Apple TV+ launches the fourth season of its spy thriller "Slow Horses" on Sept. 4.
Everyone probably knows Bond, James Bond. But do you know Lamb, Jackson Lamb — the boozing, farting veteran of the Cold War that oversees a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents known unflatteringly as the "slow horses?"
"Slow Horses" is based on Mick Herron’s darkly funny and deliberately anti-Bond spy novels. Overseeing this band of misfits is Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, who seems permanently disheveled, always in need of a shower, and often drunk. Yet appearances can be deceiving. When situations get tense or dangerous, Lamb is often the one thinking the clearest and acting most effectively. Lamb is played to weary, cynical perfection by Oldman.
Oldman returns as Lamb for the tense and twisty fourth season of "Slow Horses," adapted from Herron’s book “Spook Street.” This season uncovers messy secrets from the past as well as revealing yet again a very different side of espionage than you would see in an Ian Fleming novel.
"Mick has turned it on its head and gives you characters that are like you, that are relatable," Oldman said.
The first episode of season four starts with a literal bang (actually two) that will grab your attention. The season also takes off in a more personal direction as River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) has to deal with the worsening health issues of his grandfather (played by Jonathan Pryce). It is also more personal because as the story unfolds, there are things in the pasts of these characters that come into play.
The series continues to be exceptionally well-executed and tightly crafted. It may be a streaming series but it has a cinematic style that impresses at every turn from the acting to the scripting to the production values.
If you have not watched "Slow Horses" yet then put it in your queue and start from the beginning. If you have been following along with this band of misfits then get ready for another intense season of unexpected twists and turns.
