Just binged 'Slow Horses' on Apple TV+ and it's a total mess in the best way

I started watching Slow Horses last Tuesday after my mom kept bugging me about it (she has weird taste usually), and I binged all 6 episodes of season 1 in one night. The main character is this grumpy old spy stuck in a dead-end office, and it's so slow and boring at first that I almost quit after 20 minutes. But then something happens around episode 3 that flips everything, and now I can't stop thinking about that twist with the fake kidnapping in London. Has anyone else hit a show that sucked you in after a rough start?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanef341mo ago

Read a review saying Gary Oldman looks like he hasn't showered in a week which fits the character perfect.

hugos461mo ago

Is it just me or does that kind of gritty realism actually make a show way better than some polished Hollywood look? Reminds me of how most people I know look rough after a long week at work, not like they just stepped out of a salon. That's why I respect actors who lean into the mess instead of trying to be perfect all the time.

the_anthony1mo ago

Yeah it's funny because that's actually part of the appeal. The guy's supposed to be a washed up, chain smoking drunk who doesn't care about anything except the case. If he showed up looking like a GQ model it would ruin the whole thing. I heard Oldman actually lost a bunch of weight and lived off cigarettes and booze for a few months to get into the headspace. The bags under his eyes aren't makeup either, pretty sure he just didn't sleep for a week straight. Honestly that level of commitment is why he's one of the best working today.