Slow horses features several MI5 agents whose abilities and skills vary greatly. The central premise of Slow horses is that a group of problematic MI5 agents have been ousted from the organization, but against all odds, they manage to succeed and often overshadow the agency that shunned them.
The so-called “slow horses” operate from Slough House with minimal oversight or support from MI5. This exile is due to the fact that the agents have engaged in a series of inappropriate behaviors, ranging from social ineptitude to drug abuse and even catastrophic failures in previous missions.
However, the Slough House team manages to pull off big wins despite opposition and occasional tampering from their park peers. However, some agents certainly stand out more than others.
Claude Whélan
Claude Whelan is not a member of Slough House, in fact he is the First Desk, or head of MI5. Despite this, Whelan seems completely lost in his new role. Whelan replaced the former First Desk, Ingrid Tearney, through her connections within government.
Previously, Whelan was an advisor and consultant to various security teams, but his rise to the helm of MI5 was undoubtedly too quick and too rapid. Whelan hoped to change the organization and cultivate a culture of honesty and truth, but his sensitivity quickly crumbled when he found himself in a sticky situation.
Whelan is by far the worst agent in Slow horseswith no apparent expertise other than that of making connections, and a lack of understanding of the basics of espionage and security.
Roddy Ho
One step above Whelan is Roddy Ho, Slough House’s tech expert. Roddy has incredible computer skills, he can hack into systems and perform complex maneuvers online, but when it comes to anything physical, Roddy is hopeless.
Pair this with the fact that Roddy has an extraordinary ego and the result is an agent who thinks he is far more important than he really is and frequently overestimates his abilities. Roddy is at least useful when it comes to navigating the digital space, but it makes sense that he ended up in Slough House.
Diana Taverner
Back at the park, Diana Taverner is MI5’s second office. Diana is ambitious, ruthless and calculating. This means that she is often able to achieve her goals through whatever measures are necessary, but it also results in a flexible moral character that causes more problems.
Diana and Jackson Lamb have a comfortable relationship as they understand each other and choose to avoid mixing, but Diana’s ambitions have often led her to try to place the blame on others like Tearney or Slough House.
Diana’s devious and calculating nature, combined with her high rank, make her a powerful ally, or rival, depending on the circumstances. However, the fact that she is primarily concerned with her own interests poses a threat to anyone who might get in her way.
Shirley Dander
Shirley Dander is one of Slough House’s newest recruits, having been kicked out of the park due to her drug habits. Under the influence, Shirley is a fragile mess who is unable to do anything, but with a clear mind, she has good instincts.
It was Shirley who was able to see when Roddy was being targeted before anyone else, and Shirley managed to fend off attacks from highly trained assassins, escaping with only minor injuries. However, Shirley struggled to apprehend and capture her targets on numerous occasions.
Catherine Standish
Catherine Standish is one of the longest serving members of Slough House and a loyal ally of Jackson Lamb. For years, Standish was his receptionist and personal assistant, and before Lamb she played a similar role for a former MI5 premier office, Charles Partner.
Even though Standish isn’t technically an agent meant to work in the field, her years of experience have prepared her to deal with difficult situations and notice when things aren’t working. Standish is often a wild card whose skills are surprisingly refined.
As a result, she often plays a vital role in any Slough House operation. However, a lack of field experience means she lags behind some of MI5’s younger and more adaptable agents.
Emma Flyte
Emma Flyte is head of security at MI5 and leader of the group known as the Dogs. Emma is a relatively young agent in the department, but she has an impressive background, having risen through the ranks and earned her position through hard work and dedication.
Emma seems to avoid playing political games like Diana Taverner. However, she remains fiercely loyal to the leadership of MI5 and is more than happy to muzzle Slough House when they think outside the box.
Despite all this, it appears that Emma has the skills to become a major force within MI5 and recognizes that the vendetta against Slough House is misplaced. She remains in her position due to her willingness to obey orders without independent thought, even though she recognizes potential injustice.
Cartwright River
On the other side of this scale is the Cartwright River. River’s grandfather, David Cartwright, was a high-ranking member of the service, and River had high aspirations to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps. However, when River was set up to catastrophically fail a mission, he was exiled to Slough House.
River has demonstrated exemplary skills in all areas of espionage, although his fatal flaw is his ego and lack of ability to work as a team. River has an idea and he follows it, without thinking much about the consequences, working largely on his intuition until he can piece together the evidence to prove a theory.
His exceptional skills earn him this spot on the list, but if River Cartwright could hone his teamwork and take a moment before running headfirst into trouble, he would have the potential to climb even higher.
JK Coe
Meanwhile, Slough House newcomer JK Coe stands out as the top agent. Although the reason why Coe was sent to Slough House was not explicitly revealed in the television series, it appears that his socially awkward behavior may have been a contributing factor.
After all, a spy should be able to navigate complex social situations and control the room. However, despite his lack of social skills, Coe’s intuition, intelligence, and stealth are extraordinary. Coe is able to see patterns where others cannot and make sense of the chaos.
Additionally, Coe is incredibly well prepared, bringing every tool he might need to complete a job quickly and efficiently. Yes, he makes crazy mistakes sometimes, but his basic instincts are all there and he is one of the best agents to ever work at Slough House.
Jackson Lamb
But at the top of the hill stands Jackson Lamb, the legendary MI5 agent and now head of Slough House. Lamb has by far the most field experience of anyone on this list, and he has been responsible for carrying out some of the most important and secret missions MI5 has ever been involved in.
After serving faithfully for decades, Lamb was allowed to choose any position he would be assigned to during his final years of service before retirement and, surprisingly, he chose Slough House. It turns out that Lamb single-handedly manages to turn Slough House into a functioning unit, although it’s still not perfect.
Lamb also tends to stay on guard and avoid forming close emotional bonds with his team. On the surface, Jackson Lamb seems like a miserable and cruel old man, but the reality is that he is someone who cares deeply about his team’s success. All this makes him the best agent in the world. Slow horses.
