Slow Horses Season 4's Missing Character Creates A Major Gary Oldman Problem

Summary Standish's departure will greatly impact Jackson Lamb's character and the entire team dynamic in Slow Horses season 4.

Lamb's complex relationship with Standish brought out a softer side, now missing with her absence.

Standish's potential return could bring positive changes and evolution to both characters in the show.

Slow Horses season 4 is set to be one of the biggest shake-ups in the show's history, with one change having profound implications for Gary Oldman's character – the foul-tempered spymaster, Jackson Lamb. Although Slow Horses has a well-earned reputation for thrilling storytelling, the show owes much of its success to its character dynamics. Over the previous three seasons, each member of the Slough House team has established themselves as a unique personality, contributing in their own way to the team's adventures. As a result, any change to the group is going to have a major impact on the series.

As the leader of the Slough House team and the most abrasive personality, Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb is arguably the most influential character in the series. Even though the narrative often prioritizes the stories of team members like River Cartwright and Louisa Guy, it's Jackson Lamb who invariably shapes events and dictates how the team operates. As such, anything that affects Jackson also has the potential to impact the whole team. Thanks to the dramatic Slow Horses season 3 ending, season 4 is set to tell the most dramatic Jackson Lamb story yet thanks to one main character's absence.

Standish's Absence Is A Real Problem For Gary Oldman's Character

She Had The Closest Relationship To Jackson Lamb

Following their explosive falling out at the end of Slow Horses season 3, Catherine Standish took the radical decision to leave Slough House. Because of the nature of espionage, character changes are nothing new to the Slow Horses team – whether they be a result of untimely death, as in the case of Min Harper, or mysterious disappearances, like the ongoing mystery of what happened to Sid Baker. However, even though these lineup changes have had a major effect on the show, their impact on Jackson Lamb has been questionable. This is certainly not the case with Standish.

Although Lamb has been unpleasant towards everyone in his time as the head of Slough House, his relationship with Standish is more complex. While he's perfectly capable of being cruel, it's equally clear that he is more attached to her than other members of the team. For instance, he chose to protect her from the truth about her former boss, Charles Partner, and was determined to rescue her when she was kidnapped in Slow Horses season 3. Although Lamb remains hostile to everyone in his orbit, his relationship with Standish is the only time viewers have seen him treat someone with something resembling affection.

Slow Horses season 4 promises to change this dynamic dramatically. With Standish leaving Slough House, Lamb's one source of emotional support – however unconventional – has now vanished. This means that all that will be left is his misanthropy and general contempt for those around him. While his relationship with Standish proved that he is capable of empathy, it remains to be seen how he'll respond in her absence. Whatever the outcome, Standish's new role relative to the Slough House team precipitates a change in Lamb's character – and not for the better.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Jackson Lamb Needs His Standish Relationship

It Was The Only Thing That Made Him Relatable

Close

Even though Jackson Lamb has built his popularity as a character on the back of his acerbic wit and hilariously hurtful putdowns, the truth is that he has always been more complex than the surface impression suggests. Behind the mask of pessimism, he has continually demonstrated a willingness to do the right thing and a softness beneath his prickly exterior. His relationship with Standish is the prime example of this, and it's clear that he values her above every other member of the Slough House team.

In many ways, Standish was the perfect foil for Lamb. Whereas he is constantly susceptible to cynicism – including about his own team – she is permanently optimistic. Whether it was about her loyalty to Charles Partner or her confidence that she could extract crucial information from a Russian agent in season 2, she has been a welcome antidote to Lamb's misanthropy and has helped remind both him and the audience that there's more to Slow Horses' story than Lamb's unremitting negativity.

Although his motives are complicated, it's clear that Lamb has been at least partly inspired by Standish's attitude throughout Slow Horses seasons 1-3. If she had not made such an impression on him, it's unclear whether he would have been so quick to rush to the farmhouse for the rescue mission in season 3, nor whether he'd have been able to get the upper hand on Katinsky in season 2. Her absence could have stark consequences – not just for Lamb, but for the entire show. Without Standish's positivity, both Lamb and Slow Horses could spiral, with nothing to balance the gloom that can permeate Slough House.

None Of Slow Horses Season 4 Replacements Can Replace Standish

Her Relationship With Lamb Goes Back Years

Custom image by Ana Nieves

Without Standish as a regular presence in Slough House, it may be that Slow Horses tries to replicate her influence with another character. The most obvious season 4 Standish replacement is Joanna Scanlon's Moira Tregorian. As the new office administrator, Tregorian will (superficially at least) have a very similar role to Standish. However, even though her day-to-day tasks will overlap, she won't have anywhere near the same impact.

Standish's influence on Lamb and the whole Slow Horses narrative comes from the fact that the characters' relationship goes back years. It is only because of the complicated backstory between Partner, Lamb, and Standish that Lamb feels any kind of responsibility and warmth towards her. This is not something that a new character will be able to replicate.

With no one left who has the same depth of relationship with Lamb in the immediate vicinity of Slough House, his behavior is likely to become even more erratic...

It will likely be the case that Tregorian is used to create a sharp contrast with Standish, making Lamb realize just how much he needs her back on the team. In the meantime, however, her absence is almost certainly going to prompt a negative response from Lamb, potentially having a dramatic effect on the atmosphere of Slow Horses season 4. With no one left who has the same depth of relationship with Lamb in the immediate vicinity of Slough House, his behavior is likely to become even more erratic, perhaps making Slow Horses season 4 the most unpredictable yet.

Standish Will Probably Return To Slow Horses (& It Will Help The Show)

She Has The Potential To Change Lamb For The Better

Because of her unique relationship with Jackson Lamb, it's highly likely that Standish will return to the main Slough House team sooner rather than later. Although her exit was dramatic, she is still alive and very much on the scene. The situation is therefore perfectly set up for both Lamb and Standish to realize how much they need each other and Slough House. Although it's unlikely that they will return to the same dynamic that ran through seasons 1-3, the change could actually be a positive for both characters, seeing both evolve and develop and perhaps even becoming stronger after a season apart.

Slow Horses season 4 is set to premiere on Apple TV+ in September 2024.

After a season where, despite many dramatic events, little changed in terms of the overall team dynamic, Slow Horses needs some sort of shake-up in season 4. Standish's absence, and the arrival of two new faces, means that things will inevitably be very different. However, because of her unique relationship with Jackson Lamb and her influence over the whole atmosphere at Slough House, she needs to return in some capacity. Even if it isn't immediate, Standish is just too important for Slow Horses to completely write out of the picture.