Chris Connor reviews the season 4 premiere of Slow Horses…
Slow Horses has been one of the standout shows on Apple TV+, bringing Mick Herron’s novels to life in an electrifying way. Jackson Lamb and his ragtag crew of MI5 miscasts. The balance of humour, drama and action is pitch-perfect and has been a resounding success with both viewers and critics. Season four is no let up with the opening episode ‘Identity Theft’ bringing all the elements fans love to the fore.
We open with Roddy Ho wondering where the rest of the Slow Horses are at the ‘Christmas do’ (after Christmas), clearly stitched up by Lamb, Ho is witness to a huge explosion. This is purely the opening two minutes and really sets the tone for what promises to be another action packed instalment. We meet the new first desk Claude Whelan who seems far more amicable to Kristin Scott Thomas’ Diana Taverner than his predecessor Ingrid Tierney.
What’s most impressive about Slow Horses is how it has kept the high quality threshold up. The book’s arguably keep getting better and the show is certainly not dropping the ball. It is to its credit that we care about these ‘losers’, the casting is spot on and the new additions to season four continue in this vein, including Ruth Bradley (Ted Lasso) as Emma Flyte, the newest head of the dogs, certainly less spiky than Nick Duffy but not without her own attributes. She is assigned an investigation that brings her face to face with Lamb.
After a heart-to-heart with Louisa, River decides to go and check in on his ailing Grandfather David, given a far larger role in this season. To say too much about his role here would veer into spoiler territory but it is a thrill to see Jonathan Pryce given a greater opportunity to flex out the role of David Cartwright who has been far more of a peripheral character until now. His backstory is integral to the mysteries at the heart of this season. What ties the Westacre bombings to an incident at the Cartwright residency?
Any fans worried about a drop in quality for Slow Horses need not worry, the ensemble remains as strong as ever with a double dose of mysteries at the show’s centre. It is a joy to have Lamb and his Slough House crew back on our screens and this season promises to be one of the strongest yet.
Chris Connor
