Footprints

This is really bottom of the barrel stuff. Why on earth was everything so cheesy? Why was everything so trivial? I don't know. But I presume it's due to lazy writing. I'm really gutted, I loved the first seasons of slow horses but this really felt like a B version of what went before. Everything's a one liner, there's no depth to any of the dialogue. This season started slow, became interesting, and then got very boring again. Regarding this episode, why were all the agents sent in to do the killing cast as public schools boys? Not a hint of authenticity to any of it. This is a broader problem with this season, nothing is believable or authentic. DISAPPOINTING!

After 2 phenomenal seasons of interesting twists, turns, and characters, this show is now relying on the worn out trope of 'we're a band of misfits who now have to save ourselves from our own higher ups.' It's old and really disappointing that the writers of Season 3 went this way. No real character development and nothing to keep a viewer glued to the TV.

While many died gruesome deaths in Seasons 1-2, 3 just heaps it on...more shooting, more deaths. That's not the clever British show I love...it's lazy American-style writing that relies on lots of shooting to make the plot.

I'm hoping that the next season is better.

Slow Horses' third season concludes with a thrilling action-packed finale, following a shootout at the MI5 storage facility. The series showcases production values and a sense of jeopardy, with the Slough House crew facing danger. Lamb, Standish, and Sarah Dunn face a fight for survival against Park's operatives in London, resembling Skyfall's home invasion sequences. Lamb and Standish also discuss Charles Partner's principles, with Catherine seemingly quitting the service. The finale is a satisfying and action-packed experience, showcasing the series' production values and the potential for a major thread in the fourth season. Kristin Scott Thomas and Sophie Okonedo portray Taverner and Tierney, striving for the First Desk position, showcasing their narrow-mindedness and egotistical nature. While there have been few quality scenes between Lamb and Taverner this season, fans will be rewarded with more quality scenes when the episodes end. Slow Horses is a sharply written and perfect-performing series with numerous adaptations. Fans can expect to see these characters on screen for years, and if they continue to deliver quality, they will be devoured. The finale of the show, Real Tigers, builds on the previous episodes, featuring action, humor, and heart. The season effectively translated Mick Herron's work to the small screen, expanding on background details and character relationships. The biggest departure is accelerating David Cartwright's mental state, which will be a major part of the next season, expected in 2024. Slow Horses Season 3 Episode 6, "Footprints," is a solid season finale where the slow horses find their way out of a dodgy situation with a surprising amount of casualties. The episode also delivers an action-packed finale with every storyline keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. The characters, including Lamb's version of Home Alone, Louisa and River, and Shirley, face various challenges and must make it out alive. River's grandfather, suffering from dementia, may have been aware of the truth about leaking a file. The upcoming Slow Horses Season 4 may see negative repercussions, as it would be unrealistic if nothing positive happened after the leak. River's tendency to ignore advice and pursue his own desires is evident. Catherine discovers the truth about her favorite human being, Charles, and finds it less painful to learn Lamb killed him than how Charles used her. The emotional confrontation between Catherine and Lamb is well-executed, leaving viewers wondering if Jackson Lamb will share something devastating or remain his annoying self. Jackson Lamb is not kind, and his actions are portrayed as he goes for the jugular.

One of "Slow Horses" best features is that the seasons consist of just six episodes - which not only allows the stories to play out quickly and without padding, but also has allowed me to catch back up with all of it relatively fast. This third run, with another couple of guest stars, was another excellent season.

An operation in Istanbul sees agent Alison Dunn (Katherine Waterstone) dead and her lover, and fellow agent, Sean Donovan (Sope Dirisu) distraught. A year later, Donovan meets Standish (Saskia Reeves) at an AA meeting and, in the aftermath, kidnaps her. River (Jack Lowden) receives instructions to recover a file from MI5 headquarters, in one hour, or Standish will be killed. Close to achieving this seemingly impossible task and having made yet more enemies at Regents Park, Lamb (Gary Oldman) calls instructing him to stop.

"Gangs of London" star Sope Dirisu is the big get for the series and he's excellent as the Donovan, driven to do some questionable things to get to the bottom of Dunn's death. There is another level of ploy and counter ploy that sits above the plot of this one, though to go into it would be a bit too spoilery. "Agents of SHIELD" star Nick Blood appears in this run also and is welcome whenever he's on screen.

Again, the delight is mostly in the interactions between characters. Lamb talking to anyone remains great and this season really turns the combination of Shirley, played by Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Marcus, played by Kadiff Kirwan into a real double act. River again is a solo hero for most of the run, though there's some interesting partnering up with Louisa towards the end of the season - that I'd like to see continue.

Another great story, raced through in the tightest way possible that again delights on every episode.

The first two seasons are enthralling. There are several moments a little over the top, but those moments provide entertainment value and you don't have to suspend your disbelief too much. The show does a great job of balancing thriller with levity and humor. It looks like they tried to downsize in season 3 and keep the scope small with a couple of interesting new characters. The plot was predictable, but the returning characters (especially Gary oldman) make it tolerable and worth watching. My biggest hang up about this season, particularly the season finale, was the countless number of cliche moments during action sequences. Several guns misfiring at the worst moment....bad guys pausing to say an eye-rolling line only to be attacked from behind, elite MI5 agents unable to shoot targets directly in front of them with thousands of rounds of ammo, two characters coincidentally running out of ammo at the same time so they have to get into a fist fight..... I get it's television and it should be entertaining, but this is supposed to be a spy thriller grounded in reality. Some of these redundant errors were too frequent to overlook and I started to feel like I was watching an 80s action movie. I felt like the writers just got lazy this season. I hope season 4 picks up The preview at the end of season 3 looks much more promising.