Season 1 - 6 episodes (2022)
Season 2 - 6 episodes (2022)
Season 3 - 6 episodes (2023)
Season 4 - 6 episodes (2024)
Season 5 - 6 episodes (2025)
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Created by: Will Smith
Based on: Slough House by Mick Herron
Starring: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jonathan Pryce, Hugo Weaving, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Olivia Cooke, Katherine Waterston
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
A dysfunctional team of MI5 agents navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend the UK from sinister forces.
Verdict
The first two seasons are dense mysteries as every character has an agenda. We can't trust anyone. Either they're lying to commit a crime or cover it up, and the 'good' characters are afraid to say too much unless they're exposed to their enemies. I often felt like I didn't understand everything, but that's also because we're not provided with all information. Characters mislead and redirect for their own gain. The later seasons are less dense, focusing a bit more on action. It's not bad, just not as complex or reliant on subterfuge and spy craft. The later seasons are still great, but it also seems like the show is trying to be more accessible.
Watch It.
Review
The team of British intelligence agents work in an MI5 department called Slough House as they've all committed detrimental mistakes that have derailed their careers. They're referred to as 'slow horses,' word play on the department name. The sixth season is scheduled for release fall 2026.
Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) leads the team. What he lacks in hygiene he makes up for in skill. He frequently insults his agents, but he always shows up when they need him. The first two seasons are especially dense. Dealing with all these agents and rival agendas, you never know what or who to trust. Lamb frequently plays by his own rules, but that's not because he's trying to rise up the ranks or gain power. He's following his own code.
Season 1:
In the first episode River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) fails a training exercise set at an airport. He claims he was told the wrong suspect, and refusing to stand down he tries to chase down the correct one. As a result he's sent to Slough House. What I don't understand is how no one else heard the wrong information. Maybe it's a situation where you don't question nor expose your superiors for fear of risking your own position.
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| S1E1: Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb |
River and Sid (Olivia Cooke) are tasked with surveilling journalist Hobden. Meanwhile a college student is abducted which ends up being a false flag operation by MI5 deputy Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas). She orchestrated the kidnapping through an agent, but what she doesn't realize is that agent is no longer in control. Taverner pivots to covering her tracks, planning to blame Slough House. At her level of power, she can find agents that will testify on her behalf, and no one holds Slough House in high regard.
We're introduced to the slovenly Jackson Lamb that must be in Slough House due to some kind of failure, but he proves to be quite smart. He's outsmarting the directors of MI5 that are trying to pin their blunder on him.
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| S1E6: Jack Lowden plays River Cartwright |
This is basically a six hour movie with a specific focus on an operation and the ripples it creates. Everything comes back to Taverner. She wanted to gain political influence through this kidnapping by 'saving the day.' River witnessed a piece of that, completely unaware which is why he ended up at Slough House. Taverner has to keep lying and covering up her schemes. She has no control over the kidnapping, and has her men plant evidence after the fact. She can't admit fault, otherwise she's jeopardizing her position.
It's never quite clear what's going on or who is involved in what. Being operatives, you can't believe anyone, but this does reveal everything by the final episode. It's a complex story that requires you to pay attention. I frequently felt like I didn't quite understand everything, but that's also because this doesn't provide all the pieces. Everyone is lying up until they're caught.
Season 2:
Lamb investigates the death of former agent Bough, finding his phone hidden in the bus seat where he died. River wants action, but Lamb gives the job to someone else, chastising him for interviewing for another job. There's the question of whether Bough died or was killed. He's likely unreliable, famous for telling an unsubstantiated story about how he was once kidnapped by the KGB.
Lamb identifies Bough's attacker as Chernitsky while River has followed him to an airfield. River goes under cover to find out more, befriending the daughter of a suspected sleeper agent that's involved with Chernitsky.
This show feels realistic with how cynical characters are. This rarely slows down to explain, and it never over explains. We can never believe anyone or their motives. Most of them are trying to mislead and redirect for their own gain. Lamb isn't against that when it suits his purposes.
Lamb uncovers the identify of a triple agent, intent on embarrassing Slough House as revenge. It all ties into double and triple agents operating in and adjacent to MI5. Slough House only stumbles upon the subterfuge when one of their own is killed. That leads to uncovering this seasons motives.
Season 3:
This opens with an incident in Istanbul where an agent is killed, seemingly having stolen classified documents. Back in London, Standish is kidnapped, and it's implied that may have something to do with Lamb. River is offered a chance to save Standish, but he has to gain access to the main office. He succeeds, but it turns out it was a tiger team operation to test MI5 security. Since River succeeded in breaking in, MI5 failed. It doesn't help that River didn't tell Lamb.
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| S3E3: Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb |
There may be more to this tiger team, some kind of secondary agenda. The home secretary launched the tiger team attack, a ploy to expose faults and in turn hire private security. He has stake in the company. He's a government figure embracing corruption for personal gain.
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| S3E5: Sophie Okonedo, Kristin Scott Thomas play Ingrid Tearney, Diana Taverner |
This season feels more sensational than previous seasons. The first two seasons occurred in the shadows. It was spy games of which the public would never be aware. This one has a high profile murder that hits the news. The final two episodes are one long shootout. It's not bad, but it seems more mainstream, more accessible, which is not what this show has been.
The action isn't bad, but I like the espionage and intrigue, even if it's dense and complicated.
Season 4:
River is dead, at least that's what we're told in the first episode, but the episode makes a point to not show us his face and the body is difficult to identify. While the end of the episode reveals he's alive, which isn't a surprise, the question is why the subterfuge.
This season slows the pace, much like the last season. While the first two seasons were quite complex, this is an over correction. I liked the first two seasons, though I felt like I could barely keep up. This season, I'm almost bored.
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| S4E6: Jack Lowden, Hugo Weaving play River Cartwright, Frank Harkness |
River heads to France, trying to track down who tried to kill his grandfather. Harkness (Hugo Weaving) is the culprit. He's an assassination that had help from an MI5 agent long ago to start his business, and now Taverner is trying to cover up Harkness's crimes since they trace back to MI5. They've used him for many missions.
Harkness manages to capture River, offering to let him join his group and train him. River as expected refuses. Harkness is captured, but MI5 lets him go due to what he knows and how he could hurt the agency.
This is a show where you never quite know what's going on. If you think the plot is clear, it's going to take a turn and surprise you. I liked season four less than three. Both feel like less of a spy thriller and more of an action movie.
Season 5:
This opens with a public shooting that seems to be related to the mayoral race while somebody is following Slough House agent Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung). It appears Ho has been compromised, lured by a woman, Tara. He can't admit that, beholden to his illusions of grandeur. Lamb goes to Ho's house to save him, and that shootout peaks MI5's interest in Ho. Lamb has to figure out why Ho was even targeted.
Additional terrorist attacks have occurred in the city, they appear to be destabilization tactics. The next step would be to take out a national figure. Potential mayors Jaffrey and Gimball seem like prime targets. Shirley and Standish thwart an attack against Jaffrey, though they can't catch the guy.
Meanwhile River and Coe are tasked with protecting Gimball.The conclusion to that job seems comical. While truth can be stranger than fiction, it seems like stretch for them to accidentally kill Gimball.
MI5 detains Tara, but they don't believe she's part of the terrorist plot. That's a mistake when they use her to lure the terrorists out and she escapes.
While Slough House was threatened with being closed, Lamb manages to blackmail MI5 to keep them open.
This show is a bit like watching a chess match where you need to keep track of all the pieces in play. There's a lot going on, and you never know if any event is some kind of ploy. That's what makes this show so engrossing, trying to piece together the plot as the agents do.
I like seasons one and two the best, though it's difficult to pick one as better. The rest of the seasons become more action oriented and mainstream. I liked the first two seasons remained in the shadows. The public would never know anything ever happened, that's scarier than terrorist attacks. The government could crumble without any visible cause.
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