Slow Horses (S5): Is A Great Spy Thriller?

The Slow Horses (Season 5/2025) offered one more roller-coaster spy ride in the modern espionage series set in London, United Kingdom. One of the most wonderful aspects of this dark comedy drama from Britain is that it does not hold back on the punches.

We simply loved the typical British humour in the show. Not only did the smart one-liner dialogues make fun of the British colonial past (and present), but they also provided a keen insight into why Britain is constantly under attack. And so far, it has been happening for the five seasons.

So, keep a close watch and listen carefully, as the loads of sarcasm, irony, understatement, and self-deprecation just keep coming in this British series.

Can (Fast/Slow) MI5 Spies Stop Terror Attacks In London?

Spoiler-Free Series Review: Slow Horses (Season 5/UK/2025) Show

The synopsis

This quick-witted spy drama follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces.

[The 'Season 5' is based on the 'London Rules' book by Mick Herron]

A compromised agent, a destabilised London, and a can of paint. 
At Slough House, the MI5 satellite office for outcast and demoted spies (slow horses), the agents are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath. Plus, someone is trying to kill Roddy Ho. But collectively, they're about to rediscover their greatest strength - that of making a bad situation much, much worse.

A brief note about the writers, Mick & Will

Please note that the “London Rules” (2018) book by Mick Herron is a fictional tale about the political and espionage drama set in London, United Kingdom. The novel draws heavily from the contemporary political landscape of Britain in recent decades.

However, this series completely trains its guns on the spy tales.

"London Rules" not only denotes the title of the fifth book in the series but also plays on the concept of "Moscow Rules," which are a series of informal operational guidelines for Moscow devised by the CIA and later documented by Tony Mendez. 

London Rules might not be written down, but everyone knows rule one: Cover your arse...
John le Carré alludes to these in the original novel that served as the basis for Sir Gary Oldman's movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011).

The well-written novel, of course, provides a very good starting point and material for the writers of the show. But one cannot dispute the sharp, incisive, fun and humorous dialogues of the show, penned by the writer Will Smith.

Not surprisingly, Will Smith has received awards for his wonderful writing in the recent past; for example, Veep and The Thick of It series.

Will Smith - 2024 Winner Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series - Slow Horses - For the episode "Negotiating with Tigers".

Gary Oldman is terrific actor, indeed

No doubt, Jackson Lamb is an obnoxious, infamous, dirty old (in a literal sense), and a street-smart man. So, it is fascinating to watch Gary Oldman (Sir Gary Leonard Oldman) portray the lead protagonist, MI5 spymaster Jackson Lamb, with such perfection. We often wonder why Gary has not picked up any major awards for his amazing performance in the Slow Horses series. Is it because his character is a proverbial dissenter, who does not like to toe the line, neither of his superiors at MI5 nor of other higher-ups in the Government? We do not know, honestly. In the last couple of years, Gary was nominated for so many, but…

The poster

The ensemble (both main and guest) cast have been good

In Season 5, a determined group of Foreign Nationals have launched an unprecedented destabilisation attack in London, United Kingdom (Britain). And as expected, the team of MI5, headed by a political appointee, is totally clueless about the threats posed by the unknown terror attackers. Therefore, it is time for the master spy, Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his team of Slow Horses – River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves), Shirley Dander (Aimee-Ffion Edwards), JK Coe (Tom Brooke), etc., to step up. But can this dysfunctional team of failed agents stop the planned strikes?

Almost all the cast members (main and guest stars are named below) have played their parts in making this an addictive espionage drama. As an added charm to the show, each one of them brings their unique personalities to their respective characters.

So, it is great fun to watch them in action.

From failure to success!

The conclusion

Finally, is it a great spy thriller to watch? Yes, it is great, indeed. Kudos to the entire team of Slow Horses. They have been doing consistently high-quality work for the past 3 years across 5 seasons.

To conclude, Slow Horses (S5/2025) continue to maintain their high standards of this eminently watchable espionage drama.

Rating: Slow Horses (Season 5/UK/2025) Series

Key Details: Slow Horses (Season 5/UK/2025) Series

Trailer: Slow Horses (Season 5/UK/2025) Series

Spoiler-Alert: The Strange Game Lyrics & A Peek into the 6 Episodes Summary

Surrounded by losers
Misfits and boozers
Hanging by your fingernails
You made one mistake
You got burned at the stake
You're finished, you're foolish, you failed
There's always a hope
On this slippery slope
Somewhere a ghost of a chance
To get back in that game
And burn off your shame
And dance with the big boys again
.
It's a strange, strange game
Strange, strange game
Such a shame - shame, shame
Yes a strange game
You got to carry the blame
In this strange game
You're out on a limb
And you're trying to get in
It's a strange game
.
You piled up the corpses
And exhausted your sources
Lying right under a cloud
The odds are against you
The gods haven't blessed you
You better get back on the rails
Drill down on the data
Keep pushing the paper
The damps dripping down on the walls
It's a million to one
There's a place in the sun
To dance with the big boys again
.
It's a strange, strange game
Strange, oh so strange
You don't even know my real name
Yes a strange game
You got to carry the blame
In this strange strange game
You're out on a limb
And you're trying to get in
It's a strange game
.
Bonus Link to Mick Jagger's Strange Games (Official Lyric Video) | YouTube.

Also, read the following FM Series Reviews in our Focus Magazine.
Slow Horses (Seasons 1 & 2/UK/2022) Series, 
Slow Horses (Season 3/UK/2023) Series, &
Slow Horses (Season 4/UK/2024) Series.

Poster, Featured and Other Images of the Slow Horses (Season 5/UK/2025) Series | Pictures Credit: Apple TV+.