Lessons in espionage: a review of the second season of the series "Slow Horses"
The return of one of Britain's most exciting spy series.
In the second season of the year, the "Slow Horses" team investigates the mysterious murder of a former operative. The trail leads to the KGB: Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) gradually realizes that the mythical Soviet intelligence agent Popov may be behind the crimes. The stakes are higher than ever - Lamb's underlings will have to temporarily come out of disgrace and take an active part in uncovering the plot.
The adaptation of Mick Herron's literary series continued with Dead Lions, the unofficial name of the second season of Slow Horses. The Apple TV+ show that started in April and the author of "The Vice President" and "The Adventures of Paddington" Will Smith (not to be confused with his famous namesake and slapstick peddler) benefited from the short break and seriously added to the suspense, polishing off the intrigue and dodging the "binge cranberries". There are plenty of chances for the latter in the new series, since the action is tied to the Russian secret services and their undercover agents. Who better than Slough House, a haven for disgraced British MI5 graduates, to take on the impossible mission of saving the state and international relations? The strange game from the Mick Jagger song on the splash page continues on a grand scale.
The season begins with the death of a Cold War-era British spy who ceased activities after the fall of the Berlin Wall. A police report suggests cardiac arrest, but Lamb decides to check the murder story and discovers a cipher on the dead man's phone: the word "Cicadas," referring to a semi-real group from the Soviet Union, the existence of which even the most hardened agents hardly believe. But what exactly did the Cicadas want in the heart of Britain, and what does the arrival of the opposition-minded oligarch Nevsky have to do with it?
"Horses" continues to speak in a language of fascinating nostalgia that suggests no evolution, but is fresh to a recognizable formula and is actively memorable for just that. Oldman as the head of the delinquent operatives conquers space with his greasy presence, holey socks and Chinese noodles that smell all over the car. In the new episodes, Lamb has softened up a bit to the Slough House employees, allowing them to come out fighting on their own from different sides, but the sarcastic remarks and straightforward insults still hold sway. Returning to the role of Agent Rivera Cartwright is Jack Lowden, whose good looks perfectly accompany on-screen charisma and not-so-successful undercover work.
All six episodes were expertly directed by Jeremy Lavering, who worked as Edgar Wright's assistant and partly directed "Sherlock. "Horses" added a lot to the intense action and backstabbing, reminiscent of the best work of the late master of the spy novel, John Le Carré. The series adapts topical realities and reminds us of the value of coordinated teamwork, urging us to ignore differences, arrogance, traumatic pasts and other stumbling blocks in a ruthless and often poisoned by hatred world. There are at least two seasons ahead, all to keep Oldman from retiring (the actor himself recently admitted that only "Horses" keeps him afloat). Sounds about right, Comrade Lamb.
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