Slow Horses

Summary

word of advice : Contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Slow Horses , season 1 , 2 , and 3Since its debut in 2022,Slow Horseshas been widely acclaimed as one of thebest undercover agent - thrillers on TV , with all 18 episodes receiving plaudit . give the consistent tone and pace of the storytelling , rank allSlow Horsesepisodes is far less square than it is for other series that might put up a dip from season to season . Nevertheless , while everySlow Horsesepisode has its merits , some still stand up intimately than others .

Each time of year ofSlow Horsestells a ego - contained story based on one of Mick Herron’sSlough Housebook serial publication . time of year 1 introduce the eponymous squad based in a neglect branch of MI5 , whose members have variously disgraced themselves in the line of duty . Over three seasons , the squad happen themselves embroiled in several high - level plot of ground , let in a white nationalist kidnap scheme gone wrong ( season 1 ) , a clandestine internet of Russian sleeper agents ( season 2 ) , and a knave ops team determined to debunk government secrets ( time of year 3 ) . Each account contains stand - out moments , all lead toSlow gymnastic horse ' success .

The attain Apple TV+ serial Slow Horses is coming back for an volatile fourth time of year , and there have already been several exciting updates .

Article image

18"Last Stop"

Season 2, Episode 1

Despite being the lowest - rankedSlow Horsesepisode , " Last stopover " is still a hugely entertaining introduction to the show ’s sophomore time of year . Setting up many of the story ’s major patch point , the episode opens with a riveting successiveness during which Dickie Bow act on a cryptic Isle of Man on a train , only to mysteriously die of a heart attack hours later . Jackson Lamb ’s investigation into his death sets the whole narrative in motion , leading to season 2 ’s nail - biting climax . However , the episode inevitably digest from having to countersink up the stake and major thespian , touch the overall tempo .

17"From Upshott With Love"

Season 2, Episode 2

AlthoughSlow Horsesseason 2 conclude in thrilling style , the season ’s more complicated story of Russian sleeper agents and secluded back channel meetings between MI5 and Russian leaders wannabee does make it more Byzantine than season 1 ’s streamlined approach . In the death , the story more than pays off . However , much like time of year 2 , installment 1 , " From Upshott With Love " more or less sustain from induce to set up so many story strands . River ’s missionary work in the Cotswolds , Lamb ’s investigating , and Min and Harper ’s side mission all get square screen fourth dimension , and many thread only pay off in posterior episodes .

16"Work Drinks"

Season 1, Episode 2

Much ofSlow cavalry ' success stems from its characters . Despite lacking some of the activity of later episode , time of year 1 ’s " workplace drink " add even more depth and colouring to the cast after the promising lot - up of episode 1 . The show ’s 2d - ever sequence instal Taverner ’s duplicity , makes Min and Louisa straight off good-hearted , and play up River ’s concurrent naivety and signified of honor . All of this not only makes theSlow Horsesseason 1 ending more impactful , but sets the characters up for their item-by-item arcs as the show come along .

15"Failure’s Contagious"

Season 1, Episode 1

14"Drinking Games"

Season 2, Episode 3

One ofSlow sawhorse ' greatest durability is its ability to take aback the audience with unexpected twists and grapheme death . " Drinking Games " delivers on both these front . While River ’s first pace investigating the cicada mystery are a little low - key , the installment more than makes up for it with Min ’s scandalous death and River ’s tense dinner with a killer . Like other early season 2 episodes , episode 3 still has to get by with multiple tale fibril . However , by this point in the write up , things commence to pull together in a way that ca n’t help but spin a witness in .

The spies from tedious Horses are well - make part , each with mysteries and subtlety of their own . But who are the well one ?

13"Strange Games"

Season 3, Episode 1

Unlike previous curtain raising episodes , Slow Horsesseason 3 , episode 1 does n’t have to do much by way of life of reference developing , since the major Slough House players are already established . alternatively , " Strange Games " feature a thrilling opening successiveness set in Istanbul , which ends in a murder that quickly prove the stakes for the entire season . The episode ’s ending , involving a kidnapped Standish being menace with a gun , also mean that season 3 has a much faster pace from the off than premature installments – do the tone for what follow .

12"Visiting Hours"

Season 1, Episode 4

After the set - up of early episode , season 1 , sequence 3 and 4 are whereSlow Horsescomes into its own as a interruption - neck opening thriller . After the revelations of episode 3 , " chat hour " continues the activity , with members of Slough House forced to go on the run and evade MI5 ’s functional team , " the dogs " . The phrenetic pace and disarray of the episode feel amazingly authentic as events quickly spiral out of control . Unlike other entry in the undercover agent subgenre , the protagonist always seem on the back foot with very little chance of escape valve . This tension only adds to the show ’s drama .

11"Cicada"

Season 2, Episode 4

In demarcation to the relatively sober footstep of the first three episodes , " Cicada " ramps up theSlow Horsesseason 2 action with a series of arresting revelations . First , Lamb confirms that Harper was murdered by the humanity River has just had dinner with . Then , Lamb discovers that Katinsky has been manoeuvre as a treble agent , before he and Dander notice that Nevsky has shot himself after being poisoned with irradiation . Finally , River apprehends Katinsky and Nevsky at the Upshott pilot club , only to be incapacitate by Alex Tropper – the real sleeper agent . All of this makes " Cicada " a fascinate watch from begin to end .

Fans of the new Apple TV series Slow Horses have a wide variety of choice in the undercover agent genre to binge on .

10"Bad Tradecraft"

Season 1, Episode 3

Part of the joy ofSlow horse cavalry ' complex storytelling is discovering what is actually going on behind the tantrum at the same sentence as the characters . Season 1 , installment 3 demonstrates this trick to perfection . In a meeting between Lamb and Taverner , it ’s revealed for the first time that the entire kidnap plot is really a put on signal flag design to make favour with the Pakistani politics . As if this ontogenesis was n’t surprising enough , the installment cease on a genuine cliffhanger , when Lamb , River , Louisa , and Min discover the beheaded cadaver of Taverner ’s mole , indicating something ’s go terribly wrong .

9"Negotiating With Tigers"

Season 3, Episode 3

Like other successful episodes ofSlow gymnastic horse , " Negotiating With Tigers " exercise because it manages to like an expert subvert expectation . ab initio , order seems to have been restored after the revelation that Standish ’s kidnapper are really a " tiger team " designed to test MI5 security . However , things almost immediately ravel when the squad reveals their on-key intentions , desolate the parameters of their mission . This , in turn , leads to the shocking death of James Webb – a import that truly come up out of nowhere after his survival in time of year 2 .

Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb Jack Lowden as River Cartwright

A composite image of Jackson and River walking through an alley with Jackson sitting behind his desk in Slow Horses

Jack Lowden in Slow Horses season 2 pic

Jack Lowden in Slow Horses 202

Jack Lowden in Slow Horses.

Slow Horses Jackson Lamb in front of a police car season 2 episode 3

Article image

Paul Higgins in Slow Horses.

Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) looks around in Slow Horses season 4, episode 5

Split images of stills from War & Peace, Slow Horses, and Spooks

Rosalind Eleazar in Slow Horses.

Sope Dirisu as Sean Donovan pointing a gun in Slow Horses

Slow Horses