The latest season of the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses includes a clever nod to one of the most famous scenes in modern cinema. Fans have spotted a subtle reference to The Dark Knight, linking star Gary Oldman’s current role to his past work in Christopher Nolan’s superhero trilogy.
The connection appears in a line of dialogue spoken by Oldman’s character, the grumpy spy Jackson Lamb. This has led to discussion online about whether it was a deliberate tribute to Oldman’s late co-star, Heath Ledger.
The Pencil Line That Echoes The Joker
The potential reference occurs in Season 5, Episode 5, titled “Incommunicado”. In the scene, Jackson Lamb is annoyed with his technical expert, Roddy Ho. When Ho asks why he has to communicate in writing while another agent is allowed to speak, Lamb delivers a cutting reply.
“Because she sticks to the salient points, whereas when you talk, I wanna stick a pencil in my eye and head-butt the table,” Lamb says.
This line immediately reminded many viewers of a iconic moment in The Dark Knight. In the 2008 film, Heath Ledger’s Joker crashes a meeting of Gotham City’s mob bosses. To demonstrate his unpredictable nature, he performs a violent “magic trick.”
“How about a magic trick? I’m going to make this pencil disappear,” the Joker says before slamming a henchman’s head down onto a pencil lodged in a table.
The similarity in the violent imagery involving a pencil has not been officially confirmed by the Slow Horses writing team. However, the parallel is striking, especially given Gary Oldman’s role in the same film as Police Commissioner James Gordon. The moment works both as a typical Lamb insult and as a possible wink to film history.
A Second Batman Nod for Gary Oldman
The pencil joke is not the only Batman-related moment in the season. In a later scene, the show makes an even more direct reference.
Jackson Lamb is discussing a case involving a bombed penguin enclosure at a zoo. He asks agent River Cartwright to name someone who might hold a grudge against penguins. Without missing a beat, River replies, “Batman?”.
This is a joke about the classic Batman villain The Penguin. Lamb’s response is a swift and exasperated dismissal, telling River to “Oh, f* off”**. This scene is seen as the show having fun with the stark contrast between Oldman’s two famous roles: the noble, clean-cut Commissioner Gordon and the disheveled, cynical Jackson Lamb.
Gary Oldman’s History of Cinematic Callbacks
This is not the first time Slow Horses has woven Gary Oldman’s filmography into its script. In Season 3, the show referenced his Oscar-winning performance in Darkest Hour, where he played Winston Churchill.
In a scene with politician Peter Judd, played by Samuel West, Lamb quotes a line about reasoning with a tiger. He asks Judd who said it, and Judd identifies it as a quote from Churchill. The clever layer is that the line was actually written for the film Darkest Hour and was not a real Churchill quote. Furthermore, Samuel West also appeared in Darkest Hour, sitting beside Oldman in the very scene where the “tiger” line is originally delivered.
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These recurring references suggest the Slow Horses writers enjoy planting these subtle connections for attentive fans. They serve as a celebration of Gary Oldman’s long and varied career, connecting his current acclaimed TV role with his legendary film performances.
Slow Horses Seasons 1-5 are available to stream globally on Apple TV+.
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