Failure’s Contagious – The show begins with Agent River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) waiting for someone at Heathrow Airport. He asks for the ETA of the suspect. James “Spider” Webb (Freddie Fox) informs him it is less than a minute. Seconds later, he asks if a handover has taken place. River assures him that it hadn’t before saying the code words, “eyes on dogs.” Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) questions why the target is airside, instead of inbound as claimed by Intel. Webb says the agent made visual contact with the target. She orders him to confirm again. Webb provides River with a physical description of the suspect. River assures him that the target is surrounded. He changes locations when a cleaning cart blocks his view of the target.

Diana questions the meaning of River’s potential handover comment. Ordering him to provide more clarity, Webb asks if anything was detected on CCTV. He informs them of a potential handover when he lost visibility of the suspect. Now, he is positive a handover took place. Webb orders him to hold his position and not intercept. River warns that the suspect is traveling. Webb repeats the previous order as the target gets in line to board the plane. He informs him of Second Desk’s decision to not intercept. River tries to encourage her to permit him to intercept. Nick Duffy (Chris Reilly) assures Diana that the target going to the lower level protects about 300 people. She reminds him of the plane being loaded with fuel.

River informs Diana that the first passengers have reached the tarmac. She issues an order to have the target apprehended. River and other agents apprehend the target. Pouring the contents of the backpack on the ground, he says he is clean. Diana assures them that they have the wrong suspect and orders a description. River says the suspect is wearing a white tee and blue shirt. Webb reminds him of his description, a blue tee and white shirt. The suspect (Ved Sapru) wearing a blue tee and white shirt appears on surveillance footage heading toward the immigration, main terminal. When Diana orders River to stand down, he runs toward a tarmac worker and confiscates his car. The suspect passes through the security gate. While River runs toward the baggage area, Duffy works on getting agents in the area of the suspect. Webb suggests they have transport police available at the suspect’s location.

The suspect passes up the baggage claim area. River takes off in the suspect’s direction, pushing passengers out of his path. The suspect can be seen on surveillance footage swapping backpacks. An emergency alarm is activated River looks around for the suspect. Duffy continues to issue orders while River pushes his way through the airport terminal. He body slams a bodyguard who tries to stop him. The suspect is waiting for the train when River catches him. He activates a detonator in his right hand, causing a major explosion.

Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) is awakened by what appears to be flatulence. Gradually sitting up, he looks around his filthy flat. A puff from his cigarette causes him to cough. He looks out a window to see Catherine Standish (Saskia reeves) crossing the street in front of traffic. She rushes up the steps to a locked door. A man can be seen monitoring four computer screens. She looks around before climbing a set of steps to her office, where she retrieves a pile of folders before Lamb calls her name. When she enters his office, he asks if everyone is present. She informs him that Sidonie “Sid” Baker (Olivia Cooke) and River haven’t arrived yet. He wants whoever arrives last to clean his lavatory.

River arrives with two black bags filled with trash. He pours the trash onto the floor.

Robert Hobden (Paul Hilton) enters a café to be greeted by Max who asks if he wants his usual. As he removes his coat, Sid informs him that Max is actually Theodosios Makris (Miltos Yerolemou). He agrees to continue calling him Max.

River goes through the trash when Standish enters. She asks what he is hoping to find in the trash. He says something that will give him a reason to not kill himself. He admits to not knowing what to find in the trash. She questions if Sid will be amused by his tossing the trash on the floor.

Entering another room, Standish dumps her box on the desk of Min Harper (Dustin Demri-Burns). She orders him to cross-check a pile of Bradford addresses, driver’s license applications, and council tax records. She asks Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar) to assess lending documents over the last year for signs of money laundering. Teasing, Min describes Louisa’s work as “topical.” Struan Loy (Paul Higgins) is asked to review Euston area parking tickets. When he discovers the parking tickets are dated in the 90s, he says, “No stone unturned.” Before Standish can escape, Struan informs her of Louisa and Min’s thumbs-down reaction to his pub quiz team. Louisa admits to giving it a middle finger. His team spirit comment gets him nowhere, even Standish says no. He promises to crack her yet. Min warns him that it will never happen. They all agree if they were Lamb’s flunkey, they wouldn’t lighten up either.

Standish hands over decades of Syrian flight inquiries to Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung). He promises to create algorithms for the task, so the rest of the day can be his own. She tells Jed Moody (Steven Waddington) that transport police want him to stop instilling fear in people, so they will stop utilizing the bus stop. He tells her the people could be watching them. She suggests they are just waiting for the bus. When he finds out that Lamb has a new hire for him to interview, he angrily curses. He cuts her off while trying to explain how the process works. He says Lamb gives him five meals for free to turn a blind eye if a new hire is undocumented.

Hobden speaks on the phone about waiting for a story to break while staring at the news article “Judd Refuses to back PM.” He wants 2,000 words dedicated to the story that he describes as being like “Watergate.” Sid asks for his newspaper. He reluctantly agrees. As she bends over to pick it up, she intentionally tips over his coffee. He hurriedly jumps up to save his computer and documents. When he leaves to retrieve paper towel, she steals his USB flash drive and sticks it in her computer before. He returns but immediately leaves again, giving her enough time to replace the USB flash drive back into his computer.

While searching through the trash, River gags. Lamb thumps on the floor to request he visit his office. Lamb questions if he discovered anything in the trash. River complains that he doesn’t know exactly what he is searching for. He assures him it is something related to his “once-promising” career. River asks if they have any intel to support their investigation. Lamb reminds him that questions are for spies who haven’t pooped in their bed. He asks if he discovered anything in the trash. He says only the back cover of a notebook. Lamb continues to berate River while reminding him of who is in charge. River asks if he wants Hobden to be surveilled. Lamb laughs when River says he would be over Hobden’s surveillance. He reminds him of what happened the last time he led a surveillance project. A bomb killed 149 and injured 212 innocent people.

River says it was a training exercise. Lamb tells him that it can’t be brushed off as nothing happened. River asks if this is going to be a daily occurrence. Lamb says he would visit his house if he didn’t detest him. He describes all the people working in the building as “fu** ups,” but he is the worst. He admits to having him search a disgraced journalist’s trash because of how much he dislikes him. Sid walks in with a laptop. Lamb questions if the content belongs to Hobden. She explains how she was able to distract him to retrieve his data. Lamb utilizes Sid as an example of a “good agent” who earned her surveillance job. While Standish and Lamb are distracted, River asks Sid about Hobden’s flash drive. She claims to know nothing. He pleads with her to tell him. Lamb runs them out of his office.

As they walk down the stairs, River asks Sid why Lamb had them both surveilling Hobden. She informs him that he wasn’t actually surveilling Hobden, she was.  He reminds her of Hobden being a “has-been journalist,” with two agents tailing him.

Lamb informs Diana that he has Hobden’s flash drive. Refusing to send a courier to retrieve the files, she suggests he send one of his “donkeys.” He agrees to do it, but without any delivery guarantee. She orders him to put Sid on the job. He reminds her that she owes him a favor.

Sid fidgets with a hole in his rubber glove when Sid enters the room. She asks if he is going to clean up the rubbish. He says when you give me a chance. She leaves for a coffee when Lamb bangs on the floor. Lamb is disappointed to see River instead of Sid. He informs her that Sid went for coffee. Lamb tells him it is doubtful she went for a coffee, but to get away from him. He orders him to make a delivery to Regent’s Park. River questions why the agency wanted Slough House to be involved in Hobden’s investigation. Lamb assures him Sid was chosen to deliver it, but since she is unavailable, he can deliver it to Webb.

On his way to Regent’s Park, River stops at a public toilet. When he tries to pry a panel off what looks like an electric box, he gets shocked. He moves Hobden’s folder over to a USB flash drive. After passing security, he informs a receptionist (Olwen May) that he is with MI5. She checks the database but doesn’t find him. Whispering, he says Aldersgate. She doesn’t recognize it. He tells her Slough House. She tells him that he will need to obtain a visitor pass. As he prepares to go alone to Webb’s office, she tells him to wait for an escort.

He is escorted to the office of Webb who greets him with a handshake. River refuses to shake his hand. Webb boasts about his Truefitt & Hill wet shave. River comments on the many filing cabinets in the room. He scoffs to think he works in HR. Webb denies it is HR, but vetting. River questions if he will ever admit to providing the wrong description of the suspect. Webb has a smile on his face while shaking his head. He accuses him of letting him take the fall for his mistake. Webb reminds him of all the people he got killed. River denies it was real, claiming the victims were actors. Webb plays a recording of the event that led to River getting booted as an MI5 agent. River says at least there are no humans in his hands. Webb repeats the same back to him, adding he is a “dick. Webb informs him of his grandfather pulling strings to get him in the Slough House. River says, “Fu** you, Spider,” reminding him how much he detests his nickname.

Lamb is asleep at his desk when Standish drops off today’s folders. He utilizes his foot to push them off the desk and onto the floor. Picking them up, she asks what killed his former servant. He asks what killed her former boss before pouring them a drink. Shaking her head, she walks away. All the workers leave at the same time but separate outside the building. As River passes a diner, he notices Lamb eating alone.

River listens to a recording of Greg Simmonds (Christopher Villers) complaining about people crossing the English Channel. Simmonds yells, “Keep Britain, British.” Jumping when the light comes on, he turns around to see Sid. She describes his appearance as looking like a “mole.” She picks up an issue of the “Albion Dreams.” He admits to finding it in Hobden’s trash. She calls him a “closet Nationalist.” He informs her of MI5’s suspicion that Simmonds is financially supporting hate groups. She suggests he not spend his downtime watching hate group videos. He asks why she returned to the office. She says to retrieve a phone charger. As they discuss having drinks, Lamb blames himself for their being in the office after 5 pm. She repeats her phone charger excuse while River says he is going to clean up the trash from earlier.

Lamb warns them that if they are discovered “indulging in extracurricular activities,” they will regret it. Sid smiles as she turns to look at River.

Hobden visits Max’s Café as he is cleaning up. He inquires about Sid. He asks Max if she left immediately after him. Max says possibly. Handing him his phone number, he asks Max to call if Sid returns. He agrees but wads the phone number up, saying “Dirty old man.”

River conducts research on Hobden before driving away. Lamb sleeps at his desk. Standish attends an alcohol support group. In a flashback, she calls for Charles as she enters a building. She walks through the hallway to find a puddle of blood on the floor. A lady reminds Standish that she hasn’t spoken. She admits to being an alcoholic.

River removes a wrap from his hand before getting out of his vehicle. He enters to find David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce) preparing a meal in the kitchen. He asks if he knew the front door was open. David claims to have seen him outside. They discuss River’s mother who is in Istanbul, where she and her boyfriend plan to establish a guesthouse. David believes she will rethink her plans when she receives a card. He assures him that his time at Slough House will be over soon. River reminds him of it being eight months. David refuses to answer his questions when he asks about Lamb.

Hobden informs someone named Jack of an imminent attack. He refuses to speak further due to fear of putting his life in danger. He warns him if he refuses to take action, he will have blood on his hands.

At Leeds University, Hassan Ahmed (Antonio Aakeel) speaks with his classmate who asks if he will be at the meeting. The student informs Hassan of complaints the club received about his booking. He says the term “religion” is nearly off-limits due to fear of someone being offended. Denying his content is controversial, the student reminds Hassan that he wrote some of it. Hassan promises to support from the audience. It appears as if someone is watching them from outside the facility.

David pours drinks for himself and River. He questions what happened to his hand. River lies about burning it on a grill but eventually comes clean about opening a flash box to access Hobden’s computer. David suggests he never tell anyone about it. He says Hobden’s case is different than anything else the Slough House has done. David says Hobden believed in communism as a youth. After changing parties, a data leak revealed he donated to the British Patriotic Party. River questions why MI5 went after Hobden because he is virtually a has-been. David orders him to keep his nose clean to avoid getting caught up in it.

The student speaks at a club. His speech is geared toward Muslims and Jesus. Hassan is in the audience to support his friend. As they leave the club, two people can be seen putting on ski masks. Hassan is kidnapped while crossing the street. They force him into the back of a van.

River arrives at work, where he finds Roddy sitting in front of his computer. Roddy refuses to check something for River because he hasn’t clocked in. When River gives him cash, he checks it to ensure it isn’t counterfeit. Roddy describes multiple rows of numbers on the computer screen as “pi.” He denies it is a code. Sid accuses him of copying Hobden’s file. He tells her that she wouldn’t know unless she did the same thing. She admits to at least knowing it was pi. Roddy informs him that Hobden probably expected a snatch, so he utilized pi as a decoy.

River asks, her why was a snatch expected. She warns him of what could happen if Regent’s Park discovers the flash box was tampered with. He assures her that it will never happen. She pretends to care about his injured hand before slapping it. He tells her that Hobden’s case is significant for Slough House. Roddy calls for River to show him Hassan’s kidnapping. A video of a man wearing a ski mask appears on the screen. He is holding a copy of today’s edition of the “Daily Express.”

Diana watches a news segment about Hassan’s kidnapping. She requests a breakdown of the active groups. Peter Judd MP (Samuel West) speaks to a BBC report about people not standing up to their values.

Hobden is eating at Max’s Café when he sees the news segment.

All the workers are standing behind Roddy watching the news segment. Jed suggests they should watch it. Calling them all “fu**ups,” Lamb says the real agents will handle the investigation.  A kidnapper holding an ax removes Hassan’s ski mask. Sid points out that the kidnapper is not “white.” Someone suggests he is a “squaddie.” Lamb says he is Pakistani.  Roddy informs them that the “Sons of Albion” claim to be the kidnappers. He rushes them back to work. As they walk out of the room, River suggests Hobden’s British Patriotic Party may be associated with the kidnapping. Roddy informs that the kidnappers threaten to behead Hassan at sunrise. Lamb forces them back to work when he notices River isn’t among the workers.

River walks down the sidewalk when the episode comes to an end.

 

Slow Horses Review

Woke! I was hoping for something much better since there really hasn’t been any “great” spy series worth mentioning as of late. Unfortunately, the show turned out to be unbearably slow-paced and dull. While there is nothing of significance worth mentioning, I will say the berating of Slough House workers is a bit much. Why do these people continue to work for such an ungrateful, drunken, slob is beyond me.

The show is on the verge of cringeworthy. Who pours two bags of decaying rubbish on the floor of an office building? Even worse, the trash has gone untouched for at least 24 hours.

Slough House work is degrading, even for has-beens. It is almost as if they are there to do the dirty work of MI5. I struggle to think of anything else other than the constant berating.

The acting is good, but only one of the characters is worth mentioning. I’m not familiar with Christopher Chung, but he does a great job livening up his grungy, somber work environment. It is still early in the episode, so plenty of time for improvement. I will say there are way too characters who do not have a part in the show.

So far, the show isn’t even on the same level as John Le Carre’s “In From The Cold.” Margarita Levieva fabulously brought life to a rather dark spy show.

The episode deserves a 6. Get more Slow Horses recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link to learn more.