Slow Horses, Season 5

What’s it about?

Season five of a show about a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents defending England from sinister forces. Roddy’s girlfriend gets him in trouble as a mass shooting rocks London. 

The facts 

• Created by (UK comedy writer) Will Smith
• Directed by Saul Metzstein
• Starring Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, and Kristin Scott Thomas
• English language 
• Runtime: Six episodes between 39 and 52 minutes each
• Based on the novel London Rules by Mick Herron, from his “Slough House” series

Why did it get this rating?

This series was self-rated by Apple TV. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

The following information breaks down the show's rating and content warnings. It does not mention any character names but, if necessary, we occasionally include minor spoilers to help keep audiences informed about what they are watching.

Mass shooting

The season partly revolves around trying to understand the motives behind a mass shooting of a lone gunman. This scene is portrayed at the start of the first episode, and shows people in a suburban street in panic trying to run away, noisy gunfire, and screaming. 

The camera’s focus is on the gunman who shoots indiscriminately at anyone he sees with a blank expression. Out of focus in the background, we see people hit by his bullets and falling to the ground, presumably killed. There is a little bit of blood splatter, but this is out of focus.

The shooter is then killed by a sniper, and this is quite graphic as the camera’s focus is still on him as he looks around at the now-quiet streets. We see his head explode with blood, and he falls out of shot.

We learn later in the episode that eleven people have been killed by the shooter.

Violence 

Other than the mass shooting, some of the strongest violent scenes include:

• A character who is stabbed and dying is then set alight and left to die 
• Other characters are killed by being stabbed or being shot
• Characters are chased by a masked gunman, who shoots at them in a stressful scene

Cruelty

We learn that there has been a deliberate bombing at London Zoo, harming the animals in one of the enclosures, but we don’t see any of the footage. Many characters are horrified by the news of this act.

A character tells others a graphic story about someone who was tortured in the past, involving their feet being burned by the Stasi.

Drug references and drug use

One of the characters is a recovering drug addict, and there are scenes showing her holding a plastic baggie of cocaine. There are frequent references to her past struggles by other characters, who are not always compassionate.

Sexual references

A character is blackmailed due to the existence of a sex tape.

Offensive language

Characters use offensive and coarse language, including words like “sh*t”, “f*ck”, and “dumb prick”.

Helplines

The mass shooting could be upsetting for some viewers, especially for those who have gone through similar experiences. If you are struggling with what you have seen on-screen, please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information 

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?