Things To Watch: Slow Horses

Slow Horses, Apple TV+’s critically superlative series highlighting the exploits of a group of castoff MI5 agents, returns for a 5th season today. If you’re saying to yourself, “Wait a minute, didn’t they just wrap up Season 4?” Then that’s probably the Netflix conditioning talking. For unlike most streaming series, Slow Horses has hewed to an almost traditional, network TV-style release schedule, with this most recent season dropping less than a year after the conclusion of the last.

Once this season ends, that will mark five full “series” (to use England-speak) since 2022. Meanwhile, the fifth season of Stranger Things (remember Stranger Things?) is set to drop in November, *nine and a half years* after its debut.

Slow Horses’ lightning fast production schedule not only satisfies audiences eager for the next installment of Mick Herron’s intelligence rejects (Season Five adapts London Rules) but also makes it much easier to remember past details. The premise is simple: Slough House is a dumping ground for Security Service personnel the powers that be wants shelved, whether because of public mistakes (nominal series lead River Cartwright, played by Jack Lowden) or because they’ve outlived their usefulness (Gary Oldman’s Cold War relic and head of Slough House, Jackson Lamb).

The fact that none of them will ever return to active duty is one that eventually dawns on all the castoff agents, but is especially galling for Cartwright, since 1) the aforementioned cock-up wasn’t really his fault, and 2) his grandfather David (Jonathan Pryce) is a retired MI5 legend.

This latest season, however, turns the spotlight away (somewhat) from Cartwright to shine it on a character not very beloved of either the denizens of Slough House or viewers: resident hacker Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung). Ho’s biggest contribution to past escapades has consisted largely of timely phone traces and GPS fixes, always provided with the maximum reluctance possible.

Ho’s primary infraction at MI5 was being such an obnoxious asshole that no one wanted him around, and thus has a mostly antagonistic relationship with the rest of Slough House. So when this emotionally stunted dork — whose only prior onscreen relationship turned out to be with a bot (in Season 4) — suddenly lands a gorgeous, intelligent girlfriend, his co-workers are as suspicious as Ho is oblivious.

It’s not much of a spoiler to say his fellow Slow Horses are correct in their assumptions, or that Tara (Hiba Bennani), if that’s her real name, is more than she seems. Whether she’s connected to shocking crime committed in the first episode, one seemingly directed at London’s mayor (Nick Mohammed), currently in a reelection campaign against a far right activist, is something Cartwright, Lamb, and the rest will have to figure out.

Unusually (for her) interested in Ho’s comings and goings is Shirley (Aimee-Ffion Edwards), whose own shaky background renders her less than trustworthy in the eyes of her fellow agents. Happily, those same spooks are not without skills. For all the caustic comments Lamb may make about Catherine’s (Saskia Reeves) alcoholism, J.K.’s (Tom Brooke) apparent sociopathy, or River’s unrealized potential, they’re actually pretty good at their jobs.

But we shouldn’t forget about the “proper” Security Service. Second Desk Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) is back, simultaneously attempting to unravel a white nationalist plot, keep tabs on Lamb, and outmaneuver newly appointed First Desk Claude Whelan (James Callis). If you’re wondering who might not be on the up and up down MI5 way, it never hurts to look at the guy who played Gaius Baltar.

Slow Horses has already been renewed for two more seasons, with number seven getting the go-ahead back in July. By filming multiple seasons back-to-back, showrunner Will Smith keeps his cast locked in and ensures the viewing public never wholly forgets about it.

The first two episodes of of Slow Horses season five drop on Apple TV+ today.