‘Slow Horses’ Ups the Stakes in Season Three
Gary Oldman in Slow Horses | Credit: Apple TV+
When Standish (Saskia Reeves) is taken, Lamb (Gary Oldman) and the team stop at nothing to find her.
Slow Horses is such a fantastic show! It’s a great mix of humor and also a thrilling spy story filled with many twists and turns. By this third season, we’ve been able to see these characters walk through some difficult moments. It’s so interesting to get to know them as they respond to increasingly impossible situations.
And the third season of this show is filled with many of those impossible situations.
A staple of the spy genre is not knowing who you can trust. And Slow Horses handles that so well. When Standish disappears, members of the Slough House team begin looking for her, each one taking a different tactic. And everyone is unsure who they can trust in this process.
As the team unravels the mystery, things get more and more complicated. This is something that this show is really great at. The events that are affecting the Slow Horses aren’t isolated but are connected to other things happening within MI-5, the government, and London as a whole. This more holistic view, I think, makes the action in each season of Slow Horses even more thrilling.
Jack Lowden in Slow Horses | Credit: Apple TV+
The third season of Slow Horses follows a similar pattern to the first season, where we’re just not sure who our protagonists can trust. It seems like everyone has an ulterior motive, which could end with our heroes suffering dire consequences. This forces the members of Slough House to try and make the best decisions they can, even when they have incorrect or impartial information.
Sometimes our heroes make the wrong choice, putting themselves or others in additional danger. This is made all the more tense because previous seasons have taught us that no one is safe in Slow Horses.
All of this leads up to what I would argue is the show’s most intense season finale to date. Our heroes are split up, each pursuing a different lead and seeking to uncover the truth. But all of their backs are against the wall.
The foes this season are immensely talented, and they have a clear plan to take out the members of Slough House who have dared to get in their way. Slow Horses is so smart to lay out what the antagonists plan to do so that we’re well aware of the danger that the Slow Horses are in. This sets up an immense confrontation that tests our heroes’ skills and will to survive.
Saskia Reeves in Slow Horses | Credit: Apple TV+
Slow Horses continues to deliver season after season. We can’t help but root for our protagonists as they find themselves in impossible situations. The show continually reveals that our heroes don’t know how to trust, even within their own agency. And everything is connected — from the government to MI-5, nothing happens in a vacuum. This interconnectedness makes things more exciting.
This season also sets up what seems like will be a thrilling fourth season. I can’t wait!