Slow Horses (S3/2023) Series: Spies Fight For Survival

Slow Horses spies fight for survival in the third season of this espionage drama. These MI5 spies are not only battling the enemies who are inside MI5 but also those who are outside.

Before we get ahead with the third season of this British espionage series, check out our article about the first and second seasons of the Slow Horses on the FM.

Now, let us talk about the third season of the Slow Horses series, which is based on the Real Tigers book (Slough House #3) by Mick Herron. As, once again, for the third time, we follow this British spy drama with a dark comedic touch. And, no doubt with each of its seasons, this British intelligence drama is getting edgier and tense spy show to watch.

Synopsis [official] of the Slow Horses (S3/2023) Series

It is a darkly funny espionage drama that follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 due to their career-ending mistakes.

In season three, a romantic liaison in Istanbul threatens to expose a buried MI5 secret in London. When Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his team of misfits are dragged into the fight, they find themselves caught in a conspiracy that threatens the future not just of Slough House but of MI5 itself.

Spoiler Free Review of the Slow Horses (S3/2023) Series

The introduction

So far, we have seen this dysfunctional team of MI5 agents called Slow Horses stationed at the Slough House do well enough to win our hearts and support. These (spies) rejects are led by their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who is deadly with his acidic (one-liner) tongue. Even then, despite all kinds of shortcomings, these (spies) misfits continue to navigate the espionage world’s smoke and mirrors to defend England as well as themselves from the deadly conspiracies.

The basic storyline (official) of the third season

This season is based on the Real Tigers book (Slough House #3) by Mick Herron.

This story goes like this. These disgraced MI5 operatives are reassigned to spend the rest of their spy careers pushing paper at Slough House in London. But when one of these “slow horses” is kidnapped by a former soldier bent on revenge, the agents must act soon to save their colleague. However, the kidnapping is only the tip of the iceberg, as the game of cat and mouse is set afloat. These slow horses fight back to survive, but do they win?

Great acting backed by a strong and intelligent script

We learnt that it is the television series regular debut of the veteran actor Gary Oldman. And no doubt, Gary (as Jackson Lamb) is at his best playing the role of leader of the washed-up spies. He plays the role of Lamb, who has a filthy hygienic lifestyle, acerbic style of conversation, no-nonsense mannerisms and the brilliant mind of an old spy with aplomb.

Thus, Gary leads the ensemble cast of well-etched characters played by a bunch of good actors, like, Kristin Scott Thomas (Diana Taverner), Jack Lowden (River Cartwright), Saskia Reeves (Catherine Standish), Rosalind Eleazar (Louisa Guy), Christopher Chung (Roddy Ho), Sophie Okonedo (Ingrid Tearney), Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Shirley Dander), Kadiff Kirwan (Marcus Longridge), Sope Dirisu (Sean Donovan), Katherine Waterston (Alison Dunn), etc.

Besides, the Lamb, most of the characters (especially the slow horses’ spies) are very well-written. They have their flaws, yet they can charm you with their funny and eccentric acts.

We know that this show is based on the CWA Gold Dagger Award-winning British espionage series called the Slough House book series. So, they already have good content for the series. Still, we must praise its writers and directors. They have done very well to adapt these books to churn out strong and intelligent scripts for the screen.

The conclusion

In this age of speed, we liked the fact that this spy show has only six episodes in each season. Therefore, it is easy to consume in one sitting. Or should we admit that we watched its third season on a binge recently? To be honest, we thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns, the ups and downs in this rollercoaster of the ride in this espionage show.

We loved the comedic touch to this spy thriller, where the group of so-called losers become the ultimate winners. We are cheering for these slow horses, any day, in fact, any time.

Rating of the Slow Horses (S3/2023) Series

Spoilers of this 2023 espionage series from Britain

A bomb goes off in the middle of a busy shopping center and kills forty innocent civilians. The agents of Slough House have to figure out who is behind this act of terror before the situation escalates.

Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman): I am going back to bed.

A female (most likely an MI5 agent): Would you also consider a shower?

Jackson Lamb: Oh, well, that's a tempting offer, but I don't think that's appropriate right now. I mean, apart from anything else, one of my team just died.

Poster of the Slow Horses (S3/2023) Series

Key details of the Slow Horses (S3/2023) Series

Trailer of the Slow Horses (S3/2023) Series

Featured Image and Poster of the Slow Horses (S3/2023) Series | Pics. Credit: Apple TV+