New music from Bob Mould: Here We Go Crazy! I like it!

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So I mentioned that I just finished watching Slow Horses, which so far has 4 seasons of 6 episodes each on Apple TV, with 2 more seasons coming. It stars Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, a super gross old master spy who's been put out to pasture at Slough House instead of retiring. He's in charge of a bunch of screw-ups who have also chosen not to quit, in the hope that someday they may be able to get back to "the Park," i.e., MI5 HQ in London, instead of the ratty old offices at Slough House. We are introduced to Slough House when River Cartwright, an MI5 nepo baby, screws up and gets turfed out to the slow horses. He is such a dumbass and I love him.

Other fantastic characters include Catherine Standish, Lamb's PA, who used to be the PA to the head of MI5 and who is an alcoholic (and Lamb never lets her forget it because he is awful; there is some compassion beneath that awfulness, but there's so much gross crustiness to chip away at to get to it); Louisa Guy, who is mostly competent and probably shouldn't be in Slough House; Diana Taverner, played by Kristin Scott Thomas in ice queen mode, and Sophie Okenedo as her boss. In season 4, we also get James Callis as the most useless bureaucrat Taverner has to deal with, and Hugo Weaving in a guest role.

There is a lot of violence (some of which requires major suspension of disbelief) and quite a bit of morally questionable decision-making, but all leavened with a lot of humor, some fun spycraft, and burgeoning teaminess amongst the slow horses. I recommend it, and I think I might watch it again.

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