Emma Thompson Has Never Been Hotter Than on ‘Down Cemetery Road’

There are many things to love about AppleTV’s conspiracy thriller, Down Cemetery Road: the deliciously complicated interlocking plots, the darkly comic espionage foibles, the hard feline set of Ruth Wilson’s eyes as she unravels the mystery; these are all wonders well worth your time. The real reason for the season, however, is the un-toppable, unstoppable Emma Thompson who has never been hotter than as P.I. supreme Zoe Boehm. That’s right, this is an Emma Thompson thirst piece! This year, we give thanks to the true queen of our hearts.

Viewers first meet Zoe as she carps at her husband and fellow investigator Joe (Adam Godley). Thompson and Godley channel shades of screwball comedy together as meek, shabby Joe shrugs off Zoe’s quick, wry barbs. With every roll of the eyes and toss of the head, Thompson suggests this patter is a part of their routine; the rueful shtick that couples put on when there’s an audience.

In lazier hands, Zoe could easily become a harpy with flat, depthless cruelty, but Thompson imbues her with multitudes in every movement. Through such simple things as a quirk of the lips or a softening of the eyes, Thompson suggests a conflicted emotional world where the scars and hopes of a tested, hard-bitten partnership pile and layer upon each other.

As the mystery of Down Cemetery Road ramps up, Zoe becomes the investigative bedrock of the series. When she questions a witness or skulks around looking for clues, Thompson effortlessly summons this aura of impossibly sexy capability. Amidst the tension of government agents and mysterious explosions, Zoe is a sigh of relief; we’re in good hands. Especially compared to how Sarah (Wilson) can blunder through the investigation, Zoe is a professional who radiates a cool passion.

Thompson joins a prickly affect with a sharp sense of justice that makes Zoe a type of soured, battered knight. Even when she lashes out, it’s clear that there’s a tenderness underneath the rough shell. This wounded heart peeks out moments like when Joe’s mother pointedly references Zoe’s consistent infidelity or when she lingers in bed with her beau on the side. Wistful smiles and suppressed grimaces suggest that Zoe herself doesn’t entirely understand why she does this. Thompson imbues Zoe with human frailties that counterbalance her sleuthing genius.

Down Cemetery Road’s askance, darkly comic tone is recognizable to any fans of Slow Horses. This is down to both shows adapting novels by Mick Herron, but it also owes the mood to its respective centerpiece performers. Thompson’s Zoe stands as a complementary foil to Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb. They’re both abrasive, rough-and-tumble, coldly pragmatic leaders who won’t gladly suffer fools. Where Jackson is all farts and rumpled coats, Zoe is black leather jackets and kohl-rimmed eyes. With her spiky spray of steely hair and a cynical set to her jaw, Thompson looks like a former rockstar getting an incognito drink at a dive bar. She looks like the best kind of wicked, the finest trouble.

She’s just astounding to behold. With pathos and gumption pouring off her in waves, and with piercing eyes glaring from under silver hair, Emma Thompson is hotter in her 60s than I could ever hope to be at half her age. Emma Thompson has always been hot, but in playing the knife-sharp Zoe Boehm, she’s the hottest she’s ever been.