Slow Horses: Season 2
December 10, 2022 11:51 AM - Season 2 (Full Season) - Subscribe
Jackson Lamb is on high alert after a former spy is found dead. Trailer. The Guardian: Every scene in this series has a finesse of quality or invention. Full of lovely comedy and espionage antics. On Apple TV.
Someone get Lamb a napkin. I am surprised at how immensely enjoyable it is to watch a team of people not working together in even the slightest way.
posted by snofoam at 5:06 PM on December 10, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 5:06 PM on December 10, 2022 [5 favorites]
Thanks for the reminder. I caught up watching the first two episodes and then forgot it had started waiting for the third. This season seems to be following the book more than the first season’s did or maybe I just remember this plot better. Still top-notch.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:09 PM on December 10, 2022
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:09 PM on December 10, 2022
Ooooh, I am excited for this. It hasn't been all that long since season one on Apple tv, so I wasn't expecting it.
posted by OHenryPacey at 7:39 PM on December 10, 2022
posted by OHenryPacey at 7:39 PM on December 10, 2022
Fun fact: you can swap episodes 1 and 2 and play them in reverse order, as I did, and the series still makes perfect sense. Every episode is that tightly written and self-contained.
I'm really enjoying the ambiguity of this season: it's not immediately clear that the deaths that occur are anything other than accidents, and outside Slough House Lamb is seen as a burned-out paranoid for believing they could be anything else.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 1:22 AM on December 11, 2022
I'm really enjoying the ambiguity of this season: it's not immediately clear that the deaths that occur are anything other than accidents, and outside Slough House Lamb is seen as a burned-out paranoid for believing they could be anything else.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 1:22 AM on December 11, 2022
Oh! Nice! I had no idea it was here already. Warming up the TV now...
posted by lhauser at 5:45 PM on December 11, 2022
posted by lhauser at 5:45 PM on December 11, 2022
Enjoying this a lot. Seems to be focused more on spy tradecraft and less on the screw-ups of the Slow Horses than in season one, but they've planned a hint about a gambling addiction that i hope will pay off.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 11:40 AM on December 19, 2022
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 11:40 AM on December 19, 2022
I had to go read the Vulture recap to keep all the Russian names straight. It thoughtfully includes Lamb’s best quotes.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:50 PM on December 21, 2022
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:50 PM on December 21, 2022
Yeah, I'm enjoying that there's more spycraft and less sort of stumbling into things this season. I mean, they kind of had to have the first season be that way ("Slough House is for fuckups" would've been undermined if they were presented as half as competent as they are this season), but by the end we'd seen that they were broadly generally competent in a dangerous profession, they were just liabilities to the usual intelligence types.
posted by Kyol at 6:51 PM on January 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 6:51 PM on January 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
Who would you hate to be stuck in an elevator with more: Roddy or Webb?
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:35 PM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:35 PM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
What, Lamb wasn't an option?
posted by Kyol at 7:18 AM on January 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 7:18 AM on January 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
Lamb is the one who cut off power to the elevator.
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:47 AM on January 21, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:47 AM on January 21, 2023 [5 favorites]
Ah, man! I liked Min! Crap as an agent, granted, but a good guy.
And what was the reason for killing him anyway? Because he saw Pashkin? Did he really? Min was drunk and facing the other way. If he turned around, all he saw was a shape in the dark. And so what if he did see him? It was explicit that those two worked for Pashkin. It would make perfect sense for him to be there.
And while we’re on the topic, what a load of shit that Min dies, and yet somehow Webb pulls through. WTF? I mean that was a lot of blood, and he couldn’t have gotten medical attention for at least a good half hour. Guy’s like a fucking cockroach. You can’t kill him.
Other highlights: Standish’s chess game (which somehow makes me think of the darts game in Ted Lasso), and Longmarch, who comes off as a damn good agent, gambling problem or no. Tells Louisa he’s got her back, and damn if he doesn’t.
Looking forward to next season and the inevitable moment when Standish learns the truth about Partner and how he died.
posted by Naberius at 9:52 PM on January 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
And what was the reason for killing him anyway? Because he saw Pashkin? Did he really? Min was drunk and facing the other way. If he turned around, all he saw was a shape in the dark. And so what if he did see him? It was explicit that those two worked for Pashkin. It would make perfect sense for him to be there.
And while we’re on the topic, what a load of shit that Min dies, and yet somehow Webb pulls through. WTF? I mean that was a lot of blood, and he couldn’t have gotten medical attention for at least a good half hour. Guy’s like a fucking cockroach. You can’t kill him.
Other highlights: Standish’s chess game (which somehow makes me think of the darts game in Ted Lasso), and Longmarch, who comes off as a damn good agent, gambling problem or no. Tells Louisa he’s got her back, and damn if he doesn’t.
Looking forward to next season and the inevitable moment when Standish learns the truth about Partner and how he died.
posted by Naberius at 9:52 PM on January 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
I sort of kind of but not really want to find the episode where they cased the meeting room to see if there was any possible way for Longmarch to get a gun under the table, which felt _sort_ of like a cheat. Broadly speaking the plot felt a little thrown together - there were just a lot of weird moving parts that only got a brief moment on screen because gotta go! We have a dinner with Catherine McCormack to film!
Like, I dunno, the only bit of Thumbless Russian Oligarch we saw was basically his corpse after Pashkin killed him? And he was really only in the story so that Pashkin had an excuse to arrange a meeting with MI-5 to get into the building and arrange a security event to clear the building so he could steal dead dude's diamonds and stock certificates, as one does? I mean, clever I guess?
posted by Kyol at 6:02 AM on January 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Like, I dunno, the only bit of Thumbless Russian Oligarch we saw was basically his corpse after Pashkin killed him? And he was really only in the story so that Pashkin had an excuse to arrange a meeting with MI-5 to get into the building and arrange a security event to clear the building so he could steal dead dude's diamonds and stock certificates, as one does? I mean, clever I guess?
posted by Kyol at 6:02 AM on January 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yeah, that worked for me. It turns out Nevsky had nothing to do with any of this and no idea any of it was going on. They were just setting him up to steal all his money. (Or steal it back, I guess?)
I've seen enough British TV now that I'm starting to recognize people. Like Nikolai, the old guy who turns out to be the mastermind behind it all, was Violet's one-time Russian lover in Downton Abbey. There's a shift in character! And sleazeball politician (who apparently keeps failing upward. Asshole probably really be will PM in a book or two) was in All Creatures Great and Small.
As for the gun under the table, I do recall a shot of him leaning under the table and looking pretty intent, which I guess is what they meant to cover that, but it does seem a bit of a stretch. I can assume the Russian goons weren't really paying much attention because they knew this didn't really matter since there wasn't really going to be a meeting.
posted by Naberius at 6:07 AM on January 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
I've seen enough British TV now that I'm starting to recognize people. Like Nikolai, the old guy who turns out to be the mastermind behind it all, was Violet's one-time Russian lover in Downton Abbey. There's a shift in character! And sleazeball politician (who apparently keeps failing upward. Asshole probably really be will PM in a book or two) was in All Creatures Great and Small.
As for the gun under the table, I do recall a shot of him leaning under the table and looking pretty intent, which I guess is what they meant to cover that, but it does seem a bit of a stretch. I can assume the Russian goons weren't really paying much attention because they knew this didn't really matter since there wasn't really going to be a meeting.
posted by Naberius at 6:07 AM on January 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah, and I mean I guess I can kind of justify Pashkin killing Min simply because his whole goal was to destabilize MI-5 so they wouldn't figure out what he was planning. Min's dead, that means that Louisa is going to be distracted. Katinsky activates one of his cicadas to cause River to call a September alert, locking down the city and forcing security down predictable paths, paths that Pashkin could use to steal Nevsky's money. And Katinsky has Chernitsky activated to kill Dickie so Lamb would investigate the actual possibility of cicadas, leading River to the Troppers in their village dell. I mean, it works in retrospect, but it also felt like I didn't quite get the moments of clarity that I like in a mystery, those little "ah! that's why they did this! ... but wait what does that mean?!??!" moments.
And yeah I dunno why but I _absolutely_ did not recognize sleazeball politician until he reminded Taverner that she owed him for busting into his kitchen. Maybe it was because he was wearing a suit and not pajamas.
posted by Kyol at 6:27 PM on January 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
And yeah I dunno why but I _absolutely_ did not recognize sleazeball politician until he reminded Taverner that she owed him for busting into his kitchen. Maybe it was because he was wearing a suit and not pajamas.
posted by Kyol at 6:27 PM on January 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
This was fun, and brisk. Stuff happens pretty fast, it's not all drawn out too long like so many shows I'm exposed to. If anything the plot was too intricate!
The resolution of the train ride peril felt pretty silly.
I liked Oldman's delivery of "They've already professionally humiliated themselves. That's why they're my people."
posted by fleacircus at 12:05 AM on April 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
The resolution of the train ride peril felt pretty silly.
I liked Oldman's delivery of "They've already professionally humiliated themselves. That's why they're my people."
posted by fleacircus at 12:05 AM on April 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
just finished this and wow!! so great. I'm loving Standish's quiet competence and straightforward ways of taking care of business.
can't wait for season 3!
posted by supermedusa at 9:06 AM on September 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
can't wait for season 3!
posted by supermedusa at 9:06 AM on September 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Didn't like this as much as the first season but still liked it. I think it was a mistake to binge this so fast; watched 6 episodes in 3 days, just after the first season. It's a pretty rich and dense show, a little space would help.
What I had a hard time with was the confusing plot. Specifically the various Russian antagonists. I had a hard time with the names, like someone else mentioned, although the characters themselves were certainly distinct. But also the plot is just confusing! I mean even Lamb is confused on what's going on until the end, how am I supposed to keep up?
a team of people not working together in even the slightest way
That also confused me but it was at least easier to follow. Odd choice to park Cartwright up north away from everyone else. And the various misfits in London off doing their own things. I got confused and thought Louisa was moonlighting for some Russians for awhile until I remembered she was on loan to Webb and only liaising with the Russians to do the job. It kind of worked anyway, I think because all the Slow Horses are such well drawn characters. Well at least the season one folks, the new characters need more screen time.
Looking forward to season 3, it got a lot of buzz among my friends. But maybe I'll take a little break first.
posted by Nelson at 2:23 PM on January 4
What I had a hard time with was the confusing plot. Specifically the various Russian antagonists. I had a hard time with the names, like someone else mentioned, although the characters themselves were certainly distinct. But also the plot is just confusing! I mean even Lamb is confused on what's going on until the end, how am I supposed to keep up?
a team of people not working together in even the slightest way
That also confused me but it was at least easier to follow. Odd choice to park Cartwright up north away from everyone else. And the various misfits in London off doing their own things. I got confused and thought Louisa was moonlighting for some Russians for awhile until I remembered she was on loan to Webb and only liaising with the Russians to do the job. It kind of worked anyway, I think because all the Slow Horses are such well drawn characters. Well at least the season one folks, the new characters need more screen time.
Looking forward to season 3, it got a lot of buzz among my friends. But maybe I'll take a little break first.
posted by Nelson at 2:23 PM on January 4
Like Nikolai, the old guy who turns out to be the mastermind behind it all, was Violet's one-time Russian lover in Downton Abbey.
He is basically the go to guy for any Russian character in anything made in the UK. He was the lead Russian in Val Kilmer's The Saint back in the 90s even!
posted by biffa at 3:11 AM on February 1
He is basically the go to guy for any Russian character in anything made in the UK. He was the lead Russian in Val Kilmer's The Saint back in the 90s even!
posted by biffa at 3:11 AM on February 1
I liked this season a lot more than the first. That's partially on me as I watched it in much more of a binge format, but I though the story was a bit more compelling than the first one, which I felt dragged a bit - basically I got bored with the group of kidnappers early in series one.
Odd choice to park Cartwright up north away from everyone else.
More out west than up north.
posted by biffa at 3:55 AM on February 1
Odd choice to park Cartwright up north away from everyone else.
More out west than up north.
posted by biffa at 3:55 AM on February 1
Looking forward to season 3, it got a lot of buzz among my friends. But maybe I'll take a little break first.
Its very bingeable. I started it on Tuesday, its taken a lot of discipline not to go back and finish it this evening, only managed it as I have a deadline to hit.
posted by biffa at 4:20 PM on February 1
Its very bingeable. I started it on Tuesday, its taken a lot of discipline not to go back and finish it this evening, only managed it as I have a deadline to hit.
posted by biffa at 4:20 PM on February 1
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posted by computech_apolloniajames at 12:03 PM on December 10, 2022 [1 favorite]