Chris Connor reviews the season one finale of Slow Horses…
Slow Horses caps off its stellar opening block of episodes with a tense episode wrapping up several dangling threads and whetting the audience’s appetite for the second set of episodes – based on Mick Herron’s second novel Dead Lions – due later in the year. The series finale saw our Slough House agents in a race against time to rescue Hassan before he met an untimely end at the hands of the sons of Albion. The episode’s pacing is nigh on perfect, and with so many aspects of the production oozing quality from the cinematography and score to of course the performances, as we’ve so often come to expect from TV productions of late, this is a quite stunning show to look at.
The lead names of the series have stolen much of the praise with the likes of Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden but it is worth singing the praises of the whole cast especially our titular Slow Horses who have continually brought Mick Herron’s characters to life and made them standouts on screen. Dustin Demri-Burns as Min and Rosalind Eleazar as Louisa have continually delivered dynamic chemistry and a sense of dark humour to offset some of the more sombre moments, it will be a treat to continue to see this relationship develop across later series and while they’ve not always been the centre of attention the pair have made the most of each moment on screen. Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho and Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish have also been standouts and while not as prominent as some other characters have made the roles their own and will be integral moving forwards. If there is one slight blemish cast wise it is the less prominent role of Jonathan Pryce, although he will likely feature more in future episodes.
There are some changes to the original Slow Horses novel but these changes seem to fit the nature of the series and keep our crew integral to proceedings adding additional layers to the plot and characterisation. The series as a whole has magnificently captured the spirit and tone of Herron’s novels proving a more than worthy adaptation and with many more novels in the series, one can’t help but feel this is just the beginning of the Slough House journey. There are subtle hints at the direction the characters’ relationships might go in the Dead Lions adaptation, particularly between Jackson Lamb and Catherine, and Lamb’s involvement in her husband’s death might be more pronounced than previously stated.
One of the things that has impressed most alongside the standout technical aspects is the show’s ability to blend character moments amidst tense, frenetic sequences making sure there is never a moment wasted either on the main plot or character development. The Slow Horses, especially those with lesser roles, could easily have felt like background components yet each feels essential.
Slow Horses’ finale delivers much of what has made this first series standout with fine performances across the board, a razor sharp script full of black humour from Will Smith and exemplary production and sound design coupled with strong cinematography and Daniel Pemberton and Mick Jagger’s work on the music and score for the series. With the opening story set up and some subtle changes introduced for overarching arcs and plot lines the wait for the second block of episodes will be a frustrating but short one, and with the critical and audience reception overwhelmingly positive it would certainly not be a stretch to see more Mick Herron’s novels adapted for the small screen. Hopefully they can match the quality on show here.
SEE ALSO: Exclusive Interview – Slow Horses star Christopher Chung
Chris Connor
