Chris Connor reviews the fourth episode of Slow Horses season 6…
As it hits its second half Slow Horses’ sixth season continues to be a busy affair as River and Sid dodge the pair of Russian assassins while Lamb, Ho, Reece and Flyte try to stay one step ahead of Frank Harnkness and his new cohort. The result is another action packed spectacle as the reunited River & Sid (and JK Coe) are chased from an arcade to a service station, the show impressively finding room for laughs amidst the mayhem.
For a lot of shows this storyline could have comfortably occupied 30-40 minutes on its own but with the amount of main cast members and storylines the show has to accommodate we are spread across 3-4 sets of plots. Director Adam Randall and the writing team once again impressively manage to combine ‘Joe Country’ and ‘Slough House’ to make what is a cohesive whole and still has the recognisable brand and tone of the show fans have come to love.
It almost has the feel of a finale with a fan favourite slow horse, JK Coe meeting a sticky end. Will he be the last casualty on this rampage with the Russian duo already stacking up quite the body count. River is also caught in the crossfire but barely gets a moment to rest trying to not only keep an eye out for himself but his team.
The team finds out it is Damien pulling Frank’s strings. How does Frank’s job link to the Russians? Damien is clearly in the employ of the Russians in one way or another and we now know that Sid’s name was used for an unsanctioned hit on Russian soil. The threads slowly coming together but spelling more danger for Slough House with every passing moment. Harkness proved enough in season 4 to seriously dent the team so coupled with Russian hitmen and the GRU, this is stretching the Slow Horses to their absolute limit.
If there is one downside to this episode it is that Louisa, Shirley and Catherine’s storyline is a tad tagged on but there will surely be moments for them in the spotlight in the episodes to come.
As we near the endgame of season 6, we have answers to some of the lingering questions but a few still unanswered. How will Sid escape her captors and escape being used as a sacrificial pawn by Taverner. A blockbusting final two episodes promise to bring the season to an explosive close.
Chris Connor
