‘Slow Horses’: Gary Oldman Leads a Band of MI5 Underdogs in Apple TV’s Sharp Spy Thriller

Alci Rengifo

Apple TV’s “Slow Horses” begins with the kind of simple, yet refined detail that is a trademark of gritty spy thrillers. An MI5 agent becomes an outcast because of a quick memory slip during a training exercise and is relegated to working with other spy misfits. It’s a perfect way to pull the audience into a world where details are everything. Based on a novel by Mick Herron, this is a thriller that’s more about personalities than action. There are plenty of chases, bomb scares and nefarious villains, but it all feels grounded as opposed to absurdly implausible. None of the spies have the caricature romanticism of the Bond or Bourne movies. Some, like a brilliantly scruffy Gary Oldman, look as if they are tired out after years of their job. 

The initial spook who gets into trouble is River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), an MI5 operative who botches the capture of a bomber at Heathrow Airport. When he misunderstands the order of colors in the suspect’s attire, tragedy follows and Cartwright is sent over to “Slough House.” This is where agents in need of some discipline are put under the eye of old pro Jackson Lamb (Oldman). Cartwright is understandably frustrated. Even more embarrassing is how he comes from a line of respected spies, including his grandfather David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce). The first assignment given to the disgraced operative is to search through the trash of an extreme right-wing journalist. At first Cartwright is annoyed by the task. Any vital information is to be sent over to his former superiors, such as Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas). But the operation leads to a bigger threat involving British nationalists who may be linked to a major political figure. When a Muslim citizen is kidnapped and threatened with death on national TV, it’s obvious something much bigger is afoot. Cartwright, to Lamb’s own frustration, dives deeper into the case with the other Slough House agents, Sid Baker (Olivia Cooke), Louisa Guya (Rosalind Eleazar) and Min Harper (Dustin Demri-Burns). 

“Slow Horses” boasts excellent style even in its theme song by Mick Jagger, who provides the kind of grit that sets the perfect tone. London becomes a setting of rainy streets and low-lit corners. A key difference between this and typical espionage tales is how we’re traveling with the underdogs. Cartwright’s former MI5 workplace, where Taverner oversees all on large screens, is slick and grand. But the Slough House looks more like the kind of grungy apartment building more fit for demolition. This is a spy thriller for anyone who has ever put on probation at work, which also gives it a great misfit attitude. If Kristin Scott Thomas is the well-composed, no nonsense spy chief ala Judi Dench, Oldman’s Lamb puts his shoeless feet on his desk, smokes and sports a pot belly. He’s the teacher put in charge of detention. While the opening of the season has a long, classic thriller chase through Heathrow, most of the other “action” has a rougher feel. Cartwright isn’t sent to do any flawless stunts. He carries suitcases into rundown establishments, struggles with taking lids off in dirty bathrooms. He suffers the humiliation of visiting his old office with a beaming, cocky former colleague showing off his expensive new suit. 

Taking a novel and expanding it into series length also requires that the dynamic between characters works well. “Slow Horses” takes its title from a derogatory nickname given to the spies sent to Slough House. Part of the enjoyment in this series is watching the at times edgy sense of camaraderie that forms between the disgraced agents. Cartwright first establishes a mischievous bond with Sid, who we first meet snatching the right-wing journalist’s flash drive with the old, “I’m sorry I spilled coffee on you” routine at a coffee shop. Instead of instantly leading to romance, the show lets their relationship build like two workplace buddies who know they are here with tarnished reputations. Oldman adds to the dynamic as the all-seeing older agent who warns them not to disrupt the work they’re supposed to be doing. There are more sparks between Louisa and Min, although pulled off with a subtle maturity that makes them feel like real people. Finding a life partner in this environment comes with a particular hint of danger. It’s not the same as meeting at a corporate office, for obvious reasons. There is also a great diversity to the casting that captures how modern-day England would expand its spy pool.

Thrillers tend to tap into the times and “Slow Horses” has a plot that makes complete sense in this age of emerging, extremist nationalist groups. It gets a bit archaic once the first victim is kidnapped, but that’s also part of the fun of these stories. As we get to know the characters, they need to put clues together and make connections. Like “The Sum of All Fears,” the villains represent a world where racist nationalism is threatening the stability of the western world. It makes for excellent thriller material. But it is the characters we truly care for, like Jonathan Pryce as the aged spy who sits by the fire giving Cartwright advice, sometimes seeming worried about his grandson’s trajectory. Kristin Scott Thomas, as always, has a fantastic presence. The great scene stealer is Oldman as the grump who never seems to get a haircut. When necessary, he can jump in and teach the younger agents some real lessons. “Slow Horses” is in the tradition of other recent espionage adaptations like “The Little Drummer Girl.” It packs suspense that works because it always feels dangerously real.

“Slow Horses” season one begins streaming April 1 with new episodes premiering Fridays on Apple TV+.