Follies

After Ep 5's triumphant demonstration of what Slow Horses could achieve, the season finale delivers a rather deflating reminder of the series' tendency toward self-indulgence. What should have been a taut conclusion instead meanders through predictable plot mechanics with frustrating deliberation.

The episode suffers from a peculiar bloating that transforms necessary resolution into tedious obligation. Revelations arrive with all the surprise of scheduled announcements, whilst supposedly climactic moments feel more perfunctory than genuinely thrilling. One suspects the writers confused thoroughness with dramatic satisfaction.

Gary Oldman remains watchable, though even his considerable charisma cannot entirely disguise the episode's structural shortcomings. Supporting characters revert to their earlier plot-device tendencies, delivering exposition with workmanlike efficiency rather than genuine conviction.

The production values maintain their customary polish, yet cannot compensate for pacing that feels distinctly misjudged. Scenes that should crackle with tension instead lumber toward foregone conclusions with pedestrian inevitability.

Whilst competent enough to avoid complete disappointment, this finale represents a missed opportunity to capitalise on the previous episode's considerable momentum.

A serviceable conclusion that fails to match its predecessor's excellence. I am not rushing to catch Season 2.

Okay, I've NOT got an Apple subscription but managed to see this first season for free on an offer, and well I quite enjoyed it.

What we have, is not exactly a John Le Carre thriller like "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" BUT instead we have similarly a British based spy thriller about a group of demoted & ostracised spies who find themselves caught up in a corruption web involving domestic terrorists.

The series is based off a series of books which admittedly I've no idea about, but not that impacted my viewing from what I can tell. With the weight of Kristin Scott Thomas behind the show, she helps to elevate it, however surprisingly the equally brilliant Gary Oldman has been given a role that frankly I felt underplayed his talents as an actor, with only the ending finally signalling better to come for his character. Most of the rest of the cast with all due respect are more than adequate, filling in the role as unconvincing spies trying to work their way through all the realpolitik of the civil services in the UK.

It's a decent show, but admittedly it didn't fully grab me by throat (maybe the very ending did a bit). I guess as this series was a special offer, the question is whether I'd then want to take out an Apple+ subscription (even temporarily) on the back of this. The answer is resoundingly no! I expect the series will get better as the underlying stories of the characters reveal themselves, but this first season seemed a little too slapstick at times for my liking amongst all the serious aspects. At heart, it's not really that different in quality to the drama series from the terrestrial channels in the UK, so why pay a subscription for this?

Each to their own. A decent viewing.

OK. I'm super late on this one, I'll admit it, but finally started Apple TV's "Slow Horses" and, to the surprise of nobody, as everyone else was here a few years ago, it's brilliant.

A bungled training exercise leads promising MI5 agent River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) to be reassigned to Slough House, a purgatory of clerical and busy work, overseen by Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman). A tangential link to the kidnapping of Hassan (Antonio Aakeel), a young Muslim man by the far-right group The Sons of Albion, draws Cartwright, Lamb and the rest of the "Slow Horses" into the rescue attempt, to the annoyance of Deputy Director Taverner (Kristen Scott Thomas).

It's hard not to start a review of the series without talking about Gary Oldman. He has all that spy cache from playing George Smiley to an Oscar nomination in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and whilst, Lamb isn't a particularly similar character - hiding his intelligence in a fog of cigarette smoke and bodily gases - he's just a razor sharp. His put downs to the rest of his gang of misfit toys are a highlight of the series. The script in general is wonderful, with many funny lines and clever moments and they build upon what is actually a relatively straightforward case, that is only complicated by the machinations of MI5 higher ups.

It's interesting that the show shows a different side to the MI5 experience. One of bumbling, unprofessional operatives trying to make a difference despite of their own shortcomings and the wider opinion of their competence. The rest of the performers in the cast are also excellent, particularly Lowden and Scott Thomas. There are also small but pivotal roles for Sophie Okonedo and Jonathan Pryce.

I'm in a period where a lot of the shows that I've been watching are out of a sense of obligation to finish, rather than pure enjoyment - but "Slow Horses" was a brilliant breath of fresh air and I'm looking forward to carrying on with it.

The first 15 minutes of the series was very good as was the last 15 minutes of this episode . It has just been the rest of the series that was all just a bit bland and mundane. Holey socks are only funny for so long. I can't help but think that thd late Sam Kelly would have been great as Lamb, looking similar to a role Kelly played in Inspector Morse but Oldman does this well. Despite being well known, I have never recognisably seen him in anything else.

Good quality drama is hard to do and there are some good moments here that were previously missing.

The story wraps up well and things are left open for the second season (at the time of writing, series 3 and 4 are also planned).

I had considered ending it here but it is wet Sunday afternoon so will binge on season 2 and hope the quality ending here is retained in the second season.

Great story! And action Oldmans character Lamb is hilariously funny character that comes out with great one liners!

The two characters Louisa and Min are also hilarious When their car runs out of petrol, the banter between them is funny!