SLOW HORSES (2022 - )

Hype, good initial reviews, rising viewership numbers; we’ve all fallen for hot new streamer buzz.  Just beware of sophomore slump; not Season Two sophomore slump; Episode Two sophomore slump.  Not here, instead a simple but sturdy set-up as rival MI-5 spies, playing in the same league for the same team (think Major Leaguers against their own Double-A farm team) tackle the same case.  And who’s not going to root for the underpaid, underfunded, misunderstood underdogs of ‘Slough House’ (i.e. ‘Slow Horses’) to beat the toffs with their bespoke suits and perfect hair back at Main Headquarters?  That’s the drift of things in this tasty show.  With Gary Oldman perfect as gruff Papa Bear to his grumpy ill-served, poorly-dressed employees; fallen agents with major goofs in their file (whether their fault or no), transferred to the tenement office spaces of Slough House in hope of some day returning to Main Headquarters.  Only Oldman preferring the low profile/low-wattage assignments at Slough House.  (Literally low-wattage per the hall lighting.)  It's also a way to keep some distance from boss-lady Kristin Scott Thomas and her A-Team of deplorables who fumble the ball in spite of sparkling environs and every techno-advantage.  So even when Slow Horses beat them, Thomas and her team of sharks (in looks & demeanor) know how to PhotoShop any photo-finish to take credit & victory laps.  From a series of novels by Mick Herron, director James Hawes & writer Will Smith (the latter of THE THICK OF IT/VEEP) got the ball rolling and, so far, it's only going from strength to strength.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK:  Oldman played this ‘straight’ in TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY/’11 which by rights should be called TINKER TAILOR as the film had only enough running time to suss out two of four possible traitors from the John le Carré classic.  For all four suspects, there’s the original seven-parter with Alec Guinness (1979) that in hindsight likely gave rise to the modern streamer.    https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2012/06/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-1979.html