‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 Should Build Upon Its Recent Emmy Glory

Slow Horses gets better each season.

That’s what I’ve heard from fans and people involved with the show, and that has been my experience as well. For me, season 3 was when Slow Horses evolved from a solid, entertaining show to a great show that deserved Emmy wins. Season 4 keeps things incredibly even while tackling different ideas. Each season has a threat to overcome (after all it is a spy show), but how the threat is treated is what makes the difference. Last season played a lot with internal rivalries in MI5 where the mystery wasn’t the focus; instead, the tension came from the threat of overwhelming force against our leads trapped in confined spaces, creating a claustrophobic, adrenaline-filled experience.

This season, which wrapped yesterday, the threat is a lot more mysterious and unsettling. While we open with a terrorist attack with shooting and violence, the situation unnerves thanks to the perpetrators and their motives. Hugo Weaving is cast as the season’s main villain, Frank Harkness. This casting felt so natural to Slow Horses that, upon hearing it, I just nodded and said, “Yeah, he will be great here.” No surprise, he not only was but is also the most memorable villain the show has ever had. He is physically a threat in seeing how he handles himself in a fight, but what makes him so scary is the way he carries himself and exploring his actions. He has a religious belief in his ideals, and those who work for him carry that out with fanatical fervor. The more we learn about him and his group the more disturbed we are by what he has been able to convince people to do for him. We are never quite sure what he is going to do next.

This uneasy feeling is also reflected in the other characters, especially River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) and David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce). River’s relationship with his grandfather has been the bedrock for him as a person and as a spy. While consistently unhappy with his situation in Slough House, he could always turn to his grandfather for advice and comfort and even a good kick in the rear when he needed it. Now with David’s mental decline, River is losing all of that. Even if there was no threat this season, his first scene talking about his frustration with his grandfather’s mental decline was already showing a different side to River because he wants to avoid David because it is painful being with him, and then he has huge guilt for feeling that way.

All of those feelings also become a big part of the mission he has to go on. The possibility of personal loss is a major part of his spy work, and he starts to discover something that could have massive implications for him as he is getting attacked in unexpected ways. The pressure on him is building and that tension is sustained with a standout moment when we hear his ragged breathing over the credits with no music, creating this sense of dread of what is coming. Jack Lowden has always been great with the dialogue in the show, but he spends a lot of time not interacting with many people and has to express a lot of his internal pain and worry through his face. It is impressive and heartbreaking.

This is all helped by what Jonathan Pryce accomplishes here. The contrast of how Pryce has planned this character for three seasons as a legendary retired spy who seems to know everything to an old man confused about who he is talking to could have been cliche but is handled beautifully. The most intense moments are seeing Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb and his interactions with David that have been few before now. David has done questionable things in the past that give Lamb good reasons to be mad and blame David for why Lamb is the way he is. But seeing Lamb berate him and use his illness to confuse him into believing that he has hurt people he cares about, we cannot help feeling sorry for David in those moments. That, and in his condition he cannot protect himself like he once could, adding to the sense of danger and dread permeating this season.

Without getting too involved in what everyone is doing this season, a special mention needs to go to Kristin Scott Thomas as Danvers, who is the best she has ever been. She has a new boss, James Callis (Claude Whelan), who is her opposite in every way. He is a bureaucrat wanting to create transparency, and seems out of depth with what is around him, leaving her doing most of the work and pretending to care about what he is saying. It is a problem she has never had to deal with that opened up some new avenues for her character. She does care about the service and protecting the people, but her methods for that are questionable at best and criminal at worst. Having to deal with this threat and this new boss has created a lot of new opportunities for her.

There is also a new character Emma Flyte (Ruth Bradley), the new head of the Dogs, who has been an interesting addition in that we are not quite sure where she stands. The Dogs have usually been seen as just the bullies of MI5 and Emma seems loyal to the Park and Danvers but there appears to be at least a willingness to not blindly follow orders. Her conversation with one character really surprised me. She also had some great back and forths with Lamb that provided some great comedic highlights of the season. She feels like a character that could be built upon over more seasons. There is a lot more going on with this cast but these were some of the highlights for me, but there is a lot more character work going on that complements the overall narrative.

Where we end things the mystery is made clear and the unease is gone but there is no sense of victory, only a melancholy. The sense of loss that started the season has become even greater for everyone involved. Even Lamb, the most cynical bastard, shows levels of pain and sympathy while still being the Jackson Lamb we know. It is touching in its way, and ends on a shot that is unexpected but feels right.

In terms of Emmy chances for this season, Jack Lowden will easily get back in supporting actor with his work here, and Jonathan Pryce moves from guest to supporting actor and should make it in with this material. There may be a long shot nod for Hugo Weaving if the category is weak. That seems unlikely as Emmy 2025 boasts The White Lotus season 3 coming out soon with who knows how many potential supporting actor contenders plus The Last of Us actors Spencer Lord, Jeffrey Wright, and Ian Alexander contending based on their roles in the game, depending on how much of a role they will have in season 2. Their best stuff may be coming in season 3. Plus, with so many other new shows, it will be hard to predict.

Gary Oldman will get nominated again but it’s not certain if he can pull off a win. He is continuing to play Lamb wonderfully, but there is nothing new to his character this time around except for the finale. Jack Lowden feels more like the lead this year with the heavy emotional lifting he is doing. Kristin Scott Thomas feels like the most likely addition for an acting nomination, probably just missing out this year; she is even better this season. The show should keep writing, directing, and drama series nominations. Will Smith could even win again for screenplay. As for a drama series win, I think the show is worthy of a win, but it hasn’t captured the zeitgeist that a winner needs, and there are a lot of other shows coming out.

Still, it’s a great show that more people keep finding. If this article inspires more people to watch, then something good has come of it.

All seasons of Slow Horses are streaming on Apple TV+.