Stubbornly Refusing to Gallop
IMDb rating: 6/10
Having endured the tepid introduction, I approached Ep 2 with cautiously lowered expectations… and found them met with rather dispiriting precision.
Slow Horses continues its determinedly measured approach to espionage entertainment, maintaining the glacial pace that distinguishes it from more kinetic offerings in the genre.
Gary Oldman remains the series’ saving grace, his Jackson Lamb deploying withering observations and spectacular crudity with the precision of a master craftsman. His verbal evisceration of subordinates provides the evening’s sole moments of genuine entertainment, elevating what might otherwise prove entirely soporific.
The supporting ensemble continues their collective portrayal of professional disappointment, though their individual arcs develop with all the urgency of continental drift. One suspects the writers believe they’re crafting nuanced character studies when they’re merely prolonging the inevitable plot developments that sharper scribes would dispatch within minutes.
Yet something – call it masochistic curiosity or stubborn optimism – compels continued viewing. Perhaps it’s the promise that this deliberate construction will eventually yield architectural marvels. More likely, it’s the triumph of hope over experience.
The production maintains its polished veneer, but polish alone cannot disguise the underlying sluggishness that threatens to test even the most patient viewer’s resolve.
Persistently mediocre, yet oddly compelling.
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