So after a week in London and no sniff of any filming locations after recent reports I spotted these at Lincoln’s Inn today and am hoping Tom Cruise or someone is in town and I’m not going to miss anything else more interesting!

Just finished watching the show for the first time and had to work out the fangirl energy somehow. Haven't loved a series this much in a long time. The writing! The snark! The feet! River being a hot mess! Is it September yet??

I live in the north east US. I was at the store and walked down the European aisle and saw them. So, I just had to try them. Thumbs up from me. They’re addicting. I’ve almost finished them in the time it took me to write this.

Just started watching Criminal Records, and wondered if there would ever be a cross over with Slow Horses, and this guy shows up. Min… what happened mate…

I know this was posted about five hours ago but thought this poster I saw warranted another post about it!

Wasn’t interested tbh until I saw that Christopher Chung was going to be in it. He looks kinda fine, ngl.

This will be old hat to many of you, but Slow Horses is a recent delightful discovery for us.

When River meets Lamb at the Chinese restaurant, Gary Oldman really hams up how revolting an eater Lamb is. Did Jack Lowden break character for a moment? I saw a twinkle in his eye that didn't feel like River.

I have never seen Gary Oldman to be less than excellent as long as the writing is good, and he's decent even when writing is poor and/or the character is thin. But his Jackson Lamb is amazing. Such a horrible person but Oldman makes him engaging.

He features at 1:00 and 1:35-1:50. Looking good, Roddy!

Just started Clown Town. I’m cracking up at the image of Standish haranguing Dander into writing an apology email to the folks at the SAN for the havoc she was at the center of (she certainly didn’t cause it) at the end of Bad Actors. I’ll also add I was relieved Dander survived that fight with the guy with a knife- I was concerned, in light of what happened to Coe in Joe Country, that she might’ve met the same fate.

Just finished S5 - what a fucking great show (and yes I will order the books)

That being said.. the feet 🥲

The premise that Roddy can’t POSSIBLY have a girlfriend, never mind an attractive one, is essential to the plot of the last series of Slow Horses. “Roddy’s not anyone’s type”, “Better to be in jail than dating Roddy Ho” etc. This got to me more than it should have.

Truly feel a bit sorry for Roddy - yeah yeah he’s just a character and a very annoying one at that but still! See I was that loser kid at high school (I even look slightly like a female Roddy!) where I was ugly and cringe and unfunny. I'm not saying I'm anything like Roddy, but I had the AUDACITY to ask out a guy in my year when I was about 15 despite being a billy-no-mates who people bullied, laughed at, disliked or all of the above. The next day the entire year was laughing at me because the very IDEA that I’d even get a date was risible!

I’ve worked on myself since and I’m in a healthy happy stable relationship, at heart I’m still that awkward kid though and this whole series was kinda hard to watch because of how Roddy was portrayed as too intolerable to get a sniff of a date, let alone a girlfriend. 

I know this is about incels and I’m sure the ackchyually crowd will tell me I totally missed the point here but there’s someone out there for everyone, even Roddy right?!?

I just finished s1! This show is awesome! I found it with my parents and we throughly enjoy it all.

I throughly enjoyed how each chrachter is layed out and how all of them kind of have their own storry and of course how there's still a lot about each chrachter we don't know. Like even "Larry", he's mentioned he has a daughter. Does it matter in the end? No, but it shows some depth. Even zeppo was intersting.... and finally I feel for Struan who just wanted to play trivia with his coworkers.

Questions I have (if their answered in the rest of the show just say keep watching and i happily will: (Spoilers)

Why is Louisa in slough house? Is it ever explained in s1? Did i miss something?

Standish is in slough house... for being the Personal Assistant of Charles? Who lamb shot (seems to be that Lamb and Rivers grandfather orchestrated it)? A bit confused but probally explained later if i had to guess.

Duffy planted that gun evidence... and then just shoved Hobden in broad daylight... he really doesn't give a shit and just does whatever is ordered of him. He knows a lot, and doesn't question orders... This could be "bad" for Diana later. I guess no question here just overall thought on the chrachter. SIDE note: WHY DON't YOU CHECK THE TRUNK LOL when lamb comes in lol.

Overall thoughts on why each member is in slough house (higher number is my factor of cool?):

River: He's in here cause he photographed Tavener and Alan Black having a chat because of that she tells webb to feed false info and get rid of him at slough house... 9/10 cool... your the reason why this series is here lol

Sid She better not be dead I know she isn't... surly. Is in slough house soley to keep tabs on river. 10/10. You weren't sent there for something you did bad.

Lamb: seems like he volunteered to go there based off his last inetraction. Probally felt a lot of guilt after killing charles. Went there willingly? idk 9/10

Roddy:Cool tech guy... terrible person... no one really fully likes you even if your quite impressive... 3/10 for being in there... you could be kind and then your still in the park.

Struan: Bruh.... what is this reason.. but if you hadn't made that comment on the dirrector looking ... you would be still in the park but still cool factor is none existent. idk 1/10. not cool at all Now in the wilderness... does this mean hes gone :( I want him to play trivia.

Min:YOU LEFT A file... on public transport oh my... welp... coolness yeah hopefully not. i guess 2/10.. but your also in general very incompetent but i did like his ending of s1 where he was first to rush to Curlys area so they wouldnt immeaditly shoot him so he could go on trial...was it maybe stupid? maybe.. but yes.

Standish & Louissa: Havent been explained have they? so... idk i cant rate

I spend more time than I like to admit wondering what podcasts Coe listens to.

I don’t think it’s current events or history - his analysis would be more incisive than any host. He doesn’t seem like a comedy guy or a true crime guy.

Sports? maybe snooker or darts?

Maybe something super low key and against type. Things Bakers Know (the King Arthur Flour baking podcast). Gardeners World.

What do you think he’s listening to?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNlMtqrYS0&list=RDtbNlMtqrYS0&start_radio=1

In season 2, River goes for a private security job which he doesn’t get. He says to his grandfather that the interviewers only seemed interested in stories about Lamb.

But then why did they call for references? They called Lamb for a reference and the director called David Cartwright for more information.

So why didn’t River get the job? Louisa tells Min that Lamb gave him a great reference.

Maybe it’s better explained in the books? But I’m curious what happened there?

Just rewatched Season 1 again. My view of Diana Taverner was changed after watching the final episode. She was quite willing to have the members of the far right group killed without any legal process. Then seeing Robert Hobden being killed in a manner to can only be described as an assassination, it made me realise just how vicious she really is. Where does she draw the line? I think there is real scope for exploring the darker side of this characters personality and morals.

I like both shows individually for different reasons but the tone is very close in both. If a season of the Diplomat ended with Kate Wyler walking into her office to see Jackson Lamb sitting on her couch with a gross smile...."i heard you have a job for me...farrrt" and fade to black. That might be great...maybe not. Thoughts? The Agency also seems to swim in the same circles and could be good for a cameo or crossover.

I've been rewatching 24 (my favorite show of all time) and I realized that my most recent favorite TV show, "Slow Horses" is the closest thing to 24 that anyone's made in twenty years.

Look at what 24 actually is under the clock:

1. A field team doing the wet work
2. An inner office eating itself alive with politics
3. A political tier scheming above the fray
4. Convergence — the moment those orbits slam together and the season detonates

That's Slow Horses too.

Now, of course the shows are very different, and Slow Horses has a satirical tone to it that 24 meets with seriousness. It is also much more of an ensemble, whereas Jack Bauer really carries the load in 24. But if anyone has watched both shows and agrees, would love to hear.

I’d absolutely love a prequel series set during the Cold War, with Jackson Lamb in his prime doing all the dirty work that only gets hinted at.

It would also be great to see David Cartwright at the height of his career, including missions like rescuing his daughter, and to watch Charles Partner’s gradual descent into becoming a Soviet traitor rather than just hearing about it after the fact.

There seems to be so much history between Lamb, Cartwright, Partner, and the old guard that could make for incredible tv.

(Loose spoiler, tagged for London Rules reasons) I’ve watched the whole series so far, and have just started reading Dead Lions (so I’m sure there’s worse to come), but wow Lamb and Ho are AWFUL! Ho’s destruction of the man who beeped at him at a zebra crossing was beyond savage, and Lamb is about 50 times more xenophobic, sexist, racist, and more ‘ists’ that I’m too hot to think of right now 🤣

Loving having more of an insight into Ho’s inner monologue though (and I love that in Dead Lions he ponders on why he doesn’t LIKE Standish, but doesn’t have anything he DISLIKES about her. And he allows her to call him Roddy (after telling River to never call him that).

So I finally got around to watching Slow Horses and... why did nobody tell me this was one of the best things on TV right now?

Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb is an absolute masterclass. The man is disgusting, rude, farts constantly, and somehow still manages to be the smartest person in every single room. I don't know how they made a character this repulsive this magnetic, but here we are.

What really gets me is the tone. It's a spy thriller that's genuinely funny, genuinely sad, and genuinely tense, sometimes all in the same scene. Most shows can't pull off two of those, let alone three. And it doesn't feel the need to make its characters cool or competent all the time, which somehow makes the moments where they DO pull something off hit so much harder.

Also can we talk about how they're not afraid to just... kill people? Like actually significant characters? No plot armor here, which keeps every episode feeling like it actually matters. The finale had me yelling at my TV.

Anyway. Where does this rank for you all against other spy shows? And is the source material worth reading if I'm already caught up on the show?