# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2025, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/121 "2025-11-15T01:31:37Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > It seems plausible to me in the setting that the show has established. The entire run of the show has shown the Yard to be a bureaucratic organization most concerned with image, appearance, and internal fiefdoms that ignores credible threats or data at the expense of protecting optics. Using public office for personal gain. That’s how I’d describe it in a nutshell. And even Taverner is guilty. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2025, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/122 "2025-11-15T03:30:01Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I found it annoying that the plot relied - multiple times - on prominent political figures having no personal security during a crisis. I love this show, but I might have actually audibly groaned during the scene at the rally before Nate was about to give his speech where the top bad guy talks his way past security with just the lamest of excuses and in a completely unconvincing manner. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2025, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/123 "2025-11-15T04:09:16Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > before Nate was about to give his speech It’s funny, I thought of him as Nate too while we watched. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2025, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/124 "2025-11-15T04:18:28Z")
He’s a wonder kid. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2025, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/125 "2025-11-15T09:27:58Z")
Yeah, the bad guys’ evil plan is less impressive when it’s predicated on everyone else being complete idiots. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/126 "2025-11-15T13:32:05Z")
Thank you! Honestly, I don’t see how the plan was supposed to destabilize anything, or why anyone would GAS over the head of MI5 being shit while jogging. This seems like run of the mill “shit happens” to me. It’s within an order of magnitude of Butters’ plan, as Professor Chaos, to drown the world by leaving a garden hose running. Spoiler altert: it didn’t work. Overall, the season was fine, but the formula is becoming too predictable. Have a fairly straight forward “crisis” situation introduced early on, then somewhere around the end of episode 4 introduce a “twist” that throws everything off kilter and ramps up the stakes. Here, the twist wasn’t all that much of a twist, and as I said the stakes didn’t strike me as being all that high. ETA: Honestly, I was waiting/hoping for the twist to be that this whole cookie-cutter destabilization plan is obviously stupid and Lamb is just endorsing it while he positions the pieces to face what’s really going on so he can have a good laugh over his minions thinking that something as minor as an average day of London traffic and a mayoral candidate or two meeting untimely ends (but in one case at least, hardly unfortunate—here I refer to the White Supremacist candidate) could really destabilize a whole nation if you just blow up some penguins on top of it. Flipping ridiculous! ---
**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:** [November 15, 2025, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/127 "2025-11-15T16:12:22Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > being shit while jogging I donno, sounds like it would get a lot of press. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/128 "2025-11-15T16:21:30Z")
Never mind, got the plot points confused. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/129 "2025-11-15T20:23:54Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > > > being shit while jogging > > I donno, sounds like it would get a lot of press. Hmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/130 "2026-03-31T03:05:16Z")
Reviving this for two reasons: 1. I just bought the 5-season DVD set, nearing the end of season 1. Enjoying it so far, although at some points the twists seem a bit predictable. Just an observation. I have read most or all the books the series is apparently based on, but I tend not to remember details. I really like most of the acting and casting. The nut-job member of Sons of Albion is really good, he terrifies me. b) IMDb has slots for two more seasons, 6 and 7, but no dates or details, except that it says that season 6 is due to air in 2026. Is there more precise information elsewhere, especially about dates? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/131 "2026-03-31T04:05:15Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Is there more precise information elsewhere, especially about dates? Gary Oldman said season 6 filming wrapped last fall, and 7 was supposed to start filming at the end of October. I haven’t seen confirmation if it actually did. Given previous season schedules, this would put the season 6 release in September or October this year, and season 7 sometime in 2027. But there are no official announcements, just guesses. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2026, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/132 "2026-03-31T04:34:14Z")
All I know is that new seasons of _Slow Horses_ rotate in a lot faster than other shows on Apple TV. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2026, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/133 "2026-03-31T09:45:58Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I just bought the 5-season DVD set, nearing the end of season 1. I’m a little surprised that the show was released on DVD. I didn’t think that was still done. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/134 "2026-03-31T14:39:01Z")
I only found these available from another country, and I suppose it’s possible that it’s not authorized. So far the episodes seem to be complete, including opening and closing credits (and credit music that is way too loud). > [@TroutMan](#): > > this would put the season 6 release in September or October Good, I was worried that I wouldn’t be finished watching seasons 1-5 (at one episode per day) before the new season started. Now I just have to figure out how to watch new episodes without signing up for Apple TV. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/135 "2026-04-01T02:45:19Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I only found these available from another country, and I suppose it’s possible that it’s not authorized. Yeah I think what you have is a bootleg, not just a region-specific release. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/136 "2026-04-01T08:02:22Z")
I can’t tell, and I’ve held it in my hands, but then I’m no expert. Is there something I should look for on the cover or the print job on the DVDs themselves that would give a bootleg away? I just checked again, and found two vendors in the US that are carrying multiple copies. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2026, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/137 "2026-04-01T10:14:06Z")
Why not instead just subscribe to the streaming service for a month? That might have been cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/138 "2026-04-01T13:21:53Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I can’t tell, and I’ve held it in my hands, but then I’m no expert. Is there something I should look for on the cover or the print job on the DVDs themselves that would give a bootleg away? Misspellings or blurry/low res/amateur-looking cover art would be a good indication it’s a bootleg. If it’s a region-free DVD that could be a sign too. The underside of the disc should be silvery in color, not gold or something else. Also on the underside, if you can see a burn ring, that means the disc was burned and not pressed. None of that is definitive, but those are things to look out for. Some other evidence is that there doesn’t seem to have been a press release or any kind of coverage of the show being released to DVD. A popular show like Slow Horses would get a fair amount of articles written about it coming to physical media. Also, season 5 only recently concluded a few months ago, so it’s unlikely they would release it on DVD so quickly. It’s taken much longer for other big name Apple TV shows to come to DVD/Blu-ray, at least. And if you check [justwatch.com](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/slow-horses) or [bluray.com](https://www.blu-ray.com/Slow-Horses/1553625/), neither site says it’s available on DVD/BR. Those sites are fairly reliable and up to date for that kind of information. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/139 "2026-04-01T15:47:27Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Misspellings or blurry/low res/amateur-looking cover art would be a good indication it’s a bootleg. If it’s a region-free DVD that could be a sign too. The underside of the disc should be silvery in color, not gold or something else. Also on the underside, if you can see a burn ring, that means the disc was burned and not pressed. None of that is definitive, but those are things to look out for. None of these are the case; although I’m not sure what a burn ring looks like, the silver backs of the DVDs are not marked in any unusual way. There is a disclaimer on the box and the cover (which are identical) that this copy is authorized for sale or rental only in the US and Canada. There is a bar code on the box, 97574 76681, if that is a useful indication of anything. There is a piece of foam inside between seasons 4 and 5, I think because there is an uneven number of seasons and the back of the season 4 insert is empty, and the foam keeps it from rattling or causing damage. > [@zbuzz](#): > > if you check [justwatch.com](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/slow-horses) Here is what that site says: ## “Slow Horses - watch online: streaming, buy or rent “Currently you are able to watch “Slow Horses” streaming on Apple TV, Apple TV Amazon Channel. “There aren’t any free streaming options for Slow Horses right now. If you want know when it is streaming for free, click ‘Free’ in the filters above and hit the notification bell.” It doesn’t say anything about DVDs, one way or the other. I’m not familiar with this site, so I don’t know what it would say if there were authorized DVDs available. The site seems to be focused (mainly, at least) on streaming. I didn’t check the other site because these are not Blu-Ray versions. In summary, these appear to be a professionally made, high-quality product. That doesn’t guarantee that they are authorized, but they don’t meet any of the physical criteria you provided for a bootleg product. Just for grins, I asked Duck Duck Go’s Duck.ai whether there are any authorized DVDs for this show, and they reference Blockbuster UK, and when I click on the link it shows the identical set, advertised as USA Region 1 Import. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207/140 "2026-04-01T15:49:58Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > All I know is that new seasons of _Slow Horses_ rotate in a lot faster than other shows on Apple TV. Each season of this show ends with clips of the next season, so it appears that the next season is filmed before the current season completes airing. That might explain the short gap between seasons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-horses-careful-about-spoilers-please/994207.md?page=8)