Slow Horses Season 6 Episode 1 Review: An Ominous Start to a New Season

On Slow Horses Season 6 Episode 1, “Circle of Life,” we are reunited with the dysfunctional bunch of spies we’ve come to know and love. It’s a typical first episode of a new season where the new case/mystery is teased slightly. 

This time around, the case is introduced to us (and Lamb) through Flyte, which is unexpected.

She has either grown to love Slough House or is actually good at her job and recognizes that Struan Loy’s death is something that should be brought to Lamb’s attention. Either way, it adds a layer to the always fraught relationship between Slough House and the Park.

And, unfortunately for Flyte, she’s likely just put her own relationship with Diana in jeopardy. Diana will not respond well to learning that Flyte went ahead and told Lamb. Seeing as how Flyte is essentially Diana’s right hand at the Park, a division between the two of them won’t bode well for either, but what comes from it could be entertaining for us to watch.

We spend some time with the bad guys as they kill Struan Loy and another slow horse. Following the bad guys around isn’t my favorite thing to do, and it is one that Slow Horses has struggled to handle in the past — it did not work out well during Slow Horses Season 1.

However, so far, their presence has been a benefit. Spending time with them during “Circle of Life” confirms that Lamb’s theory is correct and someone is targeting slow horses. Their presence also creates some suspense when the killers name River as their next target.

If Slow Horses continues to use them wisely, then it won’t be such a bad thing if we see them pop up for a couple of minutes each episode as they attack another slow horse.

As if all this isn’t enough, River’s dear old dad swings by the funeral for a visit. He claims it is to see if River’s mom showed up, which could very well be true, but he’s more than likely got an ulterior motive.

Hopefully, he’s tied into whatever mess Slough House has found themselves in because otherwise adding mystery/bad guy might be too much for the six-episode season to juggle.

Slow Horses typically balances its seasons well, so my money is on Frank being involved or somehow also targeting the people who are after our beloved slow horses.

Considering Frank runs a group of trained assassins, it would not be surprising if his group was hired to take out slow horses and/or he is a rival group to whoever took the job. There are a lot of possibilities, and another source of pain/turmoil for River would keep things interesting (for us, not River).

Overall, this is a solid start to another season of Slow Horses. As the trailer has already revealed, we’ll be seeing some familiar faces this season, and I, for one, cannot wait. 

Stray Thoughts

• River’s dumb decision of the week: jumping on top of his father’s car as it drives away. What exactly was the goal there, River?
• Shirley and Coe going to the funeral but refusing to step inside is very on brand for them.
• I love that Lamb picks River to go on a field trip with. River’s his go-to guy, which I am sure Lamb isn’t exactly thrilled about.
• “Grief, River, is merely the shadow of love.” Look at Roddy, saying something actually nice/helpful.

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Slow Horses releases new episodes on Wednesdays on Apple TV.

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