The fifth season of Slow Horses begins with a well timed sequence: a gun assault perpetrated by a follower of a far-right politician (we even briefly glimpse a couple of St George’s crosses). Rightwing politics is an space that Apple TV+’s spy drama has tackled earlier than; again in season one, a British-Pakistani scholar was memorably taken on a joyride by a nationalist group named Sons of Albion, who threatened to behead him on a dwell stream.
Nevertheless, like many issues within the Sluggish Horses universe – primarily based on Mick Herron’s bestselling novels a few group of MI5 rejects – the opening proves one thing of a pink herring. Season 5 isn’t actually about white nationalists, or environmental activists, or hostile overseas actors, and but it’s also about all of these issues, suddenly. Because of this, it’s overstuffed and unusually missing in substance.
Worse nonetheless, people-pleasing agent River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) has undergone a persona bypass, and spends a lot of the collection performing in a approach that may solely be described as unnervingly dickish. (Lowden pulls it off, nevertheless it does really feel slightly unbecoming for the present’s unofficial hero.) Nonetheless, it figures: in addition to observing his grandfather David’s speedy descent into dementia, final season noticed River uncover that his actual dad was an ex-CIA agent turned cult chief, who had impregnated a number of ladies in an try to boost a cabal of future assassins. Yikes.
Season 5, then, is centred on the fallout of that aforementioned assault, and – considerably individually – the likelihood that Roddy Ho’s (Christopher Chung) new girlfriend is utilizing him to get her fingers on labeled intelligence. Chung is extra cringe-inducing and extra pitiful than ever as the pc whiz who’s satisfied that his new squeeze couldn’t have probably been a spy (in any case, as he says, he doesn’t pay for intercourse, “intercourse pays for me!”). He’s bought a purple man-bun and Prodigy-style dance strikes now, too, which solely makes the pathos extra pronounced when it does arrive.
Gary Oldman, after all, stays the reluctant chief of the pack as Slough Home boss Jackson Lamb. Aimee-Ffion Edwards returns as Shirley, who has developed PTSD on high of her drug habit, however continues to be as deliciously acerbic as ever (she describes Lamb’s infamous flatulence as smelling as if there’s “a pauper’s grave in your arsehole”).
The loss of life of Marcus (Kadiff Kirwan) final season has robbed the present of its second-best double act, after the loss of life of Min (Dustin Demri-Burns) robbed the present of its first-best double act, with Louisa (Rosalind Eleazar). (We tragically lose her, too, as she takes a much-needed psychological well being break from Slough Home – though not earlier than an excellently unhealthy leaving social gathering, catered by River with Tesco’s finest snacks.) This collection is now largely devoid of duos, which can be the place it goes mistaken. Nonetheless, it might have been extra awkward to pressure one thing substantial between any of those asocial characters – not least Coe (Tom Brooke), who stays extra discomfiting than many of the unhealthy guys.
The primary downside right here, although, is that the plot pinballs round far an excessive amount of, and much too frivolously. In earlier collection, the enemy – the Russians, rogue ex-MI5 brokers – has been recognized early and given loads of display screen time. Right here, a terrorist plot battles for relevance with meditations on “incel” tradition and the atmosphere; a blackmail menace towards spineless service head Claude Whelan (James Callis); and a short will-they-won’t-they between two characters that provides completely nothing to proceedings. In the meantime, Nick Mohammed performs the platitude-heavy London mayor, Zafar Jaffrey, for about 5 minutes, and Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) has nothing to do other than frown and drink giant quantities of wine.
It’s attainable that somebody someplace determined there had been too many overseas dalliances, and was nervous about both the price range or the local weather influence. However having watched a scene set solely at London zoo’s penguin enclosure, I can’t assist however really feel that the quantity of CO2 emissions expended by the collection is proportional to its dramatic chops.
There’s, naturally, a late twist: no new paternity check outcomes for River, sadly, however one thing that does change the temper of the collection. However, actually, it comes too late to salvage the factor. The sound modifying on the finish of episode 5 is admittedly, actually good. However the truth that I’m so intensely taken by what I’m listening to and never what I’m watching says all of it.
