Compare A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review vs Slow Horses, Season 6

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Erin Doherty’s natural cockney-adjacent speech is presented as an excellent fit for Mary Carr, helping the character feel convincing rather than performed.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Hugo Weaving’s American accent drew one of the sharpest individual complaints, with one reviewer calling it the worst they had heard from an Australian actor.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Six episodes is the clearest recurring structural complaint. Multiple reviewers feel the season ends before all of its storylines have enough room to develop.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

Six episodes continue to feel like a sweet spot for this series. Critics praised the format for avoiding filler, preserving urgency, and still leaving room for plot and character beats.

4 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

One sharply negative take finds the premiere poorly structured, with many scenes but too little meaningful progress.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

The premiere earns praise for efficiently setting up several threats and emotional threads at once. Reviewers also noted that the show can juggle disparate material with surprising smoothness.

2 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Mary Carr is a major draw for some viewers but a serious irritant for at least one critic, making character appeal unusually polarized.

2 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

The Slow Horses remain a collection of abrasive, damaged misfits that viewers have nevertheless grown deeply attached to. That affection makes the season’s danger and deaths hit harder.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The script is mostly solid, but one review criticizes it for skipping over details too conveniently.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

The scripts retain the series’ signature sarcasm, wit, and efficient plotting even after the lead-writer change. Reviewers who focused on the writing found the handover impressively smooth.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The ending is generally seen as satisfying and offers useful closure, even while leaving room for more story.

3 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

The final cliffhanger is divisive: some reviewers found it breathless and brilliantly effective, while another called it a cheap send-off. Its ability to create urgency for Season 7 is not in doubt.

2 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The boxing is especially convincing, with blood, fatigue, and physical wear rendered in grounded detail. Historical dramatization is more flexible, though most reviewers accept the license.

4 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

The season often earns praise for making violence feel painful, messy, and grounded, but one critic objected to assassins becoming implausibly ineffective when the plot needed the heroes to survive.

2 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The episode-to-episode rhythm is uneven: several reviews cite a slow or dragging start, but many say the pace improves sharply once the season gets moving.

5 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Most reviewers thought individual episodes moved briskly and efficiently, especially once the season gets going. One premiere review found the opening chapter slower and more cumbersome than usual.

4 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The overall pace divides opinion: some enjoy the more patient, character-led approach, while others find the opening slow or the season overly setup-heavy.

7 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

Most full-season reviews found Season 6 exceptionally propulsive, particularly from the second episode onward. The biggest tradeoff is that the speed can crowd out quieter emotional scenes or make the middle harder to follow.

8 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Steven Knight’s writing is often praised for deeper character work and a more confident second-season structure, though one sharply negative review finds the script too shallow and simple.

4 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Despite the showrunner transition, the writing was broadly praised as sharp, polished, witty, and structurally confident. The strongest reviews felt the two-book adaptation was seamless, while a few critics missed some of the old comic bite.

7 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Season 2 generally earns praise for pushing its damaged characters through grief, recovery, ambition, and consequence. A few reviews still find some arcs underdeveloped or too functional.

12 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Returning characters are pushed into new emotional and professional territory, with River’s grief and old relationships receiving particular attention. Reviewers generally welcomed the way the season develops familiar people without rewriting who they are.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The ensemble balance is uneven. Some reviewers like how the season spreads attention across its trio, while others think Mary dominates and Sugar, Treacle, or the boxing side get shortchanged.

6 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Several critics liked how Season 6 spreads plot and development around the ensemble, but others felt the large cast and returning favorites sometimes squeeze regular characters out of focus.

3 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Interest in another season is high, with several reviewers explicitly saying they would return for a third round.

4 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

Enthusiasm for more Slow Horses remains extremely high among positive reviewers, with some openly hoping the series continues for many more seasons.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Season 2 still has inventive ideas, but multiple reviewers think it feels less fresh, less surprising, or more conventional than the first season.

4 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Opinions split sharply on freshness. Many critics loved the unpredictability and personal stakes, while dissenters thought the show was recycling familiar faces, chase mechanics, and a formula that has become predictable.

5 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The season repeatedly lands hard emotionally, from heartbreaking storylines to character breakdowns and confrontations that reviewers found genuinely moving.

3 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

Grief, loss, and old relationships give Season 6 more emotional weight than a typical chase-driven thriller. Several reviewers found the deaths and River’s vulnerability genuinely affecting, though one felt the relentless pace left too little room for intimacy.

5 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The season is much darker overall, but the Forty Elephants still provide some welcome levity.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

The caustic workplace comedy and Lamb’s insults still land for most critics, even against a much bleaker story. A few reviewers felt the one-liners were less sharp than in earlier seasons, so the comedy is not universally seen as peak form.

12 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

A malicious, sexist gang leader is singled out as an effective supporting antagonist, giving the early conflict extra bite.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Kyle Soller and MyAnna Buring’s assassins were widely praised as cold, menacing threats, and Hugo Weaving’s Frank remains formidable. One negative review argued that the killers are underwritten and occasionally made implausibly incompetent.

6 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The season is broadly viewed as strong, darker, and more character-driven, though not always as fresh as the debut. The biggest criticisms are conventional choices, thin stretches, and a few too-neat resolutions.

11 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

The broad consensus is that Season 6 tells a strong, often excellent story with personal stakes and relentless danger. More skeptical critics found the core chase repetitive or the underlying mystery merely solid rather than exceptional.

12 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Reviewers repeatedly praise the move beyond simple boxing drama into grief, moral ambiguity, colonialism, racism, class, gender, and survival.

9 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

The season uses grief, disposability, loyalty, and institutional neglect to deepen its spy-story mechanics. River’s mourning and the fate of discarded agents give the thriller more emotional and thematic weight.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The plotting is a mixed point: some praise a more streamlined story, while others find parts muddled, convenient, or slow to establish their purpose.

3 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

The central hunt is easy enough to follow, but combining two novels creates moments where several storylines compete for attention. Some reviewers found the middle stretch harder to track even though the season ultimately pulls the strands together.

2 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The fights and gang clashes land hard, with several reviewers calling them brutal, visceral, and thrilling. Even with less boxing overall, the action that remains is consistently well received.

7 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

The chase scenes, fights, and later set pieces were repeatedly described as inventive, breathless, and unusually cinematic. Several reviewers felt Season 6 pushed the action to a new high without losing the show’s grubby identity.

7 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The ensemble is praised for working as a true collaborative unit, helping the central trio and surrounding cast feel connected rather than isolated.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Returning pairings—especially Jack Lowden with Olivia Cooke—were a major highlight, while new character combinations also brought fresh energy. The ensemble’s ability to bounce between bickering, affection, and danger remains a core strength.

8 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The best episodes create real white-knuckle tension, especially during sieges, gang clashes, and escalating schemes. Even critics of the pacing often acknowledge the season becomes gripping.

6 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

The assassins, constant pursuit, and uncertainty over who will survive create sustained tension across the season. Reviewers frequently described the run as gripping, anxiety-inducing, and hard to look away from.

7 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The cast is the season’s clearest strength, with the leads repeatedly praised as commanding, convincing, and emotionally layered. Even more critical takes say the performances keep the drama gripping.

9 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

Most critics thought the ensemble was operating at a very high level, with several calling the cast’s work among the strongest the series has delivered. Even more mixed season reviews still tended to praise the performances.

6 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The six-episode run is easy to burn through in a weekend, with one reviewer explicitly recommending it as a binge.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

At least one reviewer watched all six episodes in a single sitting, matching the broader sense that the compact, propulsive season is easy to tear through quickly.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The camera work is repeatedly singled out as a strength, especially the close, punishing boxing coverage and foggy East End imagery.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

The season’s imagery drew strong praise, from its rain-soaked London atmosphere to more cinematic framing and a cold blue-green palette. Reviewers saw the visuals as a meaningful part of the darker mood.

2 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The back-to-back production pays off in a transition that feels unusually seamless, with Sugar’s characterization in particular reading as a genuine continuation rather than a reset.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Season 6 leans heavily on the show’s history, bringing back old characters and unresolved consequences while preserving the established tone through a leadership change. Reviewers often saw that continuity as a strength.

2 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The sharpest dialogue is praised for giving the women’s-rights material extra bite and depth.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

The quick, acerbic dialogue remains a standout, with razor-sharp exchanges and dry wit surviving the season’s darker turn. Reviewers especially praised how the banter keeps tension from becoming monotonous.

2 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The direction is praised for confident atmosphere, grounded physicality, and attention to what violence leaves behind rather than spectacle alone.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Adam Randall’s direction was repeatedly credited with making the season feel more cinematic, darker, and more intense. His handling of action and visual atmosphere drew especially strong praise.

2 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The strongest drama comes from the characters’ battles outside the ring, where grief, guilt, family damage, and survival carry real weight.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

The season’s drama was widely praised for feeling tense, consequential, and emotionally charged. River’s grief and the threat against Slough House give the espionage plot a more personal edge.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Fans of historical crime drama are especially well served, with the period setting, underworld politics, and boxing giving the season a distinctive flavor.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

The season continues to stand out as a distinctive spy thriller by mixing bureaucratic drudgery, messy fieldwork, dark comedy, and grounded danger. Reviewers repeatedly framed that blend as something rival shows do not quite match.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The season’s ideas about colonialism, racism, gender, and class are presented as part of the drama rather than detached commentary, giving the period story contemporary resonance.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Defense spending, institutional compromise, media influence, and financial irregularities give the spy plot a recognizable contemporary edge. Critics who highlighted this material found it persuasive rather than decorative.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The late-season twist earns direct praise as a strong payoff even from a reviewer who prefers Season 1 overall.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Twists, returns, deaths, and reversals are among the season’s most consistently praised pleasures. Several critics described the run as unusually unpredictable and packed with major turns.

3 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The relatively quick one-year turnaround is welcomed, especially in a streaming landscape where long gaps between seasons are common.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Reviewers repeatedly celebrated the show’s unusually reliable yearly cadence. The fast turnaround is seen as a major advantage because the story and characters stay fresh in viewers’ minds.

5 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The season closes its central saga in style, giving the ending a satisfying sense of resolution without completely sealing off the future.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

The closing stretch drew some of the strongest praise of the season, with multiple critics calling the penultimate episode and finale gripping, brutal, and among the show’s best set pieces.

2 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The darker second season keeps the rough charm of the first while making grief and consequence feel heavier, a shift one reviewer calls an ideal progression.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Most critics thought the show still balances brutality, grief, sarcasm, and absurd comedy remarkably well under the new showrunner. A few dissenters felt the humor had dulled, but the broader tonal identity remains intact.

6 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The season broadens its reach beyond boxing devotees, and reviewers say its historical-crime focus should especially appeal to viewers who value character, atmosphere, and moral ambiguity.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

Longtime devotees are still well served by the familiar rhythms, callbacks, and returning faces, though one critic warned that viewers less invested in the formula may crave something fresher.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Early critical reception is described as very strong, with the season reported as matching or slightly exceeding the first season’s acclaim.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

Early critical reaction was overwhelmingly positive, with roundup coverage describing Season 6 as one of the series’ strongest outings and highlighting its pace, writing, and performances.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The supporting cast receives strong notices, with several secondary performances singled out as standouts rather than filler.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

New and returning supporting players were widely praised, with several reviewers saying the additions strengthen the ensemble. Harry Lloyd, Lenny Rush, Kyle Soller, MyAnna Buring, and others drew especially positive notices.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The lead trio are repeatedly identified as the heart of the show, with reviewers praising their chemistry, intensity, and emotional conviction.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden remain major anchors, with reviewers praising Oldman’s lived-in comic menace and Lowden’s more vulnerable, physically demanding work. Both are repeatedly described as delivering some of their strongest material.

13 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Most reviewers find the season highly watchable, gritty, and fun despite its darker mood. A small minority find parts of it shallow or weak.

7 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

Even reviews focused only on the premiere generally found it a strong, enjoyable return. Full-season critics repeatedly described the run as compelling, riveting, and easy to stay engaged with.

3 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The show remains striking to look at, from foggy cobblestones to ornate interiors and Halloween-lit streets.

3 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

Rain, muted gray-blue tones, wide surveillance-like compositions, and everyday locations give the season a colder, more cinematic look. Reviewers generally felt the visual shift suited the darker story.

3 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The East End streets, pubs, and interiors are widely praised as richly realized and atmospheric. The only notable complaint is that some digital-looking backgrounds undercut the otherwise strong sets.

5 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

The shabby, ordinary environments remain part of the show’s charm, and the premiere’s shipping-container setting received specific praise for its sad, lived-in detail.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The Victorian East End feels increasingly lived-in, with rivalries, streets, institutions, and social pressures forming a convincing world around the characters.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

The season continues to expand the grimy MI5 ecosystem while keeping its institutional rules, rivalries, and history central to the plot. One review specifically praised the sharp world-building behind the character arcs.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

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Slow Horses, Season 6

The season’s recurring focus on who accepts blame, who ducks it, and how institutions pass responsibility upward remains a satisfying part of the show’s cynical workplace machinery.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

One reviewer repeatedly notices green-screen work, saying it weakens the otherwise convincing period sets.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

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A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

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Slow Horses, Season 6

The established personalities still feel sharply defined, from River’s impulsiveness to Lamb’s abrasive competence and Roddy’s ego. Reviewers praised how well the cast understands those ingrained flaws and rhythms.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

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Slow Horses, Season 6

Most critics found the twists and cliffhangers extremely effective at keeping momentum high and setting up Season 7. A minority disliked the final cliffhanger as a send-off even while acknowledging its impact.

3 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The season’s treatment of colonialism, racism, class, and immigrant experience adds weight beyond the crime and boxing plot. Reviewers especially respond to Hezekiah’s Jamaican history and the power dynamics around him.

3 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

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A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

One major action set-piece is criticized for confusing editing that turns the sequence into muddled visual chaos.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

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A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

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Slow Horses, Season 6

The roughly 45-minute episodes were praised for feeling lean and fast without seeming starved of story. The runtime helps the season keep pressure on the plot while avoiding obvious filler.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

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Slow Horses, Season 6

Although Season 6 combines and alters material from two Mick Herron novels, critics generally felt it preserves what makes the books and series distinctive. The adaptation changes were usually seen as thoughtful rather than damaging.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

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Slow Horses, Season 6

Season 6 pays off long-running threads, revives earlier characters, and pushes the larger series story forward. That stronger reliance on prior seasons rewards established viewers more than newcomers.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

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Slow Horses, Season 6

The pressure created by a hostile media figure and Taverner’s public exposure fits naturally into the season’s political machinery. One reviewer specifically praised that political-media dimension for feeling tangible.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Most reviews praise the grime, costumes, sets, and historical texture as immersive and authentic. One reviewer is less convinced, arguing that visible green-screen work weakens the illusion.

6 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

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A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

One episode-one review finds the premiere merely okay, criticizing how little it seems to accomplish.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

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A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

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Slow Horses, Season 6

One reviewer found the recurring Sony game placement noticeable enough to become distracting rather than invisible background detail.

1 supporting review · Limited evidence

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

Federico Jusid’s score is praised for its propulsive, mechanical pulse and for keeping tension moving forward.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

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A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The boxing itself is praised, but several reviewers miss the heavier ring focus of Season 1. For some, the reduced boxing opens space for richer character drama; for others, it leaves the sports side undercooked.

5 supporting reviews · Mixed evidence

Slow Horses, Season 6

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A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

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Slow Horses, Season 6

Season 6 is repeatedly described as the show’s bloodiest and most brutal run, yet positive reviewers felt the violence serves suspense and consequence rather than empty shock value.

2 supporting reviews

A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

The period costumes are consistently praised as sumptuous and convincing, helping sell the Victorian setting.

2 supporting reviews

Slow Horses, Season 6

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A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review

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Slow Horses, Season 6

The dense plotting and brisk pace encouraged repeat viewing for some critics, including one who immediately watched the whole season again. Another called it the easiest season to rewatch so far.

2 supporting reviews