The acclaimed Apple TV+ spy thriller Slow Horses returns for a fifth season, and it may be its best yet, according to a new review. The show, based on Mick Herron's novels, follows Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), a flatulent and feckless spymaster who runs Slough House, an administrative purgatory for disgraced MI5 agents.
In season five, Lamb and his team of "Slow Horses" investigate a series of terror attacks causing chaos in London. However, this time the focus shifts from River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) to the team's insufferable hacker Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung), who has surprisingly found a girlfriend. The reviewer notes that the season cleverly puts the focus back on the dysfunctional team, allowing for the fun interactions that make the show so enjoyable.
The review praises the season as an improvement over the fourth, which felt "a little disjointed" because characters were separated for much of the story. In contrast, season five benefits from keeping the team together, restoring the dynamic that fans love. The political subplot, which involves malicious people using tragedy for their own ends, is described as "very relevant to the now."
Roddy Ho, a character the reviewer admits to despising, is made into a "sympathetic and engaging lead" without losing his rough edges. The writers succeed in earning begrudging respect for him. Meanwhile, Jackson Lamb remains a baffling puzzle, thanks to careful scripting and Oldman's "sizzling performance," though the season offers glimmers of the man beneath the sweat-stained suit.
Overall, the review concludes that Slow Horses season five is "thought-provoking, funny, and exciting," and a return to form for one of Apple TV+'s best-kept secrets. The show continues to distinguish itself from typical spy dramas by focusing on incompetence and bureaucracy rather than glamour.
