TV Shows: Slow Horses S4 E3
Friday, September 20, 2024
Be warned, there are possible spoilers ahead!
Things are starting to heat up in this week episode, Penny For Your Thoughts, as we follow three main threads. River may have been rescued from Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving) over at the chateau, but is, as usual, still deep in the shit. Meeting with Bertrand’s mother, Natasha, and uncle, we get some really important background on the fake Robert Winters (the Mall bomber) and his brothers. As it turns out Harkness has been running a stud farm for children at Les Arbres, in order to turn them into his secret army.
Which begs the question, why?
The why, I think, has something to do with River’s grandfather. David Cartwright seemingly rambling about the Mall bombing to Catherine in her apartment, may or may not be talking about current events. Given we know he’s got dementia and prone to living in the past. What sealed it for me is his insistence he speak to First Desk, and Catherine placating him telling him First Desk would be dealing with cables from Berlin. Something that would have happened back in the 60s - 70s. Hinting he’s talking about something from his past. Events that have set in motion a ripple down through the years. Revenge?
The third thread in all this is, of course, with the rest of the Slow Horses and Jackson Lamb, dealing with an assassin hellbent on rubbing out Bad Sam Chapman and David Cartwright. But the French assassin may be clever and capable, but still, hasn’t factored in the sheer clumsy determination of the Slow Horses to imped his mission. No one messes with Lamb’s Joes, and while his crew are getting a beat down he casually steals a London cab and mows down our would be killer.
All in all, we had an explosive, very droll, dark episode with another series of quiet subtle revelations, that just go to show this is one of the best scripted shows on TV right now. So damn clever.