Series 4, based on the book Spook Street, is a bit of a departure in terms of subject matter from the first 3 series. I can’t say whether the direction is necessarily better on its own, but given what was covered in previous series, it’s a breath of fresh air to finally have a story focused more on the characters and revealing more of their backstories. Most importantly, this is the first series of the show that really leverages the acting chops of the cast and relies on more emotional beats. 

Point 1: Geriatric Actor Convention

Slow Horses has boasted a great cast of older British actors from the beginning, but with Jonathan Pryce joining the cast fully this season and adding Hugo Weaving has really made this THE premier old, white actor show. Gary Oldman has been the star of the show from the beginning and continues to lead the march with his petulant display as Jackson Lamb. Kristin Scott Thomas’ constantly frustrated Diana Taverner steals every scene she is in while Saskia Reeves’ Catherine Standish brings warmth and empathy to an otherwise standoffish show. 

Jonathan Pryce amongst the 5 actors above is the oldest at 77 years old yet gives the best performance in a demanding role this series. Hugo Weaving joins the cast as the main villain and chews up the scenery like he is known to do. Every bit of his dialogue oozes intimidation and control. He is by far the best villain the show has had so far.

We often talk about diversity in terms of race, gender, and sexuality, and those are indeed important aspects. Slow Horses has decent representation on the race and gender sides. However, one of the sides of diversity that is often forgotten is age. So many actors get pushed out as they age or get typecast due to their age. Slow Horses does a good job of using the range of its older actors with each of them providing different personalities and dynamics to the show. 

Point 2: Forget Me Not

It was heartbreaking all season to see Pryce’s David Cartwright wrestling with dementia that he refuses to acknowledge. The signs of dementia were hinted at at the end of series 3, but now with it being fully fledged, it was a difficult watch to see how everyone deals with an ex-high-ranking MI5 agent that isn’t able to remember things anymore. The inciting incident of the series being him killing his grandson (not really a spoiler, don’t worry) in his home because he couldn’t figure out whether he was an intruder or not is just tragic. The acting from Pryce is immaculate to sell every part of this broken individual who is still not able to piece what’s happening together. 

I think the show also does a great job of showing the impact of someone with dementia on those around them. Of course you want to do what’s best for them, but they don’t necessarily agree that what you think is best for them is indeed what is best for them. The frustration they incite and the wrestling of emotions as you try to deal with a serious situation but David just doesn’t get it is shown with aplomb. 

Finally, the final scene with David in this series was absolutely devastating. My partner who I’ve been watching this with was in tears. It was really a testament to the performances and writing to hit you in the feelings so hard in a show that’s otherwise been crass and action-packed.

Point 3: Let’s Get Dark

Of course the show hasn’t shied away from being dark. The first series followed the kidnapping of a Pakistani-British student under threat of being decapitated. Clearly, the content has been dark from the beginning. But this season had its own brand of dark. Cults have always hit a weird part of my brain in terms of how icky they make me feel, and this season is no different. Cross that with hints towards sexual manipulation and some other aspects I won’t get into here, and it felt like the show was really delving into some darker themes .

Hugo Weaving is a big part of selling that side of things as the leader of this cult. His presence and his way of conveying his perspective really sells that someone may indeed think this way. This season also let Jack Lowden stretch his acting legs a lot more outside of just being the handsome, slightly goofy main character. This season gives him more to deal with emotionally as his character gets fully embroiled in the ongoings of this cult, and he realizes he’s more connected to it than he ever would have thought.

Point 4: ACAB

My review of series 2 and 3 included a point called “Everyone Sucks” and this season just makes me double down on that. This time I’ve named the point ACAB because it feels like the show has done its job in the previous series to let you know how everyone sucks, but this season really worked on hitting the nail of it specifically being the spies who are the worst. 

We get more instances of politicians caring more about covering their asses than doing their jobs. The whole plot of this season is kicked off as the bad actions of certain MI5 agents in the past come back to haunt them. Meanwhile, the inciting incident of a bombing quickly takes a backseat to the political machinations of the agency. It makes you realize that these people care so much more about themselves than the job of protecting people. Sure, all of it is done under the pretense of protecting people, but if they had to choose between civilian deaths and their own careers, I don’t think most of the characters would hesitate. 

Now that I’ve gotten through the four currently released series, I will now impatiently wait for the next one. I mentioned this in the last review, but it’s legitimately impressive that this show is already filming series 6 before series 5 has released and we might end up getting more seasons in a 3 year period than some shows release episodes. If you haven’t read my review of the previous two series, you can find the one for series 1 here and the one for the second and third series here.