Slow Horses season 3 review: Tight, twisty, and bloody as hell

For a British spy series whose flawed and fallible agents are the antithesis of James Bond, the third season of Slow Horses, which premieres November 29 on Apple TV+, has a rather Bond-y cold open: exotic locale, sex, and a chase scene that ends in murder.

None of Jackson Lamb’s dead-enders take part in these escapades, of course. Katherine Waterston cameos as Alison Dunn, an agent at the British embassy in Istanbul where Sean Donovan (Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù) is head of security. Carrying on an office romance, the two are first seen in bed, chatting post-coitally about weekend travel plans. When Dunn rises to finish making hummus in the kitchen, the still-naked Donovan furtively rifles through her desk, searching for a top secret file dubbed “Footprint.” Dunn catches him snooping, and Donovan admits to spying on her. Realizing her cover is blown and the fling was a sting, Dunn escapes with the doc, evading Donovan by water taxi and then car. He tracks her to an empty stadium at night, but not before Dunn has—spoiler alert—handed off the file and come to a nasty end.

A year later in London, Slough House still gets no respect. The Aldersgate oubliette for MI5’s lamest has been tasked with itemizing hundreds of file boxes from the Park before they’re shipped to a massive storage facility (which features prominently later). Routinely dissed pretty boy/whipping boy River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) complains that the mountain of paper is “Ringo Level”—i.e., the lowest-grade priority at the Park. (“John” and “Paul” are highest, naturally.) After the previous season took place mostly outside the physical Slough House, it’s refreshing to spend time in the old dump, which had such a strong presence in the first batch. But don’t get too cozy; the first episode ends in the kidnapping of one Slough Houser, forcing another to break into the Park to steal a file to save their life. (There are lots of sensitive files this time around.)

Since each season so far has included one character getting knocked off (Min Harper and Sid Baker, previously), one might reasonably expect more sacrificial lambs (not you, Jackson). Will it be Louisa (Rosalind Eleazar), still grieving for Harper and numbing herself by shagging randos picked up in bars? (Intriguing detail: Louisa has secretly stashed a diamond from the end of season two, nabbed after Pashkin was shot by Marcus [Kadiff Kirwan] on the roof of Glasshouse.)

Maybe Roddy’s the one with a target on his back. Played to sneering perfection by Christopher Chung, the incel hacker tries to blackmail gambling-addicted Marcus so he can sleep with Louisa (don’t ask). Shirley Dander (Aimée-Ffion Edwards) quashes the vile scheme with a bitch-slap in a bar. (Shirley is hardcore.) Could it be that Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves) will get snuffed? Is River doomed? Enough speculation. Let’s just say things get pretty bleak for our Slow Horses. River gets the stuffing knocked out of him in a brutal interrogation by Dogs chief Nick Duffy (Chris Reilly). There’s more gunplay and bloodshed this season than the previous ones combined. So don’t get too attached to new supporting characters.

Based on Mick Herron’s Real Tigers, third in the Slough House series, the plotting is tight and twisty, with a hunt for the aforementioned “Footprint” file driving the double-crosses. Donovan returns to London a changed man; apparently he truly loved Dunn, and her death has rattled him to the core. Having plunged down a rabbit hole of conspiracies, Donovan vows to avenge Dunn and air the Park’s dirty laundry. Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) still hopes to claw her way to the top of British Intelligence with the help of everyone’s favorite sleazy Home Secretary, Peter Judd (Samuel West). Diana just needs to outmaneuver MI5 director Dame Ingrid Tearney (Sophie Okenedo). When a “Tiger Team” hired by Diana to test the Park’s security goes rogue, Slough House is dragged into a proxy battle royal between the spy divas.

Three seasons in, Slow Horses is still tremendous fun. Showrunner Will Smith bases the lean, well-paced seasons on road-tested Herron plots, with a uniformly appealing cast and satisfying mix of mystery, underdog comedy, and cutting dialogue. Shuffling about in a filthy mac with stringy, greasy hair, Oldman’s Lamb has become one of the most unique, vivid TV characters in years. You can nearly smell the stench of cigarettes and hangover as Oldman runs endless variations on Lamb’s amused, appalled contempt, e.g., “You’re as useless as a paper condom.” Other characters most definitely scent the vile pong of Lamb’s strategic blasts of flatulence.

When not showcasing Lamb’s put-downs or action sequences (the finale is a smashing life-or-death battle with assassins from the Park in three locations), Slow Horses explores addiction as much as espionage. Marcus can’t stop gambling; Shirley’s cocaine use is becoming more than recreational; Louisa is drowning in grief; River is hooked on adrenaline and the need to prove himself; and Standish clings to A.A. for dear life. It’s only Lamb, most dissipated of all, who’s at peace with his toxic habits. He has long stopped caring whether the smoking, drinking, and potbelly will shorten a pointless life. Going for the annual checkup, Lamb wearily parries his doctor’s advice. “Dodgy vindaloo and some steep steps should finish me off,” the seedy spymaster muses. “Can’t think of a better way to go.” And yet, something tells us this walking heart attack will outlast even the youngest screwup at Slough House.

Slow Horses season 3 premieres November 29 on Apple TV+