Slow Horses (Apple TV)
Rating: Four out of five stars
Moscow Rules, declared unit chief Jackson Lamb in the finale of Slow Horses.
It’s a phrase to send a thrill of recognition through the blood of every classic spy tale aficionado.
George Smiley, the mild-mannered hero of John le Carré’s ‘Circus’ novels, invoked Moscow Rules repeatedly.
Developed by the CIA, these were the core principles of tradecraft, the tricks Cold War agents practised to avoid breaking cover.
Top of the list were ‘Assume nothing’ and ‘Never go against your gut’.
Unluckily for Lamb (Gary Oldman), none of his ‘joes’ – the hapless failures and klutzes under his
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