As a long-time follower of this gripping series, I must admit that this season has been particularly captivating. The character development, especially for Marcus, has been nothing short of intriguing. While he may not be the main protagonist, his blunders and missteps have become one of the most entertaining threads of the show.
In the “Ineptness Scale” of Brian Grubb’s captivating series “Slow Horses“, Marcus has been increasingly portrayed as Slough House’s most bumbling character this season. His struggles with gambling off the job and recklessness on it have combined to create quite a spectacle. Despite being less prominent than characters like Lamb, River, Taverner, and even Standish, Marcus’ blunders this week stood out as one of the episode’s most captivating elements. As the slow horses continue their journey, there will eventually be moments of success, but for now, they are allowed to make mistakes, and Marcus is making full use of that leeway.
In “Penny For Your Thoughts”, we discovered that he had relapsed into his gambling issue last week, despite claiming it was part of the process to Shirley. Faced with significant financial losses, Marcus devised a scheme to sell firearms on the black market in hopes of finding a guaranteed bet to recover his losses. Although details about this guaranteed bet are scarce, it’s safe to say that it’s anything but certain given the history of such situations. However, Marcus’s plan takes an embarrassing turn when he finds himself in the clandestine gun storage of a former ballroom dancer turned gun dealer, who assesses him just as quickly as he swindles him. The dealer communicates mostly through dance metaphors, claiming he can “dodge danger like a dance move,” but Marcus’s attempts to bargain up from a 3,000-pound offer fall on deaf ears. (“Impressive negotiation skills,” the dealer sarcastically remarks.)
In simpler terms, Marcus’s timing for his deal allows him to aid Shirley and the team in evading Sam Chapman’s pursuers, who are connected to David Cartwright and the criminals in Lavande. However, due to Shirley being too surprised by Sam’s pursuer, they unintentionally expose themselves. When Marcus calls out to Shirley in the marketplace, it reveals their location, causing them to be discovered. Consequently, Marcus is shoved through a store window. Unfortunately, even when they manage to corner the criminal in a fight involving three of them, they fail to capture him until Lamb takes a taxi and runs over the man instead. Regrettably, no arrest is made in this instance.
While River managed to unravel the mystery by following a trail similar to that of Inspector Clouseau, this discovery later validated his bold move of venturing into Lavande, France’s dangerous environment. River was fortunate enough to be knocked unconscious, which allowed him to escape Hugo Weaving’s character, Frank Harkness, and fall under the protection of Natasha (Coralie Audret). However, things took a turn for the worse when River discovered that he had shot Natasha’s son in cold blood. On the brighter side, Natasha pinned the blame on Harkness, who had recruited her son into his group of mercenaries known as Les Arbres. The main suspect in the Westacres case, “Robert Winters,” also appears to be a part of Harkness’ hit squad.
Harkness’ team of soldiers, composed of individuals who were brainwashed as children by different women, brings to mind the Christopher Eccleston subplot towards the end of the zombie movie “28 Days Later.” In this movie, Eccleston portrayed the militaristic leader of a refuge in Manchester that offers safety from the rampaging zombies across England. However, the protection and resources provided at the site come with a significant catch. To rebuild society and bolster his own authority, he plans to enslave women who are survivors. As for Harkness, it remains unclear what his intentions might be, but given that young men like Natasha’s son have been under his care for quite some time, and his MI5 connections make him a formidable adversary.
They also make him an embarrassment, which brings us back to the power struggle at the top of the Park, where Claude, the slowest horse in a premium stable, has opted to wage a covert battle with Taverner over the Winters identity issue. Still smarting from Taverner manipulating him into burying an inquiry into the connection between MI5 and Winters, Claude commissions Giti, the same woman who flagged the Winters ID for Taverner, to pick through the archives for more “cold bodies” that might be exploited in the field. It’s going to end very badly for Claude, no doubt, but the potential for a humiliating First Desk/Second Desk confrontation is now delectably high.
Next up is David Cartwright, who’s causing a stir again following his confinement at Standish’s apartment. Lamb takes extraordinary measures to prevent Flyte from finding him, leading to an arrest for hindering the investigation. Yet, it leaves us pondering whether the extent of David’s dementia is genuine or if he intentionally manipulates the situation. Initially, his confusion under Standish’s care appears authentic in the episode, as he repeatedly claims responsibility for killing his grandson and believes that Charles Partner, Standish’s former superior, still oversees First Desk. (She skillfully prevents him from contacting First Desk by convincing him that Charles would be “reading cables from Berlin” at that time.) However, David is noticeably attuned to the events in Lavande and has been crystal clear about what truly matters. As we approach the latter part of the season, it’s likely that the connection between his past actions and present mental state will become more evident.
Shots
In a moment of overconfidence, Roddy boasts to Lamb that “prominence ascends in this workplace, with gold at the base,” only to be humbled when Lamb reveals a superior had casually walked past him unnoticed on a higher floor. Later, Flyte rebuffs his clumsy advances (“Where did you hide your wings?”) by securing him to a weight machine with handcuffs.
A lively, prickly camaraderie is blossoming between Lamb and Flyte, who is neither as simple-minded nor as foolish as her former counterpart. She warns him, “I’d prefer not to risk anything with a man who seems to grope people on buses,” before choosing to arrest him for hindering the investigation instead.
• “Going to the Park is like being in an IKEA. You can’t get out of the fucking place.”
Molly, who works in the archives, doesn’t follow the pecking order between the First Desk and Second Desk. Instead, she answers to Taverner. (This sentence conveys that Molly doesn’t respect the traditional hierarchy but reports to a specific person named Taverner.)
• JK still hasn’t spoken much, but he’s an absolute maniac, holding a knife against Shirley’s throat over Roddy’s cuffing. He claims to find it “triggering” to see Roddy in that position because he was handcuffed against his will for 72 hours.
The almost catch of River by the aggressive dog on that run-down motorbike brings to mind Josh Brolin being chased by the swimming canine in “No Country for Old Men.
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2024-09-18 14:54