The Prestige TV Podcast: 'Slow Horses' Season 5 Episodes 3-5 Breakdown

Date: October 22, 2025
Hosts: Joanna Robinson and Alan Sepinwall

Overview

In this episode, Joanna Robinson is joined by renowned TV critic Alan Sepinwall to break down episodes 3 through 5 of 'Slow Horses' Season 5. The conversation delves deep into character arcs, series structure, standout moments, and behind-the-scenes showrunner changes. Additionally, the hosts discuss the evolving identity and recent rebranding efforts of Apple TV, the show's home platform. The analysis is rich with spoilers up to episode 5, insights for book readers, and candid opinions on the show's formula and streaming industry trends.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. State of 'Slow Horses' and Showrunner Transition

Timestamp: 01:39 – 04:51

• Alan Sepinwall expresses confidence about the show's future despite showrunner Will Smith's upcoming departure, citing strong source material and established series architecture:
  • "The source material that McCarron wrote gives them enough of a roadmap that they should be in good shape, you know, once Will is gone." (04:06)
• Joanna and Alan agree that 'Slow Horses' is "one of the most reliable pleasures of the last few years."
  • Joanna marvels: "...they come out every year at the same time with episodes... How is this even possible in this, the year of our Lord 2025?" (04:48)

2. Watching and Recapping Habits

Timestamp: 04:51 – 06:10

• Alan typically binges the series, which he calls "so good and so pleasurable" that he made time to rewatch and recap on his newsletter (What's Alan Watching?).
  • He references the memorable "paint can" moment as particularly rewarding on rewatch.

3. Show Formula, Character Arc (Lamb/River) and Repetitiveness

Timestamp: 06:10 – 09:02

• Discussion of whether the core "screw-ups who succeed" formula is sustainable:
  • Alan likens it to classic procedurals: "Columbo never changed. A lot of characters who are great characters, who still hold up to this day, don't change very much." (08:16)
  • The show is self-aware about its own formula: "The finale does address this very question...I thought, okay, yeah, I buy that." (08:56)

4. Character Deep Dives

Jackson Lamb's Backstory

Timestamp: 09:02 – 10:51

• S5E3’s monologue gives more insight into Lamb through Gary Oldman’s layered performance:
  • "Every season, we peel back another layer on this particularly stinking onion..." (09:54)
  • Alan: "He can weaponize a fart and do that monologue in the same episode. Like, he's, you know, he's one of our best." (10:48)

River Cartwright: More Bumbling Than Ever

Timestamp: 10:51 – 14:51

• Joanna loves that Jack Lowden (River) "is willing to show up and be an absolute idiot."
• Alan on River: "Even if he was set up...he still wildly overreacted. And he does this all the time... He thinks he's James Bond. And he is not James Bond. You know, he's Mr. Bean." (12:25)
• Both agree River's lack of competent support (Louisa, Jonathan Pryce’s David) makes his ineptitude clearer.
  • Joanna: "He actually fits in with the Coe's and the Shirleys becomes more obvious..." (14:32)

Absence of Louisa and Supporting Characters

Timestamp: 14:59 – 17:08

• Alan notes Louisa's absence enhances the sense of a small, less competent team. He misses her character but sees story logic in her removal.
• Joanna points out the show’s willingness to shuffle—but not fully cut—recurring characters.

Standouts: Coe and Roddy Ho

Timestamp: 17:08 – 20:21

• Coe (Tom Brooke) praised for being "unhinged" and "meant to creep everyone around him out":
  • Alan: "Tom Brook has such an interesting look and screen presence...it's a perfect kind of match of actor and character." (18:08)
• Coe's psychological profiling of River and others is a highlight; Ho is "a genius with computers" but terrible otherwise.
• Recurring theme: Other "slow horses" regularly call out River's delusions.

Addressing the Morality of the "Paint Can" Death

Timestamp: 20:21 – 21:44

• Alan finds Ho’s hacking the MI5 systems more troubling than Gimbal’s death: "Compared to that Cohen Gimbal feels kind of small potatoes." (21:36)

5. Secondary Storylines and Character Handling

Timestamp: 21:44 – 26:59

• Jonathan Pryce’s David (River’s grandfather) delivers key exposition about the Tara honeytrap plot.
  • Joanna raves: "I would never not listen to the dementia ramblings of Jonathan Pryce, because he's always right..." (22:18)
• Discussion of how the show deploys recurring characters (Amali, Peter Judd) even after their main storylines end:
  • Alan: "I do like that they've. They keep their options open." (25:12)
• They lament the culling/absence of favorites but admire the world-building consistency.

6. The (Disappointing) Big Bad: Libyan Terrorists

Timestamp: 27:42 – 29:53

• S5’s switch from North Korean to Libyan villains called out for being generic and underdeveloped:
  • Joanna: "...they just become this, like, kind of homogenized stereotype thing that I feel a little weird about." (28:50)
  • Alan: "It's so vague who they're supposed to be that I'm kind of grasping at straws...definitely the one big misstep with this season..." (29:03)

7. Book Deviations and Fan Reactions

Timestamp: 29:53 – 30:57

• Book readers find the swap from North Korea to Libya geopolitically unintuitive. Both hosts await showrunner commentary on the change.

8. Highlights, Notable Quotes & Humorous Observations

• On the understated brilliance of James Callis as Claude Whelan:
  • Joanna: "...I just want to celebrate Claude's face when he finds out that Gimble is dead." (32:01)
  • Alan: "He's having so much fun and he is so much fun to watch and I'm really glad of it. Even though he's an idiot." (32:15)
• Emma Flight vs. her competence:
  • Alan: "Emma Flight's awesome. And then you keep watching this, he's like, no, no, she's just as bad as everybody else. She just looks better than they do." (33:49)
• On the comfort of formula:
  • Alan: "This is what TV used to be." (08:16)
• The "paint can" moment remains a recurring milestone in this season's discussions (multiple mentions).

Industry Tangent: Apple TV’s Identity & Rebrand

Timestamp: 35:24 – 51:11

Apple's Current Identity

• Joanna summarizes the platform as one with "a few of these sort of monoculture piercing moments and then just an avalanche of content that people aren’t even aware exists." (36:39)
• Alan observes Apple is “pouring just, you know, fortunes into these shows while also not necessarily, like you said, making people aware of them." (38:48)
• Both agree Apple often seeks "faces on a tile" over clear platform identity and likens Apple’s approach to Amazon’s “one-stop shop” model.

Rebranding Changes and Their Implications

• Discussion of the new name (Apple TV, dropping the Plus), bundling with Peacock, live sports play, and price hikes.
• Alan: "Leaning into sports is obviously that's the way that everybody's going because...sports is the one thing you can still count on to draw people in." (45:53)
• Joanna: "Sports seems to me to be the ultimate background watching sort of experience...Apple gets the benefit of you just having it on." (46:50)
• Both ponder the future effectiveness of Apple TV's originals compared to these industry shifts.

Presumed Innocent and Original Content

• Apple is trying an IP/franchise approach with Presumed Innocent but most hits (Slow Horses, Severance, Pluribus) are largely originals.
• Both hosts eagerly anticipate Vince Gilligan's upcoming original, Pluribus, and hope Apple continues to greenlight riskier projects.

Notable Quotes (with Attribution and Timestamps)

• "Columbo never changed. A lot of characters who are great characters...don't change very much." — Alan Sepinwall (08:16)
• “He thinks he’s James Bond. And he is not James Bond. You know, he’s Mr. Bean.” — Alan Sepinwall on River Cartwright (12:31)
• "Tom Brooke has such an interesting look and screen presence and especially when he's playing a character that is this unhinged...It's a perfect kind of match of actor and character." — Alan Sepinwall on Coe (18:04)
• "It's so vague who they're supposed to be that I'm kind of grasping at straws...it's definitely the one big misstep with this season..." — Alan Sepinwall on this season’s villains (29:03)
• "Apple has a few of these monoculture piercing moments and then just an avalanche of content that people aren't even aware exists." — Joanna Robinson (36:39)
• "Leaning into sports is obviously that's the way that everybody's going because it's the one thing you can still count on to draw people in." — Alan Sepinwall (45:53)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Showrunner Transition/Series Reliability: 01:39 – 04:51
• Formula and Character Change Analysis: 06:10 – 09:02
• Lamb’s Backstory Scene: 09:02 – 10:51
• Deep Dive: River Cartwright: 10:51 – 14:51
• Absence of Louisa, Small Team Dynamics: 14:59 – 17:08
• Coe’s Character & Relationship with River: 17:08 – 20:21
• Paint Can Death, Morality Issues: 20:21 – 21:44
• Jonathan Pryce, Supporting Cast, Recurrent Characters: 21:44 – 26:59
• The Villains Misfire & Book Deviations: 27:42 – 30:57
• Apple TV Rebrand & Original Content Strategy: 35:24 – 51:11

Tone and Style

• Conversational, sharp, and often witty—reflecting both Joanna's pop culture verve and Alan’s dry critical insight.
• Mix of reverent enthusiasm (for Oldman, Sepinwall, Callis, and key set pieces) with pointed criticism (Libyan villains, River’s incompetence, Apple TV’s fuzzy identity).
• Frequent asides and meta-commentary about TV reviewing, the streaming wars, and the hosts’ own tastes.

Final Thoughts

• S5 is among Alan’s favorite seasons: “This is the pure, unfiltered Slow Horses. This is exactly what I want.” (07:32)
• The series continues to derive pleasure from repeatable formulas, sharp character work, and a balance of farce and poignancy.
• Apple TV, while a home for acclaimed originals, remains an enigmatic platform, simultaneously everywhere and nowhere in the mainstream TV conversation.

Next Episode

• The hosts will return for the Season 5 finale, with Rob Mahoney back on the mic.
• Weekly coverage of the new Vince Gilligan series, Pluribus, is upcoming.

For recaps, reviews, and further analysis by Alan Sepinwall:
whatsalanwatching.com

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