# Slow Horses (careful about spoilers, please) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [December 7, 2023, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207 "2023-12-07T00:55:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/61 "2025-10-10T17:36:29Z")
I get waiting a day after airing, did blur, and there may not _be_ too much interest in discussing this season, but if someone goes into a thread that is there to discuss a show that is airing weekly, they really can’t expect that people will blur all discussion about the plot. The etiquette is arguably different for a show that drops all at once. I’ve been confused about what is proper there. I do see that the OP @Darren_Garrison had given a “Probably better to keep them hidden, in case this thread attracts new viewers” back in ‘23 when the show was pretty new … but this far along? Not realistic or fair to any who both are watching and _do_ want to discuss. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/62 "2025-10-10T18:23:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How did he not realize he was getting played? IMO, because his mind desperately, _desperately_ doesn’t want to realize it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/63 "2025-10-10T19:05:53Z")
The premise of the whole show is that each of the horses suffer a particular deficit in their decision making skills. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/64 "2025-10-10T20:03:52Z")
That’s true. They are not the best of the best within MI5. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2025, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/65 "2025-10-11T21:50:55Z")
I’m waiting for all episodes to drop. I watch this show for the characters, not necessarily the plot which usually I cannot follow! Esp series 4 which I still don’t get even after reading about it multiple times. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/66 "2025-10-15T03:12:40Z")
Okay, that _Final Destination_ Rube Goldberg device in episode 4 came out of nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/67 "2025-10-15T07:55:32Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > River casually hitting a dog in the head full force with a fire extinguisher and shrugging when that much force and risk of life threatening injury was clearly not needed? Played for the laugh but he is not clueless in that way as a character. It already been established that River has not been in a good place lately, after last season’s revelations about his family, and the slow loss of his grandfather. One of his teammates accused him of “transforming himself into a super-soldier”; casual violence seems par for the course. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/68 "2025-10-16T12:16:18Z")
Well that was unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/69 "2025-10-16T12:41:43Z")
I thought it was _hilarious_. Rube Goldberg would have been impressed. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/70 "2025-10-16T13:13:09Z")
Oh I agree. It reminded me of the high school keg of nails physics problem. But still unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/71 "2025-10-16T13:18:15Z")
It was cartoon contrived funny. And sad that this show is now at a point where cartoon contrived funny is its high point. Previous seasons I was eagerly awaiting each next episode. Now happen to see that a new ep dropped but could easily give up on it if some other show piques my interest (and isn’t being saved to watch together with my wife at some point). Ah well. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/72 "2025-10-16T13:52:20Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > It was cartoon contrived funny. And sad that this show is now at a point where cartoon contrived funny is its high point. I see that the accident was in the source novel (which I haven’t read) but he simply directly bumped the can with his foot. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/73 "2025-10-22T14:43:27Z")
I liked episode five probably the most of this season so far. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/74 "2025-10-22T16:41:45Z")
Agreed! I mean the twist that Tara was completely playing Whelan and Flyte was pretty obvious from word go but it was still fun getting there. Fun enough that contrived things don’t bother as much. And some fun lines too. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/75 "2025-10-22T22:58:32Z")
So Tara was the mastermind behind the criminal conspiracy? And I’m going to re-watch the episode but I’m not sure how she was aware that the malware succeeded to shut down the agency. And idiotic of Claude Whelan (MI5 first desk) to let her know about the tracker in the jacket. BTW, Apple TV (no longer Apple TV+) has a new show called _[Down Cemetery Road](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Cemetery_Road)_, based on a novel by Mick Herron, who wrote the Slough House novels. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/76 "2025-10-23T09:14:38Z")
Thank goodness that 20 foot wide outdoor parking lot TV was tuned to the right channel. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/77 "2025-10-23T11:13:58Z")
Didn’t MI5 learn not to run suspicious malware on their own systems after that incident [13 years ago](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1074638/)? ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/78 "2025-10-23T11:32:04Z")
That was MI6. They rarely talk to each other. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/79 "2025-10-23T11:34:29Z")
So MI5 is domestic security, while MI6 is international? If Lamb is MI5, what was he doing in Berlin back in the day? ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/80 "2025-10-23T11:50:31Z")
Good question. But the lines have always been a little bit blurry and even more so during the Cold War. If the Soviets/East Germans were planning something on mainland Britain, is that domestic or international? So I could see MI5 keeping an eye on things in Berlin during that time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207.md?page=5)