Fiasco – The show begins with Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar) and Min Harper (Dustin Demri-Burns) struggling over a wrought-iron gate. Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) unlocks the gate while Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves) refuses to enter until he explains Diana Taverner’s voicemail. He assures her that now is not the right time to discuss it. Relenting, she follows him through the graveyard, where they meet Min and Louisa. Lamb scolds them for not having Struan Loy (Paul Higgins). Louisa explains how MI5 agents got to him first when Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) makes an appearance. Lamb asks about the whereabouts of River Cartwright (Jack Lowden). Roddy sarcastically says he went to the hospital to wake Sleeping Beauty.

Roddy explains how he got spooked with MI5 Agent Hobbs (Chris Coghill) arrived at the hospital. Lamb warns them that Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) will try to blame the failed kidnapping on Slough House. Louisa asks what become of Hassan Ahmed (Antonio Aakeel). He says Hassan may already be dead or will be very soon. As they prepare to exit the graveyard, Cartwright arrives. Out of breath, he calls Roddy a foul name before telling them about a meeting between Alan Black “Moe” (Sam Hazeldine) and Diana. Lamb asks him to explain what Black and Diana were doing. He says the secret meeting took place at a gym café. Standish tells him that no one would believe him over Diana. He claims to have photographed their meeting as part of MI5 surveillance training. Roddy asks what happened to the photo.

Lamb gives a speech about the possibility of them never seeing him again. He calls them “useless” before ordering Cartwright to accompany him to find his photo of the secret meeting. Louisa suggests they try locating Hassan. Lamb assures them that their effort will push the kidnappers to finish what they started.

Curly (Brian Vernel) drives to their planned location, where they agree to set Hassan free. Zeppo (Stephen Walters) says officials believe they are still going to behead Hassan in the morning. He assures them it will never happen. Curly points out that the media didn’t mention a dead Hassan. Zeppo says they probably haven’t located the body. Curly believes MI5 wants to cover up the kidnapping. He suggests they have fun while resisting arrest, so MI5 will kill them. Hassan tries desperately to remove the hand ties.

Cartwright enters Slough House alone.

Standish, Louisa, Roddy, and Min visit the Smithfield 24HR Café. Standish expresses her empathy for Hassan. Min asks Roddy how he has the appetite to eat.  Roddy assures him that MI5 is nowhere near them. Louisa accuses him of hacking MI5’s computer system. Bragging about his successful MI5 computer breach, he tells them the agents are at monitoring their credit card, passport, and cellphone activities. When Standish reminds them of Lamb, Min tells her that Lamb will forget them, the minute his plan fails. Standish says he is wrong about Lamb. She starts to quote something Charles said about Lamb but catches herself. Min pretends his finger is a gun and points it into his mouth. She assures them if someone harms them, Lamb will not stop until he gets them.

They are distracted by a news segment about Hassan’s kidnapping. Standish asks Roddy where Regent’s Park is at in the investigation. Tapping a few keys on his laptop, he says MI5 agents have narrowed the suspect’s vehicle down to 10.  She gathers information on Black. He says Black was having a fling with the wife of the Venezuelan ambassador, which led to his being sent to Slough House. She mentions how Black would’ve needed money working undercover, with the Sons of Albion. Louisa says Black didn’t like to spend money. Min adds that Diana would do whatever to keep the expense off the books. Standish asks Roddy to investigate Black to see if he was utilizing an older ID.

Cartwright gradually advances into Slough House, where he finds Jed Moody (Steven Waddington) still lying in the stair landing. He removes a cellphone taped to the inside of a desk.

Roddy informs them that Black was actually Dermot Radcliffe.

Cartwright removes Jed’s shirt.

Webb tells Diana about Lamb and Standish forcing them out of their car at gunpoint. Agent Owen (Lesley Harcourt) says fingerprints from the house at Roupell Street matched Curly, Larry, and Zeppo. She explains how the suspects have prior criminal convictions. Diana asks about her progress on the suspects’ vehicle. She says they have narrowed them down to eight. Before Diana walks away, she suggests the suspects may be taking backgrounds to avoid CCTV.

Curly alerts the others of a low fuel warning. Zeppo and Larry begin to trip out about the blood on their clothes and the CCTV. Curly suggests they continue driving until the van runs out of petrol when they behead Hassan. Zeppo assures him that isn’t necessary. Curly says he refuses to let Regent’s Park get away with making them look like jokes. As he rambles on about showing them that they mean business, Zeppo pulls his gun on him. Larry demands to know where the gun came from. He admits to finding it on Moe’s body after Curly killed him. Hassan begins to bang his feet up against the wall of the van. Zeppo orders Larry to assess him to ensure he is all right. Larry says he is ill. After cocking the gun, he orders Curly to pull the van over on the side of the road.

When the van comes to a stop, Zeppo orders Curly to get out. Hassan vomits when the tape is removed from his mouth. Reminding Zeppo of the van being out of petrol, Curly asks what’s his strategy. He suggests they get petrol before heading to the boat, where they will free Hassan. Larry questions who will be responsible for fuel. Laughing, Zeppo delegates the petrol to Hassan.

Bragging about his hacking skills, Roddy says Triple-D Car Hire. Standish asks about the registration number. He says an SQL injection will take several hours. As he works on his laptop, Standish runs across the road to utilize a payphone. Min reminds him of Hassan’s beheading. Roddy threatens to expose his online porn search. Min swears there is nothing there to hide but immediately changes his mind when he sees Roddy tapping away at the keys on his laptop. Louisa accuses him of acting like an 8-year-old just when Standish returns with the registration number DE15 CGK. They ask how she got it. She explains how she contacted Triple-D Car Hire pretending to be Dermot Radcliff. She claims to have reported an accident in one of their rental vehicles. Roddy ignores Luisa when she suggests he thank Standish. He says Regent’s Park is searching for the vehicle.

Standish suggests they find a way to get MI5’s focus on the suspect vehicle. Min questions how that is possible without drawing attention to themselves. Louisa scolds him for not considering Hassan. Standish asks Roddy if it is possible for them to track the vehicle.

Lamb watches a vehicle speeding past security. The security guard activates the emergency alarm. Lamb sings to “I Would Walk 500 Miles” by The Proclaimers. Security guards surround the suspect’s vehicle. He continues to sing as an agent points his gun at him through the driver’s side window. When the agent asks him to step out of his vehicle, Lamb suggests he alert Diana that the car has been returned. Lamb says they need to discuss a damage waiver.

Zeppo asks Hassan to assist them in return for his freedom. Frantic, Hassan nodes in agreement. Curly warns him of Hassan being able to identify them. Hassan tries to bribe them with his uncle’s money. Curly attacks him while accusing him of lying. Zeppo informs them of his plan to hold Hassan hostage until his uncle pays them a ransom. Curly angrily shakes his head.

Lamb is singing when Duffy arrives. Duffy orders him out of the car. Placing his hand up to his ear, Lamb pretends to not understand. Duffy accuses him of pulling a gun on him. He points out that Standish pulled the gun on Webb, not him. Duffy orders him out of the car. He asks if there is any danger of him getting shot. When Duffy says no, Lamb reminds him of his itch impulse. Relenting, he gets out of the car.

Curly pulls up to a gas station. Zeppo tells Hassan that he is to fill the tank. He agrees to do it. Before Larry gives Hassan money to pay for the gas, he questions if he will run. Curly threatens to kill a woman, with two children if he tries to run. As Hassan starts to fill when the Young Mum (Bronwyn James) approaches to ask for assistance. Hassan suggests she get the Petrol Attendant (James Anthony-Rose) to help. Address Hassan as Mervin, Curly tells him to assist the lady. Curly apologizes for Hassan’s behavior, claiming it is due to his upcoming wedding. She tells Hassan that he looks like the Muslim boy who was kidnapped. Hassan makes a joke about them all looking the same. He fixes the lady’s gas cap and returns to the van.

Larry tells him to pay for the gas. Curly gets out of the van when another car pulls up. He pays the attendant before rushing back to the van. Larry says he did great before Curly pulls away from the convenience store.

Diana tells Lamb about Black’s body being found in Slough House. She says Black was part of the Sons of Albion that kidnapped Hassan. He reminds her of their previous conversation, where she claimed to have an undercover to set up the kidnapping. She says someone witnessed him and Black in a meeting after he left Slough House. Lamb asks if Struan’s word is as good as his. She assures him that Standish will follow Struan when she discovers the real reason why he was sent to Slough House. She claims Jed committed suicide. He suggests she have the case closed before him and Ingrid Tearney (Sophie Okonedo) take her down. Shrugging off his threat, she says there is no evidence against her.

She offers his freedom in exchange for a signed statement that says he met with Black. Lamb suggests that would end his career. She says it would include a decent pension. He asks what Tearney would think about it. She threatens to drag Standish down by charging her with treason. When Lamb jumps up to scratch his bum, Diana appears startled. He assures her the deal is fantastic since he is boxed into a corner. He agrees to sign the statement but remembers Duffy’s car is rigged with a bomb. She rushes off to relay this information to Duffy while Lamb sings “I Would Walk 500 Miles.”

A bomb robot is sent out to assess the vehicle for a bomb. What looks like a bomb appears on the screen. Duffy curses Lamb before ordering his men to conduct a search for an intruder.

When Webb enters his office, an unknown suspect shoves him to the floor. Removing his ski mask, Cartwright orders him to give him the file. He denies knowing anything about any file. Cartwright puts the gun to his head while ordering him to get the file, with a photo from his surveillance training. Webb continues to deny knowing anything about the photo. He accuses Webb of screwing him over, so Diana would have a legit reason to remove him from Regent’s Park. Cartwright knocks him out cold before he can yell for help. He searches through the files as MI5 agents look for him. A 1417 alert is announced over the intercom, sending everyone scurrying. Cartwright whispers, “Stansted.” He checks the file to find nothing. He finds the “Fiasco” file just in time for the agents to appear. They enter and force him down on the floor.

Diana gives Lamb his makeshift bomb. He admits to forgetting the detonator. She alerts him of Duffy’s search for Cartwright. He admits to sneaking Cartwright in to test Regent’s Park’s security system. When the phone rings, she tells the person on the other side to send him to the basement. Before he signs the statement, he asks who was taken to the basement when Cartwright enters. Diana tries to make a call, but they stop her. Cartwright flops the “Fiasco” file on her desk. She threatens to call in armed guards. They assure her that it wouldn’t be in her favor. Lamb points out that the photo is of her and Black. He accuses her of setting up a false flag to score points.

Marking out his name, Lamb orders her to sign the statement. She assures him that her meeting with an ex-MIA agent doesn’t mean anything. Cartwright asks if she has a problem with them sending the photo to Tearney. Lamb suggests he send it to all the top dogs. When she asks what they want, Lamb says Hassan found alive. She informs him of the three suspect vehicles. He suggests she reach to a contact of Robert Hobden (Paul Hilton).

Larry asks Hassan about his uncle’s money. He asks how much they want. Curly asks if his uncle is a billionaire. He questions why his rich uncle permitted him to live in a dump in Leeds. Hassan says his uncle wanted him to make it on his own. Zeppo asks why Hassan would tell a fallacy about his uncle. Curly agrees to give him the benefit of the doubt after his good performance at the gas station under one condition. Pointing out Hassan is a standup comedian he wants him to make him laugh. He tells a joke about the Sons of Albion. Zeppo tells him the joke is an insult, not funny.

Zeppo and Larry laugh at his second joke. Curly laughs at his third joke. He continues telling jokes and they continue laughing. Stopping the van in the middle of the road, Curly shoots Zeppo dead. Larry and Hassan stare in horror as Curly says, “Now, that’s fu**ing funny.”  He lays the gun on the dashboard as the episode comes to an end.

 

Slow Horses Review

As the show nears the season finale, Hassan’s life hangs in the balance. With Zeppo gone, there is only Larry to protect him from Curly. If Slow Horses don’t find him and find him quickly, he will probably not survive after they reach the boat.

Cartwright and Lamb are backing Diana into a corner. Even if they have her signed statement and the photos, she will probably get away unscathed. Manipulators always have a backup plan.

Brian Vernel’s performance is believable, so much so, that I found myself fearing his wrath. Vernel, David Walmsley, and Stephen Walters are the highlight of the show.

Lamb may have shined through more than Roddy who seems to be the show’s jester. I found myself laughing at his silly antics during his arrest.

It is worth mentioning, many of the scenes are filled with fluff. It made for a boring first half of the episode. The cast just sitting in the café was a bore fest, in my own opinion.

The episode deserves a 6.5. Get more Slow Horses recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking on the link to learn more.