Just a brief note about what I loved in the Season 5 finale of Slow Horses, up on Apple TV+ this past Wednesday.
The answer is well, everything. But here are some specifics (with slight spoilers):
- River's grandfather comes through! His rambling about bees in episode 5.5 was an alert to how the terrorists besetting London had a final, potentially deadly sting in the tail-end of their attack, and Slough House and MI5 had to be careful not to overlook that.
- It was also really good to see River end up truly to form. His grandfather's counsel gets River to be able to save MI5 Director Whelan at the last minute. River wants out of Slough House and back with "the big boys again" (quote from Mick Jagger). And you know what? River's right. He's 100% correct that he's every bit as good as, in fact better than, the other agents in "The Park" (quote not from Jagger). But of course what he misses -- as does everyone else in Slough House, other than Lamb, who's well aware of this -- is that all the Slough House agents are better than the "big boys". (And that includes Rodney Ho.)
- And so it comes to pass -- as it does in every season-- that nothing ever really changes at Slough House. Even when its agents are killed (which happened in Seasons 2 and 4) This lends credence to the interpretation that Slough House is really a purgatory. Which maybe it is.
And see also Slow Horses 3.1-3.2: Beatles Level ... 3.3: The Meaningful Difference Between "The" and "A" in the UK ... 3.4: "Clear the Board" ... 3.5: Winners and Losers, Part 1 ... 3.6: Winners and Losers, Part 2
And see also Slow Horses 2.1-2.2: Do Horses Eat Ramen? ... 2.3: Faster Than You Think ... 2.4-2.5: Lamb Firing On All Cylinders ... Slow Horses 2.6: Heralds of Humiliation
And see also Slow Horses 1.1-2: Fast-Moving Spy Thriller ... Slow Horses 1.3: The Fine Art of Bumbling ... Slow Horses 1.4: Fine New Song by Mick Jagger ... Slow Horses 1.5: Did You Hear the One About the ... Slow Horses 1.6: The Scorecard
2 comments:
Why is Diana Taverner so opposed to River Cartwright returning to the Park?
Good question: I'd say the main reason is she wants to keep Slough House as the place where irredeemable agents are placed. That way, she can justify keeping the place open, when her superiors want to eliminate it. Because she herself actually believes Slough House is of great value.
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