'Slow Horses' subtly honors Heath Ledger
The fifth season of Slow Horses appears to include a quiet tribute to the late actor Heath Ledger. The reference was spotted in episode five of the newest season of the Apple TV spy comedy, where Gary Oldman reprises his role as Jackson Lamb.
A subtle cinematic connection
Oldman, who previously portrayed Lt. Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed 2008 film The Dark Knight, seems to echo a moment that recalls Ledger’s performance as the Joker. In the episode, Jackson Lamb grows irritated with a colleague and exclaims:
“When you talk, I wanna stick a pencil in my eye and headbutt the table!”
This line prompted fans to draw parallels to the Joker’s unforgettable scene in The Dark Knight, when he tells a group of mobsters:
“How about a magic trick?”
He then drives a pencil into the table, declares:
“I’m going to make the pencil disappear,”
and fatally forces an attacker’s head into it.
Legacy and homage
Ledger died in 2008 at the age of 28, before the film’s release, but posthumously received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his haunting portrayal of the Joker. The potential nod in Slow Horses serves as a quiet salute to the late actor’s enduring influence.
Summary
Season five of Slow Horses may hide a clever nod to Heath Ledger’s Joker, intertwining Gary Oldman’s roles and serving as a subtle tribute to Ledger’s legacy.