Slow Horses Season-Premiere Recap: Red Flags

by

The new season of *Slow Horses* begins with a shocking scene: a campaign worker for Mayor Zafar Jaffrey (played by Nick Mohammed of *Ted Lasso*) is calmly trying to win over voters when a disgruntled young man approaches him. The worker acknowledges public frustration with politics, explaining he used to feel the same way, and begins to champion Jaffrey as a source of hope. Suddenly, the man pulls out a gun and starts shooting, killing the worker and ten others before being killed himself by a second shooter.

The shocking violence of this scene feels disturbingly relevant today, and it presents a significant shift for a show usually focused on the clumsy antics of a mismatched spy team and their complicated relationship with MI5. It’s more than just a wake-up call; the brief conversation between the campaign worker and the shooter is particularly impactful. While intelligence agencies typically spend considerable effort understanding a suspect’s motivations, the victim instantly grasps them. Later, MI5’s report on the shooter, identified as Rob True, reveals a painfully predictable profile: a man who felt rejected by women, ignored by society, and threatened by changes to his sense of British identity, wanting to inflict his pain on others. It’s a sadly familiar and unoriginal story.

A clever and unsettling idea in *Slow Horses* is that, in a world full of people like Travis Bickle who share their views online – a character named True visited a website called “the Unseen” – these individuals could easily be exploited by those in power. It’s as if there’s a network of potential agents who don’t even realize they’re being controlled. True was used in this way, then discarded, and there are likely many others who could be manipulated into similar acts of violence. It’s a strange and disturbing reality that mass shooters are now so frequent they could be used as pawns by a hidden organization. And it’s happening, surprisingly, within a reliably quirky and entertaining spy show.

The show’s move to a grimmer atmosphere feels right for this season of Slough House. Last season ended with serious events: Marcus was shot while working, and River reluctantly placed his grandfather in a care facility. Now, Louisa has quietly resigned, a fact everyone except River seems to recognize. She tells him she can’t cope with what she’s seen and suggests he’s also avoiding dealing with his own difficult emotions. Throughout the series, the agents of Slough House have struggled with feelings of inadequacy. Now, they must face the aftermath of a domestic terrorist act while also battling their own inner turmoil.

Despite a shocking opening, *Slow Horses* hasn’t lost its charm. We quickly see Roddy happily listening to music and nearly walking into traffic. Shirley saves him from being hit by a van – likely the same one used to arm the shooter – but Roddy is more upset about his headphones than finding out who almost ran him over. He’s remarkably oblivious and self-centered, and Jackson Lamb, who doesn’t appear much in this episode, seems equally unconcerned.

The humor in “Bad Dates” comes from Roddy’s unwavering belief that a stunning influencer would actually go out with him – something his coworkers find completely unbelievable. When Shirley starts following Roddy, convinced his recent brush with death wasn’t a coincidence, she’s floored by who she sees him with, causing a major panic at the agency. It’s clear to everyone that Roddy didn’t attract this date on his own merits, and Catherine has to convince River to take Shirley’s concerns seriously and hurry to the club to keep Roddy from becoming a target again.

From the balcony, River and Shirley watched Roddy dancing with a woman, observing them with detached curiosity. Shirley jokingly suggested the woman might be interested in a casual encounter, then quickly added that she’d prefer Lamb herself, but understood how someone might be attracted to Roddy’s looks. Shortly after, Shirley, prone to errors in judgment, mistakenly attacked a man she thought was armed, only to discover he was holding a bottle. River found her in the bathroom where Shirley quickly revealed a small packet of cocaine, struggling to explain why she’d relapsed. The loss of Marcus had caused her to start using drugs again.

Even more awkward is the episode’s ending, where Roddy awkwardly tries to escalate things with his date (“So… tonight?”), only to be gently turned down. She wants their first time to be meaningful, sounding surprisingly innocent, like a teenager brushing off an eager boyfriend. It’s clear Roddy is being manipulated, and his cluelessness makes him an easy target.

Shots

Last year, Ruth Bradley joined the cast as Emma Flyte, a new leader at Slough House who seemed destined to become another tormentor like Taverner. However, in this episode, she’s proving to be efficient and capable. It will be interesting to see how the story involving Roddy connects with the plot about the potential mass shooter, especially since everyone is currently working towards justice separately.

The shooter intentionally leaving a cartridge as a signal to investigators is a bold move, suggesting they believe they can inspire others to commit similar acts without facing consequences.

• Roddy blanching at the implication that he pays for sex: “Sex pays for me.”

Gimball’s harsh criticisms of Mayor Joffrey – claiming his policies have created a dangerous city – seem like a typical political tactic to frighten voters, don’t they?

It’s good to see Claude back, though he’s already made another mistake! He incorrectly thought Joffrey’s Black chief of staff was actually his personal bodyguard.

With those words – “I love that you’re happy with waiting. It’s so powerful.” – the enigmatic woman dismissed Roddy and sent him on his way for the night.

Read More

2025-09-24 15:58