Slow Horses season 5 has already been hailed as one of the best entries for the series, but it also marks a pivotal time in the show's run.
Starting in 2022, the spy thriller series has continued to grow with each new season, earning more acclaim and fans. The spy series, which looks at the misfit agents of MI5, has become one of the best shows on Apple TV+.
The fifth season recently concluded, and while there is more Slow Horses confirmed, there will be a major change going forward. Before season 5 aired, it was announced that it would be the last with showrunner Will Smith at the helm. Along with creating the show, Smith has also been the writer on a majority of the episodes.
Apple TV+ is clearly still confident in the show working without Smith, as two more seasons have been ordered. The finale of season 5, which Smith also wrote, ends in a way that promises much more to come. However, Smith also did include something special in the final scene that works as a fitting conclusion to his work on the show.
The final reveal of Slow Horses season 5 serves as a subtle farewell from Smith
One of the best moments from Slow Horses season 5 comes in the final shot. In an earlier episode in the season, Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) tells a story to his captors about an agent who was tortured by the KGB. After the agent was brutally beaten and had his feet burnt, the KGB brought in his secret lover and tortured her to get the information out, killing her in the process.
Fitting the wily nature of Lamb, he tells his fellow Slow Horses that the story was made up as a distraction in the moment. However, the final moment of season 5 shows burn scars on the bottom of his feet, revealing that the story was true and that Lamb was the tortured agent. It is the most revealing moment the show has given us about its protagonist.
Throughout the series, Lamb has been an entertainingly grumpy and slobbish character whom we love despite his many faults. He is brash and even cruel at times, but he wins us over with his underestimated intelligence, his wit, and his genuine protective nature towards his agents. However, this reveals a lot more about him.
Lamb's story is a confession of sorts, even though he never intends for anyone to know it's about himself. He reveals that there was someone he loved and lost. It is a pain that clearly still stays with him and could be the reason he is such a miserable person now. It also helps to explain why he is so protective of the agents that he doesn't seem to like at all.
Smith has long avoided revealing too much about Lamb's past, let alone his personal life. It wasn't necessary as the character works best as a bit of an enigma for the audience. However, with Smith leaving the show, he must have felt that, while Lamb will continue without him, he could give the audience some insight into this character that changes him going forward.
How will Slow Horse do without Will Smith?
Slow Horse is hardly the first hit series to change its showrunner while still on the air. Indeed, it is a fairly standard practice in television. However, it is hard not to think of shows that suffered greatly when they switched showrunners, like Dexter and Community.
There are certainly examples that show the opposite, with new showrunners improving a series. Even so, it is understandable for fans to be concerned as Smith seemed to be so locked into the specific tone and humor of Slow Horses. With no new showrunner announced, it will be a difficult balance of comedy and thrills for the new boss to achieve.
The final reveal about Jackson Lamb will serve as an interesting test for the new showrunner. It offers a new side of Lamb, one that is more tragic and vulnerable, to be explored. However, that is also something that Slow Horses likely would never have explored in the past, so should it be addressed further? So long as the tone is kept tight and the wonderful characters are still served, there is no reason Slow Horses shouldn't continue to be one of the best shows on television.
Stay tuned for more news about the Slow Horses season 6!