When we think about secret agents, we almost immediately think of James Bond and other athletic men in suits who can adapt to any situation. In “Lame Horses”, instead of elegant MI5 agents, we have disgraced ones who, for various reasons, are unfit for “official” service.
They are the ones who receive cases that no one wants to deal with, they do things unworthy of “real” agents. They often have to literally dig through garbage. Their headquarters is located on the outskirts of London, in a district where no tourist would want to get lost. No one wants to go to “Lame Horses”, and no one takes them seriously.
This group of losers, who are treated like lepers by other agents, is led by James Lamb (Gary Oldman). He worked for MI5 during the Cold War. At first glance, he seems like a person we wouldn’t entrust with the care of a cat, let alone the security of the country. It’s unkempt, repulsive and you can almost smell of alcohol on it.
His subordinates have no respect for him at all. Lamb seems to hold everyone’s opinions and everything around him in high regard. However, from episode to episode we discover his true face. He might not be jumping on train roofs, but he could certainly outsmart any of Her Majesty’s agents.
We are introduced to “Lame Horses” by River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), who goes there after a painful defeat that will follow him for the next seasons. Although he lost a lot of dignity, he did not abandon his ambition and hope of returning to the bosom of recognized agents. When a Pakistani teenager is kidnapped, everything tells him there is more to the case. His investigation also draws his agency colleagues into the middle of the action. It also includes Sid Baker (Olivia Cooke), Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar), Min Harper (Dustin Demri-Burns), Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves) and Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung).
The first season focuses on the English far right. In the second, the team tries to solve the mystery of the death of a former MI5 agent. The third one begins in Istanbul, where an agent tries to pass a mysterious document to someone. I won’t go into detail about the plot, because the less known about it, the better. I don’t want to take away the pleasure of discovering more pieces of the puzzle. However, I will tell you that with each subsequent season, our inept agents expose themselves to greater and greater danger.
The Apple TV+ series delights, among others: a fresh look at special agents, most of whom look nothing like James Bond. Let’s add well-written characters, political conspiracies, chases through the streets of London (and beyond), and, above all, the excellent Oldman and sharp British humor, and we have a recipe for a series that will captivate you from the first to the last episode. I must warn you that “Lame Horses” is not a series for viewers who like to do several things at once.
The plot definitely requires our full attention, because even a small detail can change the action. Therefore, although new episodes are broadcast week by week, it is best to wait until the end of the season and catch up on everything. You can watch three seasons on Apple TV+, each with six episodes. The level of the series only goes up with each season. Therefore, the decision to create more is not surprising.