Slow Horses is based on the Slough House series of novels by British author Mick Herron that follows a group of rejected spies from MI5 led by Jackson Lamb, performed here skillfully by Gary Oldman. These “Slow Horses” have all been shuffled away to Slough House, a limbo post for failed MI5 officers. Though it appears these spies will forever be neglected and ignored, by their own boss Lamb as much as they are by the head MI5 office, through an escalating turn of events they get involved in a hostage crisis of a University student that threatens to take down Slough House and the MI5 itself.
MI5 series and movies typically fall too often into cliché, with many poorly imitating some version of Ian Fleming’s Bond series. Slow Horses though takes a different approach as it begins as a slow burn workplace comedy which in a strange way feels like Spooks, an intense MI5 series from the 2000s, meets The Office, with Lamb as the Michael Scott role. Characters such as Jack Lowden, playing River Cartwright, one of the more recent rejects of MI5, and Sidonie Baker aka Sid, played by Olivia Cooke, even start to seem like they’ll have a Pam and Jim will they or won’t they build-up. Once the bullets start flying though the slower pacing quickly fades away, and the humor now just serves to soften the real danger these spies are still in.
One reason there feels like such a strong connection to workplace comedies like The Office is that Slow Horses smartly interrogates our held beliefs on competence in the workplace, especially an office as supposedly put together as MI5. We are presented with a series of miscast spies who are contrasted with the head office, but it’s often unclear which spies are the real screw-ups. In this way it’s surprisingly relatable for anyone who has worked in a toxic work environment, seeing higher-ups and peers fail up, while others who at least prove competence (on occasion) are left to linger in lesser positions.
In addition to its relatable setup, Slow Horses wins over viewers with its excellent characterization. Even early on in the first episode we feel like we get a sense of many of the characters from our first introduction to Slough House’s premises, with a clever establishing sequence where we pass by each of their offices. We may not know why all of them have been demoted to this post; however, we can get a glimpse through their portrayals, demeanors, and actions under fire, of what makes them each tick. Where lesser shows would make caricatures of them all, especially with the surprising joke density, this show provides nuance and trusts the audience to follow along.
I mentioned Oldman before, whose path from Churchill to Mank to Lamb seems strangely like an evolution of type given the increasingly boorish nature of these characters. Oldman certainly does excel at the slovenly, disinterested affects of Lamb, but his best acting is saved for when the pressure ramps up on him and his team.
Oldman is matched by an impressive ensemble cast all worthy of note. Jack Lowden’s portrayal of River, an eager, yet failed spy, saved from full ejection from MI5 only by his grandfather who is a retired MI5 agent himself, is particularly excellent. His fights with MI5 agent James Webb, played by Freddie Fox, who is a mirror of River in many respects, are especially hilarious, and further exemplify Slow Horses interrogation of workplace culture as the River and James very much mirror varying aspects of privilege. Christopher Chung steals his scenes as the incredibly confident techie who is woefully un-self aware of his own social failings. Dustin Demir-Burns and Rosalind Eleazar hilariously bounce off each other with a delightful repartee, that’s attributable to the writers in part but also the actors natural charms. Last but not least Saskia Reeves’ role as Catherine Standish, the office administrator, is much subtler, yet incredibly effective as she makes small moments bigger and even more memorable by her excellent work.
Despite the critical acclaim, Slow Horses feels like a show that’s flown under the radar for many, as I’ve heard few public discussions of it beyond critics’ circles. Perhaps that’s just the world we’re living in with so many TV options? Or perhaps that’s appropriate for a show about an agency that would like to stay under the radar. For myself though, I am excited to bring this show further into the spotlight, and I’m ready to live with these characters for quite a few seasons to come.
