Posted in: Apple, BBC, Current News, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: doctor who, Slow Horses

Slow Horses is Pretty Much "Doctor Who for Grumpy Grownups" Now

At this point, we can't help but look at Apple TV+'s Sir Gary Oldman-starring Slow Horses as "Doctor Who for grumpy grownups." Here's why...

Yes, it's true – Slow Horses is pretty much Doctor Who for grumpy grownups. Seriously. And Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) is the Doctor for grump grownups. Do we really have to say "grumpy grownups"? We can just say "British people", right? Except Slow Horses is a hit, or at least as much of a hit as an Apple TV+ series can be. It's now in its five season with a sixth and seventh greenlit and set to go into production. It seems set to run and run, just like Doctor Who has, barring the occasional hiatus. You might think we're just trolling here, but some points make Slow Horses not that different from Doctor Who. Hear us out.

Jackson Lamb IS The Doctor! Look! He has an Ice Cream Cone!

Like Doctor Who, Slow Horses is about a rundown old house where a bunch of do-gooders of variable competence try to save the world, only for their leader, a grumpy and antisocial but hypercompetent asshole, to step in and set everything right. And all he did was sit back and think everything through and work out exactly who was behind all the bad things happening. That's a common framework for many British adventure stories. The British like their heroes flawed and messy, after all. These two shows are essentially the same in that respect (maybe it helps that Slow Horses has been a coherent vision from author Mick Herron from the start). Jackson Lamb is a grumpy, divorced grown-up's idea of The Doctor… and a lot smellier… and alcoholic. Otherwise, he's the same archetype of the hero who dances to his own tune and doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. Slough House is Lamb's TARDIS, even if it looks smaller on the inside, but it's no less of a maze. Like the TARDIS, it's static point in time, forever frozen in dysfunction. The broken spooks of Slough Horse are his companions, no matter how much he insults them, but they have nowhere else to go. None of them is normal. They're all broken and don't really fit in society, which is what makes them fit to be the companions and sidekicks. 

You could also say that Slow Horses is, in its own way, also Science Fiction since it is in no way an accurate depiction of the intelligence services. However, real-life members of the profession and community praise the series for accurately depicting what it feels like to be a spy in the present day rather than the glamorous fantasy of James Bond. Doctor Who is supposed to be for kids, and Slow Horses is more R-rated with its sweary violence, but when you think about the latter, Doctor Who is really no less violent than Slow Horses. If anything, Doctor Who might have a bigger body count.

Both Doctor Who and "Slough House" are defiantly, gleefully British and messy. They both revel in that messiness, practically declaring they're not the slick, pretty show whose stars are winners like American shows. British shows like to celebrate the fact that they're messed up and dysfunctional, but are more fun and engaging, and get the job done better, and are funnier for it. So if you're missing Doctor Who, you might as well watch Slow Horses. After all, if you're new to it, there are now six whole seasons to discover. They've gotten better reviews than Doctor Who has lately.

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