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With significant ramifications for Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses season 4 is set to fundamentally change the dynamics at Slough House. Though Slow Horses boasts a well-earned reputation for exciting narrative, its success mostly comes from its character dynamics. Every Slough House team member has developed themselves as a distinctive personality over the past three seasons, each adding in their own way to the team's exploits. Any modification to the group will thus have a significant effect on the series.
At the end of Slow Horses season 3, Catherine Standish made the drastic choice to leave Slough House after their explosive falling out. Character changes are nothing new to the Slow Horses team because of the nature of espionage; they could be the result of untimely death, as in the case of Min Harper, or unexplained disappearances, like the continuous mystery of what happened to Sid Baker. Though these lineup changes have had a significant impact on the program, their effects on Jackson Lamb have been dubious. With Standish, this is most definitely not the case.
Lamb's relationship with Standish is more nuanced than his treatment of everyone in his time as Slough House's head. He is clearly more attached to her than other team members, even if he is quite capable of being cruel. He was resolved to save her when she was abducted in Slow Horses season 3 and chose to shield her from the truth about her former boss, Charles Partner. Lamb still treats everyone in his orbit hostile, but his relationship with Standish is the only instance viewers have seen him show someone something akin to affection.
Season 4's Slow Horses promises to drastically alter this dynamic. Lamb's one emotional source, Standish leaving Slough House, has disappeared now, although unusual. This leaves his misanthropy and general contempt for people around him as all that will remain. Although his relationship with Standish showed that he is empathetic, it is yet to be seen how he will react without her. Whatever the result, Standish's new position relative to the Slough House team causes Lamb's character to change – not for the better.
Jackson Lamb has always been more complicated than the surface impression suggests, even if his popularity as a character has grown on the back of his acerbic wit and hilaristically cruel putdowns. Benevolent beneath his prickly exterior, he has always shown a readiness to do the right thing behind the mask of pessimism. The best example of this is his relationship with Standish; he obviously values her above every other Slough House team member.
For Lamb, Standish was the ideal foil in many respects. He is always prone to cynicism, even regarding his own team; she is always hopeful. Whether it was about her allegiance to Charles Partner or her assurance that she could gather vital information from a Russian agent in season 2, she has been a welcome counterpoint to Lamb's misanthropy and has reminded him and the viewers that Slow Horses' narrative spans more ground than just Lamb's relentless negativity.
Though Lamb's motivations are complex, it is evident that Standish's attitude over Slow Horses seasons 1–3 has at least partly inspired him. Should she not have had such an impact on him, it is uncertain whether he would have been so quick to dash to the farmhouse for the season 3 rescue operation or whether he would have been able to gain the upper hand on Katinsky in season 2. Her absence could have significant effects for the whole show as well as for Lamb. Without Standish's optimism, Lamb and Slow Horses could spiral with nothing to counter the gloom Slough House can bring about.
Without Standish as a consistent presence in Slough House, it could be that Slow Horses uses another character to try to reflect her impact. Joanna Scanlon's Moira Tregorian is the most clearly season 4 Standish replacement. Tregorian, the new office administrator, will (at least superficially) play a quite similar role to Standish. She won't have nearly the same impact, though, even if her daily responsibilities will coincide.
Lamb and the entire Slow Horses story is influenced by Standish since the relationships among the characters span years. Lamb only feels any kind of responsibility and affection towards Partner, Lamb because of the convoluted past between her and Standish. A new character will not be able to exactly duplicate this.
Lamb's behavior is probably going to become even more erratic since none of the people left in the immediate vicinity of Slough House have the same depth of relationship with him. Tregorian will probably be used to create a striking contrast with Standish, which will let Lamb understand just how much he needs her back on the team. Her absence in the meantime, however, is almost definitely going to cause Lamb to react negatively, possibly drastically changing the vibe of Slow Horses season 4. His behavior is probably going to become even more erratic without anyone left who has the same depth of relationship with Lamb in the immediate vicinity of Slough House; hence, Slow Horses season 4 is perhaps the most unpredictable yet.
Standish is quite likely to come back to the main Slough House team sooner rather than later because of her special relationship with Jackson Lamb. She left with great drama, but she is still alive and highly visible on scene. This makes the circumstances exactly ideal for Lamb and Standish to see how much Slough House and each other they need. Though it's doubtful they will go back to the same dynamic that ran through seasons 1–3, the change could actually be a benefit for both characters since it will see both grow and change and maybe even become stronger after a season apart.
Apple TV+'s September 2024 premiere date for Slow Horses season 4 is Slow Horses needs some sort of upheaval in season 4 after a season when, despite many dramatic events, the general team dynamic remained mostly unchanged. With Standish absent and two fresh faces arriving, things will surely be very different. She must, however, return in some capacity given her special relationship with Jackson Lamb and her influence over the entire Slough House atmosphere. For Slow Horses, Standish is simply too vital for them to totally write out of the picture, even if it isn't instantaneous.