I'm More Sure Than Ever That The More Alone The Horses Are, The Worse They Are At Their Jobs

Warning: This review includes spoilers for Slow Horses Season 5, Episode 4

Just a week ago, I was singing the praises of Slow Horses and the growth the title characters showed this season, coming together to escape Devon (Cherrelle Skeete) and Slough House. Then, poof, like a magic act, the teamwork disappears, and we once again have our horses tripping, slipping, and dropping paint cans all over themselves and certain PMs. I should’ve known this would happen when Lamb (Gary Oldman) complimented/denigrated his team to Flyte (Ruth Bradley) with, “At least my lot f**k up on an epic scale, they’re not just run-of-the-mill f**kups like yours“.

And epic f**kups are they ever. Last week, we got a grip on what’s happening in London as the mayoral race gets underway. The terrorist cell led by Farouk (Monty Ben) is attempting a destabilization campaign, and step five is “Assassinate a Populist Leader”. And would you look at that, London mayor Zafar Jaffrey (Nick Mohammed) and right-wing firebrand challenger Dennis Gimball (Christopher Villiers) are about to host separate rallies for their campaigns. “Who to protect?” wonders Slough House, and even if they guess right, will they have the skill and attention to detail to save the day?

The Slow Horses Are Not As Sharp When They’re Alone

Shirley Misses Another Chance To Apprehend One Of The Terrorists

With the Slow Horses out of Slough House, everyone scatters to find out what they can. Shirley (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) and Standish (Saskia Reeves) attend Jaffrey’s rally, Coe (Tom Brooke) and River (Jack Lowden) head to Gimball’s, and Lamb pays a visit to Ho’s (Christopher Chung) “girlfriend” Tara (Hiba Bennani). Lamb deduces Tara’s real location via some old-school detective work. Flyte and the dogs, on the other hand, used the tried and true trick of goading Ho into revealing more information than even he thought he knew.

Flyte may not be a Slow Horse, but sometimes she feels more closely aligned with their “chewing gum and paperclips” kind of detective work than the bureaucratic, sometimes illegal Taverner version of MI5. Often frustrated and disgusted with Lamb, Flyte also always seems a bit impressed with him despite herself. Lamb and Flyte agree on a tenuous partnership to apprehend Tara, who is indeed staying at Ho’s apartment. Maybe she legitimately has feelings for Rodzilla after all.

The other horses are not quite as successful. At least Standish and Shirley manage to save Jaffrey. Shirley very nearly loses track of Farouk, who has snuck into Jaffrey’s rally with a nifty-looking caulk-sniper rifle right out of James Bond, but Standish continues to show that she would make a competent agent if she were ever allowed. She not only spots Farouk and alerts Shirley, but also causes a ruckus during Jaffrey’s speech, enough to obstruct Farouk’s shot. Shirley misses her chance to take him down, and he escapes in that same van, nearly running her over again.

The Gimball Storyline Is Muddled, Though It Rights Itself By The End Of The Episode

Coe & River Continue To Be A Delightful Odd Couple

At least Shirley fares better than Coe and River, who continue to be a wonderful pairing, with Coe showing some real emotion, or his version of it, when River notices he’s wounded because River dismissed his destabilization theory earlier. The pair go to Gimball’s rally, where, as River says, “everyone looks like a murderer” to attempt to stop the unsavory politician’s demise.

Slow Horses is usually best at a gallop. The collision of several storylines in episode 4, “Missiles”, slows things down, and the plot congeals for a few minutes toward the end. Whelan (James Callis) plays a blackmail Uno Reverse card on Gimball, the son of an illegal immigrant from Turkey and a criminal, and his mud-slinging wife Dodie (Victoria Hamilton), who once dated a prominent Marxist; so now Gimball’s off his game. Maybe that’s why, while practicing his speech in the alley, he says the quiet part out loud to Tyson (Abraham Popoola), Jaffrey’s black Chief of Staff.

Tyson just came to discuss how both candidates could avoid scorching one another too much. Gimball, never one to miss a chance to espouse his deeply held prejudices, receives a right hook from Tyson for his deplorable comment. River, assuming Tyson is one of the terrorists, springs into action, resulting in a baffling brawl. Tyson flees, River thinks he’s succeeded, and Gimball assumes he’s been saved by a loyal voter.

It’s all a bit too much in too short a scene, but things quickly straighten out when Coe descends from the scaffolding above, knocking over some filled paint cans that land square on Gimball’s skull, killing him. Lamb was right. When the Slow Horses f**k up, they do so epically.