Apple TV+'s rockstar, "Slow Horses," based on Mick Herron’s best-selling novels, has consistently bagged the title of being one of the viewers' darlings, for good measure. The secret ingredient? A knack for tight and efficient storytelling. In an epoch where shows might tend to overstay their welcome with drawn-out seasons, every morsel of "Slow Horses" is neatly packed into five concise and compelling seasons, each spanning around six sub-hour episodes.

With its fifth season already served, a sixth one cooked up, and the seventh on the fire, the "Slow Horses" kitchen truly never sleeps. But as the show gallops into its fifth round, is it hitting the mark or beginning to trot?

Despite being dubbed the least spectacular season, the latest installment of "Slow Horses"-based on Herron’s novel "London Rules"-still manages to hold down the fort of entertainment, albeit with a slightly dimmed sparkle. While the recent drop in tempo doesn't sound blaring alarm bells, there's certainly a sense of something missing-an ineffable spark that once set the shows earlier seasons ablaze.

Opening with Shirley (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) wrestling with the personal fallout of Marcus's untimely demise, the pacing takes a hit due to a hastily arranged storyline and some questionable casting decisions. Shirley, convinced she saved Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) from a lethal hit-and-run, brings this hunch back to Slough House. The sequence that follows, complete with undercover club infiltrations, accusations of honey-trapping, and a dash of gunfire, feels rushed and compressed.

Parallel to this, an insidious terrorist group wreaks havoc in London, their destructive acts ranging from opening fire in crowded squares to bombing petrol stations and inducing mayhem at a zoo. In the midst of this chaos, the story takes a surprising pivot as it lands squarely on the shoulders of James Callis’s Claude Whelan, the new head of MI5. Though Callis masterfully steps into his character’s shoes, the choice to sideline characters like Shirley and Rosalind Eleazar’s Louisa in the later episodes did little to jive with the audience.

While still a crowd-pleaser, the fifth season of "Slow Horses" felt like an overloaded ride due to an overabundance of source material crammed into just six episodes. This resulted in a sort of narrative sprint towards the end, leaving too many reveals and incidents to unfurl at breakneck speed.

Yet, despite these minor stumbles, the pack of "Slow Horses" managed to stay the course. Gary Oldman's Lamb shines more so than usual, while Jack Lowden’s River continues to captivate, both holding their own in a transitional season filled with quick turns and unsuspected shocks.

The trademark consistency of the script may have seen a slight slip on this leg of the race, but hasn't fallen flat on its face. Similarly to "Only Murders in the Building," another highly formulaic show, "Slow Horses" sticks to its winning recipe a little too strictly, risking a taste of overfamiliarity.

And so, as Apple TV+'s "Slow Horses" entered its fifth season premiere on September 24th, viewer expectations soared for a plateful of quintessential "Slow Horses" delicacy-spiced with some room for surprises.