Chris Connor reviews the fourth episode of Slow Horses…
After episode three upped the pace and the stakes, this latest episode sees further movement with our titular Slow Horses scattered and in a cat and mouse game with the upper echelons of Regent’s Park trying to stop the escaped terrorists who have fled the scene and avoid entanglement with Diana Taverner’s footsoldiers. What ensues is a thrilling episode full of close shaves, showing the resourcefulness of both sides of MI5 as our heroes look to outsmart their seniors.
Even with the thrill-a-minute stakes this episode still manages to capture the human side of these characters showing their vulnerability and desire to come out on top, once again impressively finding room to give each character some development and purpose with an expanded role for the ever brilliant Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish who has been a relatively minor part to date but feels more integral to proceedings here. The development of the blossoming relationship between Min Harper and Louisa Guy feels wholly organic. While the series is of course a heavy drama, there is a place for humour scattered throughout from the more sarcastic and snarky undertones of Jackson Lamb to a gag about Min’s car CD player being stuck on a particular Coldplay track.
The stakes have never been higher as the two strands rush to reach the remaining Slow Horses and while not full of shootouts or punch-ups, Slow Horses remains an equally thrilling translation of the twists and turns so brilliantly put to page by Mick Herron.
Unlike some spy TV shows and films, the broken individuals that form Slough House aren’t bulletproof or immune to danger and this lends a sense of realism and relatability, with River reacting how many of us would to seeing a body missing its head and Jack Lowden’s performance is as ever pitch perfect. The performances as have often been the case across the series help make it essential viewing with Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas showing the desperation of their respective characters and fine chemistry from across our leads with each making the most of their various roles.
This episode sees the arrival of a key supporting player in the shape of the great Sophie Okonedo’s Ingrid Tierney, one of Taverner’s seniors; with the series managing to effortlessly balance its stacked ensemble to date it will be most intriguing to see how she slots into proceedings both for the remainder of this series and the series’ already filmed second series.
‘Visiting Hours’ continues the strong first season of Slow Horses delivering the thrills and surprises of its source material and transcending its literary roots making it a distinctive work in a crowded space. It is taut and tense without a string of gunfights and the quality of acting makes the characters sympathetic and offers a real sense of stakes. With two episodes remaining the series is building towards a thrilling crescendo ahead of its second season. One can hope the final two episodes help the series stick the landing and give it the ending it deserves, with several narrative threads left to untangle and with several of the Slow Horses in a precarious position – not to mention the matter of the terrorists and their kidnapped teenager to resolve.
Chris Connor