Chris Connor reviews the finale of Slow Horses season 4…
Slow Horses has really built momentum throughout its fourth season, as in Mick Herron’s source material finding a way to balance its action and suspense with black humour and a sense of wit. This season an encapsulation of all that makes the show such a hit with critics and audiences alike. The question ahead of its finale is how it sticks the landing with plenty of loose ends to tie up.
The episode opens with the aftermath of the attack on Flyt and Cartwright with River now in the wind with Patrice having taken out a team of dogs at the end of the previous episode. Ruth Bradley’s Flyt clearly shaken by the events and given a grilling by Taverner. Claude authorises a shoot to kill on both Patrice and River a far cry from the man we first encountered at the start of the series.
Hugo Weaving’s Harkness and River finally come face to face giving River some answers about the relationship between the two, something the audience may have pieced together by this point. It is a joy to see these two facing off after the buildup to this moment. The finale successfully wraps up many of the loose threads, Lamb finding Sam Chapman’s body a sombre moment that allows Gary Oldman to express his remorse and show the friendship between the pair.
The Slow Horses facing off against Patrice is one of the most thrilling sequences in the show to date with a real sense of jeopardy and suspense. The show like the books has never been reluctant to kill of its cast but it is still a shock when it happens, Kadiff Kirwan’s Marcus a hugely popular character that will be missed but his death adds real impetus to proceedings and gives Tom Brooke’s JK Coe some of his best moments to date.
The final moments are truly heartbreaking as Jonathan Pryce and Jack Lowden once again make for the perfect match. With season 5 already largely completed and the inevitable news of a renewal beyond that point we will be enjoying the company of the park and Slough House for many years to come with Down Cemetery Road based on an earlier series of Mick Herron novels also being adapted for Apple TV+.
Slow Horses’ fourth season has arguably been its strongest to date full of action and twists yet also packed full of character development and heart. Will Smith showing he has a clear understanding of the source material and how to bring it to life. The new additions to the cast like James Callis, Ruth Bradley, Joanna Scanlan and Hugo Weaving have all brought a huge amount to an already stellar cast and fans will be whetting their appetite to see how London Rules translates on the screen.
SEE ALSO: Read our exclusive interviews with Slow Horses stars James Callis, Ruth Bradley and Joanna Scanlan
Chris Connor
