Long Live Claude Whelan, Slow Horses’s Finest Failure

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Spoilers ahead for “Scars,” the season-five finale of Slow Horses.

Claude Whelan was never really equipped for the job. I suspect he realized that himself, maybe even from the beginning, despite trying to convince himself he could lead a team of spies like a simple summer program. He became head of MI5 because those who appointed him wanted someone predictable, someone who wouldn’t take risks. He lacked cunning and mistakenly thought he was brilliant, a dangerous combination in the world of espionage. Now he’s likely gone, forced to resign after pushing his luck too far. Though he was a poor leader who hindered crucial intelligence gathering and nearly caused a catastrophe with his delusions of grandeur, it was certainly entertaining to watch him struggle.

One of the strengths of Slow Horses is its ability to create compelling, unlikeable characters in positions of power – people whose downfall feels inevitable from the start. These characters are often so self-serving and focused on climbing the ladder that they come across as more villainous than the actual threats they’re meant to be fighting. A prime example is James “Spider” Webb, a truly detestable figure whose death – a punch to the death in a parking garage – was met with surprising satisfaction by many viewers, even those who are generally kind and compassionate.

When Spider died in season three, it left a hole. Viewers who enjoyed disliking him needed someone new to focus on. It wouldn’t be any of the main characters, like River Cartwright, who remains likeable despite his flaws. Nor would it be Diana Taverner, as her role requires her to be the exasperated voice of reason before cleaning up messes. The show simply needed a new character for the audience to be frustrated with.

James Callis plays Claude Whelan, and he’s a wonderfully expressive actor. He’s great at portraying different kinds of unhappiness and defeat, which made Claude such a fun villain to dislike. Unlike Spider, who covered up his failures with arrogance, Claude relied on a flimsy smugness that crumbled at the slightest challenge. Often, when his plans went wrong, he’d get a particular look – not quite the face of someone actively upset, but a pre-emptive dread, like he knew the misery was coming and had experienced it many times before.

It’s easy to see how things spiraled out of control. This man kept getting blackmailed, which is bad for anyone, but especially damaging for the head of MI5. A lot of people got involved. It started in season four when he exiled an office administrator named Moira to Slough House, only for her to regain her position by discovering his secret fondness for escorts – a fact they nicknamed “Galahad,” of course. This season, he faced ambushes by private investigators who also knew about the escorts and were working for a far-right mayoral candidate and his equally nationalistic wife. Here’s what happened next:

Desperate to keep his job – and possibly covering his tracks – Claude uncovered damaging information about the mayoral candidate. He then presented this information to the couple, hoping to manipulate them – a surprisingly clever move considering it was the only successful thing he ever did as head of the spy agency.

The candidate died in an alley after being accidentally hit by a falling paint can. This happened while the Slow Horses were trying, ultimately unnecessarily, to stop a planned assassination.

Honestly, it was infuriating to watch him release that female suspect he thought was being forced to work with Libyan terrorists. Turns out, she totally manipulated him – she knew all about his file and realized he’d fall for a sob story. It was just… so classic Claude, getting played like that. She walked away like she owned the place, and it was clear he’d been completely fooled.

All of this culminated in a tense showdown at the season’s end. Claude, feeling confident he’d won, prepared to exert his influence, but Jackson Lamb had anticipated him. Lamb was, predictably, blackmailing Claude again, this time with a recording of Claude’s heated argument with the candidate who would later be found dead and covered in paint. It’s typical of Jackson Lamb to gather damaging information – the kind you could use for years – only to use it simply to be left in peace.

What really makes Slow Horses so good – beyond the exciting plot, quick pace, and even the humor – is that every character is flawed and makes mistakes. This season, Claude’s particular brand of incompetence has led to what I think is the best character development we’ve seen in the series so far. It’s also possibly the best performance by any actor on the show. I was genuinely a little sad after the finale, realizing we wouldn’t see anyone giving Claude a hard time anymore. But then it dawned on me…

It’s funny, characters like Claude never truly fail on this show, do they? They just land on their feet, usually making a ton more money in the private sector. We saw it with Spider before everything went down, and it makes me wonder if Claude will end up in the private security world, all puffed up with success. I can practically see him now – fancy office, expensive suits, occasionally showing up to annoy the people he used to work with. Honestly, I’m hoping we get to see that play out on screen next season, just to watch Diana and Jackson relentlessly tease him – they’re brilliant at it! But even if he’s off-screen, I have a feeling he’ll still be stumbling into trouble, looking generally unwell, and getting taken advantage of by everyone he meets. It would be amazing if River Cartwright somehow tried to con him – though knowing these two, I suspect they’d end up swindling each other!

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2025-10-30 00:55