Chris Connor reviews the second episode of Slow Horses season 5…
Slow Horses returned for its fifth season with an explosive opener with the Abbotsfield shooting and aftermath its clear the Slough House crew will once again have their work cut out and with Roddy Ho implicated, the case is closer to Aldersgate than they may have expected.
The opening segments of episode two see Shirley racing to get to Ho before the antagonists do, their motives at this point still unclear. Roddy is unaware of the potential threat to his life, with Chris Chung brilliantly capturing his obliviousness. In one of the longest pre credits sequences in the show to date, Lamb, who has arrived ahead of Ho and the Rodster, manages to outwit their assailants. Why do they want Roddy of all people?
As with the opening episode the Slough House crew are grouped together more than they have been in previous series which leads to untested dynamics and groupings. JK Coe and River in particular a frequent delight, thrown on a hunt for Ho’s mysterious girlfriend. Lamb and Ho are such different forces of nature that the interplay between them at both Ho’s flat and a chic London restaurant makes for compelling TV.
Diana, meeting with former Home Secretary Peter Judd, absent in Season 3, gets wind of where the weapons used in the Abbotsfield incident may have originated. We are treated to our first taste of Lamb and Taverner’s interactions this season, as The Park puts Slough House in lockdown.
While it may only be limited to a handful of locations, ‘Incommunicado’ begins to reveal some dangling threads about the season and the scale of the threat facing The Park and Slough House. Lamb continues to be full of brilliant one-liners, and the chemistry between the team remains a delight to watch.
Slow Horses season 5 continues to be another action-packed instalment full of suspense, intrigue and scathing putdowns. It builds on the opener and lays the groundwork for what promises to be another season to remember. The final moments tease an explosive episode ahead and even greater stakes.
Chris Connor
