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Gary Oldman may have won his Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 film Darkest Hour. I’d like to argue that Oldman’s character Jackson Lamb may be the best character of his career. The dark comedy and spy drama is now back for its fourth season; the writing and direction are as sharp as ever. And by now, the lovable losers at Slough House have firmly won over our hearts with Slow Horses Season 4.
Slow Horses Season 4: Plot
A drama revolving around MI5 agents isn’t new. The title Slow Horses refers to Slough House, the lowest department of the British agency where spies are sent when they mess up their careers, badly. Led by the gross, inappropriate but crafty Jackson Lamb (Oldman), the bumbling agents have managed to survive some shocking episodes. However, in the latest season, things get too personal for one of their own, leading to a rogue mission to France to unravel the past. Back in England, the team uncovers who set off a car bomb in a shopping centre.
Slow Horses Season 4: Writing and Direction
Writers Mick Heron and Will Smith cast a larger net this season, with a story that is both intimate and also connects with the larger MI5 universe. The reveals, episode by episode, are completely in tune with what we’ve seen in previous seasons, leaving the best for its finale. Director Adam Randall does the same with the action sequences, which aren’t slickly choreographed like most spy dramas.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo27sE2fdvs
Here, there are failures and consequences involving the deaths of some beloved characters who can't keep up. This season, we have some new faces with Catherine's (Saskia Reeves) replacement Moira (the excellent Joanna Scanlan) and new rejected spy Coe (Tom Brooke), but the focus remains on River (Jack Lowden) and Lamb.
Slow Horses Season 4: Performances
Lowden’s River Cartwright is the focus of this season’s story and the actor steps it up to fill in the blanks of his past. Lowden and Jonathan Pryce, who plays River’s grandfather, David Cartwright, have some of the best scenes of the season. Oldman’s Lamb is as irascible as ever as he manoeuvres the MI5 bosses and his own ‘Joes’ at Slough House to do his bidding. Kristin Scott Thomas continues to show why her character should be the top boss. Scanlan and Reeves provide the laughs, while Hugo Weaving is intriguing as the new mysterious individual who is now on everyone’s radar.
Slow Horses Season 4: Critique
Most spy series like The Night Manager, Homeland and Jack Ryan are more serious in tone. Based on novelist Mick Herron’sSlough House books, Slow Horses has a sly sense of British humour in its corner that keeps it grounded when scenarios get absurd quite quickly. With a stellar cast and plenty of strong guest stars, Slow Horses has plenty of material to keep going for another four seasons. The first two episodes begin streaming on September 4.