TV Review: 'Slow Horse' Season 4

Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV+

Returning for a fourth season with an episode on September 4, ‘Slow Horses’ continues to prove itself as one of the best series on offer through the Apple TV+ service.

In fact, Apple was apparently so happy with the show’s audience and was willing to future-proof its cast, it shot two seasons at once. A fifth is already in the works, and the start of the fourth suggests it’s lost none of the predictable, grungy and satisfying British style that fans have come to enjoy.

Is ‘Slow Horse’ Season 4 successful in its mission?

Zach Lowden in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV+

While there’s no doubt that the key to ‘Slow Horses’ appeal is Gary Oldman having the time of his life as dirty, greasy, but incredibly sharp agent Jackson Lamb (the actor received a welcome first Emmy nomination for the role in Season 3), the show still lacks performance and character. doesn’t depend on, but evolves each season to embrace new personalities and expanded storylines while keeping what works.

As for Season 4, that same-sum-with-a-twist approach shows no signs of waning, and in fact, the early episodes –– we’ll only discuss the first one here because that’s what landed on premiere day –– are suitably excellent. .

‘Slow Horse’ Season 4: Script and Direction

(L to R) Ruth Bradley and Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.

Led by Will Smith (a writer and former stand-up with experience on Armando Iannucci’s show, not a movie star), the series’ writing team is always on point, using Mick Heron’s novels as a starting point for the basic structure of each season and then expanding from there, But always in organic fashion.

It may not always be as action-packed as other shows (though it certainly has its moments –– witness the shocking bombings that started this season), when you have dialogue that cracks like this, you don’t need someone brandishing a gun every place. full of And with Oldman and the rest of the cast in the game, it’s always guaranteed to make you laugh or gasp… sometimes at the same time.

Visually, the show benefits from both a more limited number of episodes per season (typically six) and one director throughout the batch, which means the show –– also thanks to a hefty budget from Apple –– ends up looking like a movie cut into TV-sized chunks. showing The atmosphere of Slough House, the low-rent office where Lamb and co. Oriented, wonderfully random and evocative, in stark contrast to the polished glass and cold concrete of MI5’s main Regent’s Park HQ.

And the show makes great use of the different landscapes and neighborhoods of London and other areas of the UK. As for Season 4, the man in charge of the show’s look is Adam Randall, who fits the overall style.

‘Slow Horse’ Season 4: Performances

Oldman may rightly score the bulk of the plaudits, but there’s a wide swath that lies in putting in great performances.

Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb

Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV+

Oldman has repeatedly said that he’s having the time of his life playing the sad, cruel and relentlessly dirty head of Slough House, and that energy oozes out of every pore. A vanity-free performance (Lamb is frequently seen with hair, grease stains and mismatched clothing), a truly memorable, slovenly look is the perfect disguise for a truly inspired spy mind.

Jack Lowden as River Cartwright

Zach Lowden in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV+

While she was initially an audience surrogate character, the young agent exiled to Slough House after a training mission gone wrong, River became a great sidekick for Lamb and a fascinating character in her own right. And Lowden brings a great mix of world-weariness and enthusiasm to the role.

Jonathan Pryce as David Cartwright

Jonathan Pryce in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Although the elder Cartwright was mostly a supporting character in previous seasons, it’s easy to understand why Smith chose a seasoned thespian like Price to play him; Because he knew that David would become much more important down the line. And Price brings a powerful combo of wise old ex-agent and genteel old grandfather, which is amplified here.

Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverna

Kristin Scott Thomas in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Few people can pull off a withering putdown like Thomas, and in Taverner, he’s found the ideal outlet. A shrewd, ice-cold professional, he is forever frustrated by the helpless type of government he is forced to deal with. And her endlessly watchable interactions with Oldman are often a highlight of every season.

Other notable characters

(L to R) Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Christopher Chung, Tom Brooke, Kadiff Kirwan and Rosalind Eleazar in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.

The rest of Slough House gets their moments in the sun, and this fourth season includes a healthy influx of new characters (since on this show, longevity isn’t guaranteed). Highlights of the new episodes include Joanna Scanlan (like showrunner Smith, a veteran of Armando Iannucci’s shows) as Moira and Tom Brooke as Zeke, a mysterious and genuinely strange fresh addition to the office. And let’s not forget James Callis as Claude Whelan, a great foil to MI5’s neurotic, official new first desk and taverner.

‘Slow Horse’ Season 4: Final Thoughts

Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV+

The ‘Slow Horses’ creative team has said they’ll happily keep making the show as long as Apple wants them to (and Mick Heron continues to write books to accommodate up to eight writers), and that’s welcome news.

If only more series were consistently entertaining, and were still full of steam when their fourth seasons rolled around, the TV landscape would be in better shape.

‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 received 8.5 out of 10 stars.

“Old sins cast new shadows.”

TV-MA4 seasons1st April, 2022

What is the story of ‘Slow Horse’ season 4?

Adapted from Mick Heron’s ‘Slow Horses’ novel ‘Spook Street’, Season 4 opens as a bomb explodes in a London shopping center and MI5 races to find out who is responsible. Second Desk (the detective agency’s second-in-command) Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) must balance the demands of the investigation with effectively babysitting the new First Desk (James Callis).

For those at Slough House, River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) confronts his grandfather David’s (Jonathan Pryce) increasingly fragile mental state, a new mystery that could threaten both of their lives. Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), meanwhile, is his same old, unflappable self, happy to endlessly mock his team of exiled agents, but also fiercely loyal to protecting them.

And he will need to, because a face from the past is back to cause trouble…

Who else is in the cast of ‘Slow Horses’ season 4?

The new season’s cast also includes returning favorites Christopher Chung, Rosalind Eleazar, Aimee-Fionne Edwards, Saskia Reeves and Cadiff Kirwan, along with new recruits Joanna Scanlan, Tom Brook and Hugo Weaving.