#slow horses s4 promo

[lovetgr76]

[romilly-jay]

A(nother) Most /un*/Welcome Return

*possibly not actually a return - more the re-emergence of a genetic heritage... TW I'm thinking about the cancer story at the end...

**spoilers** (Well, spoilers for the Olympics - not sure that's a thing?? Not really for Slow Horses as I haven't seen S4 YET though I did manage to get spoilered myself in looking for the link for the feature/ad - be careful with your internet search terms, people! I wasn't and I've lived to be SORRY about that!!)

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

One of the absolute pleasures of the early part of 2024 was discovering then bingeing the *extremely excellent* Apple TV series, Slow Horses. Then, three seasons in (hurrah!). Now, a fourth season has landed - but we've been waiting for the Christmas L-U-L-L to watch it all in one go.

And to help build the anticipation, my OH showed me this video piece from the pre-show promo. Once you've clocked the clip title, you'll understand how easily I got myself in search engine trouble...

Not the (only/main) reason we're excited about SH but we happened to stumble across the filming location for THIS exterior staircase and it's pretty close to where we live, though also where we live is not nearly as RANCID as they've made this look. (Nor, in the regular light of day, is that staircase... guess the building owners won't be using this pic with overflowing bins as part of their rental promos!)

Why the segue to Slow Horses from that shot from one of the tableaux presented at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Because the other thing he showed me today was THIS mash-up which managed to be a direct, head on collision between TWO of the things I have enjoyed watching the most in 2024...

You, of course, recognised Pommel Horse Guy - aka Stephen Nedoroscik, double bronze medallist at the Paris Olympics 2024. Such a legend in the story of the games that I only briefly minded that he ruined UK gymnast Max Whitlock's final hopes of a last medal before retirement. (TBF, Max arrived at Paris with three such medals on the pommel horse already in hand, one from each of the previous three Olympics - perhaps it was hoping for too much?)

Pommel Horse Guy was arguably my standout performance story from Paris - BUT - there was so much to enjoy.

Finishing with a small moment that encapsulates so much of what the Olympics can be at their best:

**love** this photo from the end of the men's triathlon. The finish line and all the medallists collapsed at the finish line from the sheer effort - TBH I'm not sure whether the man in the purple shirt is the Frenchman who made it to bronze or the one who just didn't... But my eyes are drawn to the two athletes further back in the shot and not just because of the fantastic background setting. Look at the little arm-round shoulder from the Kiwi athlete - he was leading the run for ages and at pretty much the last minute, was knocked into second by the young Brit on his right. Somehow here they're celebrating-slash-recovering together, united by the completion of their work. (Extra yay for a British athlete who did manage to hang on for the podium - and for a gold-coloured medallion, no less. But I don't think the nationality is the point, for me, with this image...)

PS one more! Bonus image: BBC coverage of the opening ceremony - Clare Balding speaking to camera, US sprinter & multi gold medallist Michael Johnson seated in front of the view of the Eiffel Tower and further multi gold medallists to his right - swimmer Rebecca Adlington and cyclist Chris Hoy.

****Can't end without a mention for Chris Hoy, who just seems to have an astonishing combination of talent, graft and grounded humility - and who moved so many of us with his handling of the tough, tough news of his stage 4 cancer diagnosis. The kind of influence he's capable of wielding can be seen from the spike of middle aged men heading off for a prostate cancer check after he mentioned the genetic factors and encouraged people to get tested.