Slow Horses

Something is comforting about a spy show that doesn’t break the mold but just checks every box for what a program like “Slow Horses” should be.

The season has a determinedly cinematic quality that elevates it beyond most spy series, as does the first-rate writing. ... It's hard to say if "Slow Horses" is a comedy first, a thriller second. It straddles genres deftly, perhaps creating its own in the process.

In some ways it feels like the show’s writers heard the faint criticism of the first season, attempted to course correct, and ended up with a narrative that tries to be sneaky and comes up just short. And yet, it does little to take away from the show’s innate charms.

This time, the action begins with a former MI5 Cold War agent dead on a bus, and it spirals out from there into twists involving the sleeper agents and a possible terrorist attack. It’s complicated, but it’s worth it in the end, just like Lamb’s crime-solving methods.

Of course you’re going to want to see Gary Oldman act his brains out and make it look like second-nature – he carries Slow Horses through its more boilerplate scenes.

Oldman’s performance is a gem. ... It goes off the boil a bit at the end, as these things often do. But it’s solid entertainment. Jack Lowden taps into the low-key comic tone as River Cartwright, ostensibly the hero of the piece. Dustin Demri-Burns is a standout in this series as Min Harper, a nice guy but not the most competent of spies. Little touches give the show a fresh feel.

A complex yarn, slotted into six tightly packed episodes, this generous second helping confirms the series’ status as one of this year’s TV high-points. With Seasons 3 and 4 already on the way, this horse is proving anything but slow.

No one at Slough House is shy about the fact that their greatest wish is to leave it behind, but with another solid series under its belt, this bunch of losers might be stuck there for a while yet.