of the three series to date. Entitled “Strange Game”, Jagger wails and warbles about “losers” and “boozers”, “misfits” and “mistakes” and for one such mistake, you’ll be “burned at the stake” as you endeavour to “burn off your shame” to “dance with the big boys again”.
Yes, a strange game indeed.
Originally released on Apple TV in April 2022 with seasons two and three following in short order in December 2022 and November 2023 (season four was slated to immediately follow this month but remains unreleased at the time of writing), I’ve arrived at this particular party late as usual and only on the back of the enthusiastic recommendation of my brother Andy who, as in all good spy novels, isn’t actually my brother. But that’s just between you and me, OK? His undercover story was that he wanted to relax into the acting talents once more of national British treasure Gary Oldman and although he’s surrounded by “fuckwits” at every turn and swears like a drunken sailor on shore leave, he’s fucking magnificent.
I had to swear in this article as frankly it is big and it is clever and this series cannot go 30 seconds without the use of language that will make your hair curl, and it’s all the better for it. It’s raw, uncompromising and more than a little worn around the edges and so perfectly in keeping with its central character of “Jackson Lamb” played with customary aplomb by Gary Oldman. He’s a renegade outlaw from the early days of the Cold War and now heads a young team of spies and “spooks” cast aside from the glitz and glamour of working inside Britain’s premier spying headquarters to a run down house in central London. Jackson is a dishevelled, unkempt, overweight and out of shape chain smoking near alcoholic with holes in his socks as well as a hole of hate in his darkest of all hearts. His purpose in life seems to be the bait and bully his “slow horses” as they endure the purgatory of their administrative punishment inside “Slough House”, a nerve centre for the cast-offs who must prove their worth to dance with the big boys again as well as recovering from their personal demons of gambling, alcoholism or, as in the case of the series’ second main character “River Cartwright” (played rather brilliantly by Jack Lowden), a man who simply can’t do right for doing wrong.
Every.
Single.
Time.
In spite of appearances to the contrary, Jackson seems to have found his station in life as he is firmly rooted, in every possible sense, to life within Slough House despite missing out on, and being over qualified for, the job keenly under the watchful eye of his spying sparring partner “Diana Taverner”. Kristin Scott Thomas plays spy chief and “Second Desk” Taverner with a straight bat for everyone but Jackson and in full knowledge that he could outflank her at anytime, but he’s having far too much fun with the “fuck ups” under his control and he’s going to push and push them until they quit. It’s his speciality!
Based on the novels of Mick Herron, I’d classify season 1 as the high watermark as “Slow Horses” deals with the repugnant spectre of racism and the return of a British hostage before their scheduled execution live on television, season 3 and “Real Tigers” running it close as it deals with the stabilising of a house of cards toppling under the weight of the concealment of the murdering of their own officers to mask a hidden truth, and season 2 “Dead Lions” the slowest burn of the three and the “cicadas” of “sleeper agents” and bio-terrorism on the streets of London.
All rather excellent.
All highly recommended.
Roll on Season 4.
Thanks for reading. Here are my three most recently released articles surrounding television series and/or documentary series that have piqued my recent interest:
