Slow Horses ending explained: Did they save Hassan? Shes a canny political operator with her eyes on First Desk. [19], Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 13:55, "Trailer for new Apple Original espionage drama "Slow Horses," starring Academy Award winner Gary Oldman, debuts ahead of global premiere on April 1, 2022", "Apple's hit espionage drama "Slow Horses" debuts season two trailer", "Gary Oldman To Star In Spy Drama 'Slow Horses' For Apple With 'Justified's Graham Yost Exec Producing", "U.K. What's Filming: 'The Essex Serpent' + 'Slow Horses', "A & A Taxis and Cafe Max used as the backdrop for Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas spy drama", "Apple Restarts UK Drama Production, As 'Suspicion' & 'Slow Horses' Prepare To Shoot", ""'Slow Horses' Renewed for Season 3 and Season 4 at Apple", "Mick Jagger's 'Slow Horses' Theme Song 'Strange Game' Released | Film Music Reporter", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slow_Horses&oldid=1142098131. Everyone enjoys an underdog story of course, but on top of that, the novels are about friendships forged from the common bond of disappointment but tested in life-and-death situations. As I did before the release of Slough House, I look at some of the burning questions ahead of the next book. Believing he was targeted also, Lamb investigates Rebecca, the driver, and discovers she has connections to Russia and previously lived in Vladivostok. Its clear that shes changed due to the shooting, a little slower and less bright, but theres an excellent set-piece towards the end that shows shes not out of the game. And will Herron reveal this fact early in the book or leave us hanging throughout? He wants a tame intelligence service ready to do the PMs bidding and leaks rumours that a government advisor has been subject to extraordinary rendition by an MI5 gone rogue. One of them has been used to commit a terrorist atrocity in a London shopping centre. one of the things always on the mind of any reader of the series is whether all the characters will make it out alive. Louisa interrogates a dying Kyril and learns that Pashkin and his associates were meant to drain Nevsky's accounts from the Glasshouse while it was evacuated. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Taverner calls Standish several times to flip her allegiance, alleging that Lamb was involved with Charles Partner's death, but she remains loyal to him when he comes to extract her. [3][13] Saul Metzstein has been announced as the director of season 3.[14]. This is my favorite type of book - clever humor (esp British) with a good story. Still with much unfinished business and exiled to the hinterlands of Slough House, the very well-connected River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) received some seasoned advice from his Jonathan Pryce. If you aren't reading the Slough House spy novels yet, what are you waiting for? River bribes a taxi driver in Stroud, who reveals he drove Chernitsky to an airfield and flying club in Upshott, but was instructed to lie about it and call a number should people come looking. However, one of the business men behind the deal, looking to make contacts in Russia, passes on sensitive information to the GRU who are looking to escalate matters. River Cartwright, is away in Kent, mourning the death of the OB, short for the Old Bastard who was Cartwright's grandfather, surrogate father and was a service legend. If that was happening, River needed to stop it. Also interesting in this context are the continued allusions to Lambs poor health, which seems to be worsening, and does not bode well for future books, although we also see more of Lambs ruthless side here as well as his loyalty to his joes and to those who help his joes (one scene at the end where a side character who said something revolting to Molly gets his dues is particularly satisfying). The first season received critical acclaim. And this series is one of my favorites. Regents Park has lost three cold bodies identities or legends in the trade worked up by the civil service from birth to provide rock-solid cover cover for a Joe in the field. Filming of the first season began on 30 November 2020, in England, and continued into February 2021, with Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas spotted on set in Westminster, London. Louisa Guy, perhaps, has most focus but this novel felt much more like a genuine ensemble cast - and benefited from that, too. Not with either side. Another semi-c0mpetent agent, Louisa is a little more able than most of Slough House's denizens. On a recent assignment, Lamb caught her following one of his spies. Lamb informs her there is a bomb in the car he returned, which allows Cartwright to sneak in whilst Duffy's security team investigates. Let's just make that clear from the start. Perpetually rueful Min left a top-secret dossier on the train. Guess I will have to wait for Joe Country (suspecting that is the needed volume) to become available. LOOK AWAY NOW. Like the previous novels, it was shortlisted for a number of prestigious wards.Buy now on Amazon, A private funding deal, worked out in secret between Diana Taverner and Peter Judd, gives the Park the resources to strike back at Putin, sending a hit team into Russia to rub out the Novichok poisoners. She claims to have an operative embedded with the Sons of Albion who organised the kidnapping, but will also facilitate the rescue. I also think that Louisa has really stepped up to be MVP in terms of spy ability so it would be good to see her continue to move front and centre, especially as there will doubtless be some kind of additional call back to those diamonds and her affair with Min. Alex takes off in the plane, and Katinsky tells River they plan to fly it into The Glasshouse skyscraper before leaving. Thanks to adept storytelling, readers are aware before Lamb (or is that impossible?) Sparrows ambition doesnt end there though. Now that the O. Herron builds his characters and reveals more about them perhaps as the series unfolds. Hoped my favorite character would return. He is due to be accompanied by Nick Duffy, leader of 'The Dogs', for added security, but demands Taverner join him instead. For River Cartwright, however, all of this plays second fiddle to the fact that not only is Sidonie 'Sid' Baker still alive, but she's turned up at his dead grandfather's house in Kent because she needs his help. It wasnt really him, he knew that. Unfortunately for Black, one of the racist loons, Curly (Brian Vernel), rumbled him and decided to go through with the decapitation plan for real, beginning with the undercover agent himself. Some crime series can be read in no particular order but this is not the case here. Which he is, but a thoroughly relatable one. Someone more like Warren Clarke or Sidney Greenstreet is more in keeping with how he is portrayed. The Salisbury Novichok poisonings, Russian secret service interference on British soil, has not gone down well in political or intelligence circles, so much so that First Desk arch-manipulator Diana Taverner loses touch with her better instincts as she seeks revenge, making a deal with the devil that results in the Kazan episode. This one seemed like the best so far, but maybe it was the wait for it to come out, or just that I'm getting to know the characters better. Louisa Guy was sent to Slough House after she lost a tail involved in gun smuggling. At the same time, Lamb is out in Oxford looking into the suspicious death of a retired agent. They had their own neo-Nazi reasons for doing this but it turned out that the plot was initiated by MI5 Second Desk "Lady" Di Taverner (Kristin Scott-Thomas) as a false-flag operation to earn her Brownie points in her boss' absence. Larry arrives at a seaport in Harwich, but is shot dead by "The Dogs" on the orders of Tierney, who plant a weapon on his corpse to justify the killing. Below are some of the ones Im most interested in seeing addressed. Lamb retains all of his old skills and is a fearsome operator. River calls in a Code September, prompting Taverner to evacuate Judd from his speech at The Royal Exchange and the immediate area around The Glasshouse. Curly forces Larry and Hassan to a secluded woodland at gunpoint to carry out the beheading. Diana Taverner finds herself making some bad decisions in this novel; not the least her involvement with Peter Judd, who bears more than a little resemblance to our current Prime Minister. As we know, however, Freddie Fox's "Spider" Webb had fed him false information, and River is, in fact, a highly competent, if over-eager agent. River Cartwright is positioned as Lamb's spiritual opposite. But we also see that she's deeply troubled by the suicide of her former boss, Charles Partner, which she discovered, and which we surmise has something to do with the founding of Slough House. Where to start with Roddy? Kill us? I won't go into the storyline since that can be found elsewhere. So chipper, so needy, so inept. This novel is a series highlight for me, and went on to win the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award as well as being shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award, The British Book Awards and The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.Buy now on Amazon, A North Korean hit squad is conducting a terror operation on British soil, and one particular fly in the ointment is that the plan they are working to is one of the Parks own. He is the author of six books in the Slough House series as well as a mystery series set in Oxford featuring Sarah Tucker and/or P.I. Not crucial questions but worth thinking about . Another has just failed in an attempt to kill David Cartwright. However, during a scouting mission, when the two are stalking a right-wing journalist called Robert Hobden, Sid is shot by an unseen intruder. What would be the point?. All that remains is to dive in & find out what fresh hell Jackson Lamb (AKA Mick Herron) & his crew stumble into this time. I thought the entire cast was near perfect, and cant wait for the next season. Diana Taverner 18 episodes, 2022-2023 Saskia Reeves . Min wasnt killed by her car, and she was not driving. (SH) Cartwright, River - Young, white, fair hair, grey eyes and a mole on his upper lip. Love Herons London, his wit, capability with language and how skillfully characters and plots are crafted. River is then instructed to deliver it to the service's Regent's Park Headquarters, much to his surprise. There is a lot going on in this book with two main plot lines why Slough House has been deleted from the Services records and the fallout from Lady Dis decision to sock it to Russias GRU. Cartwright, David - Known as the power behind the throne in his time at MI5 in the 70's and 80's. Now known as the "OB", Old Bastard. Joy is unbridled when each new book is announced. The end of Joe Country saw Rivers father/nemesis Frank Harkness dead. In this case, it's learning the truth to a story Dornan has found in her precious archives. I also really wanted to see Rivers mum make an appearance and will feel cheated if its just at his funeral. $380-932/person per day, plus sea transport from Cartwright $200-400/person (return). Meanwhile, still reeling from recent losses, the slow horses are worried theyve been pushed further into the cold. Because I already know that lurking inside is an intricate plot wrapped around plenty of wit & humour. Every spy assigned theredust binned might be a good term to addknows theyve made a mess somewhere in their recent past, and they wont be allowed back into the Park, the office of really performing agents, ever again. The seventh entry to the Slough House series is as thrilling and bleeding-edge relevant as ever. . Humour is another a core ingredient of the series. It also lays the ground for the events of Joe Country, and at the same time introduces a series villain, ex-CIA operative Frank Harkness. She clawed her way to the top but was David Cartwrights choice to be the perpetual number two the smarter move? Your email address will not be published. Your email address will not be published. Standish beats Krymov in a game of chess, and he reveals it was Katinsky, not Pashkin he met with to set up the Webb meeting. The Oxford Series and other Mick Herron novels, Barbican Station A Slough House Podcast. [17], The second season also received critical acclaim. Newcomer Marcus Longridge replaces Min on the Pashkin assignment, and confesses to Louisa he has a gambling addiction. It is revealed that Moe (real name Alan Black) was Taverner's mole, but was found out and murdered by Curly, who then fled with Zeppo, Larry and Hassan. And yet the Slow Horses somehow get involved investigating schemes endangering Britain. B. For me the perfect Jackson Lamb would be Timothy Spall. And in the end, when offered the carrot of a return to Regent's Park, he betrayed Jackson Lamb by pretending he'd seen him talking to Alan Black before the kidnapping. Its hard to miss the promotion on television and online for Slow Horses, as the earliest in Mick Herrons Slough House spy novels jumps genre into an Apple TV+ show featuring Gary Oldman. Herrons plot is packed with twists and delightfully sardonic conversations, and the books only major flaw is that at some point it ends and one must resume normal life. Catherine Standish is Lambs assistant, and a recovering alcoholic. This might explain his loyalty to his team when they are in peril, and makes his otherwise rude and bullying behaviour towards them forgivable. Isnt he explicitly compared to Spall in of the of the early books? Slough House has been compromised, and now a new team of killers is in the UK. You will be rewarded at the end. Joe Country, then Slough House, if you want them in the right order. He's a serious young man, and of all the slow horses the most upset at his demotion. With involvement from the highest levels of the UK's security apparatus and all the double-crosses and secrets you'd expect from the genre, there's a lot to pick over, so let's pour that bin all over the office floor and have a poke through it. Mick Herron has done it again. Katinsky reveals that outside of his part in the Glasshouse plot, he also intended to kill Lamb in retribution for Charles Partner, his own "Joe" who acted as his informant while he was First Desk at MI5. Pick up a copy of. English crime author Mick Herron didnt begin his writing career with the Slough House series, but theres no doubt these novels represent his most successful work. Theyre still getting paid but no longer formally exist and things get more sinister when Louisa Guy discovers that someone from the Service is trailing her and the other slow horses find that they are also being followed. His death and the deaths of Lamb's agents in Europe were what provoked Lamb to demand oversight of Slough House, a place where no one would ever again do anything significant, or get hurt. Perhaps COVID-19 will make an appearance in next years novel. A year after a calamitous blunder by the Russian secret service left a British citizen dead from novichok poisoning, Diana Taverner is on the warpath. . Louisa Guy, another member of the team who has been there from the beginning, is probably the safest pair of hands at Slough House. Life in Slough House is defined by drudgery. Taverner confronts Judd at his home, revealing that calls he made to his far-right contacts after Hobden visited resulted in the mission being compromised and Black's death. She is one of the most competent agents and appears in every book. Hes a serious young man, and of all the slow horses the most upset at his demotion. He is assigned by his superior Jackson Lamb to carry out surveillance on Robert Hobden, a journalist associated with far-right politicians Peter Judd MP and Roger Simmonds. Change). Baker seemed the most competent of the gang because she was: she eventually revealed to River that Taverner had posted her to Slough House to keep an eye on him. Lamb, already aware of this, had notified David Cartwright that he was another potential target due to his complicity in Partner's death. So much of the story is the thoughts of the characters and I wonder how that will be conveyed. Lamb, Cartwright, Min and Louisa, with assistance from Roddy, are able to track them to the same location. Leaving her house the two are apprehended by James Webb and head of security Nick Duffy, who force them into a car after searching Lamb. It is always a joy when a new addition to Mick Herron's superb Slow Horses series makes an appearance, and believe me when I say this one lives up to all my high expectations, smart, razor sharp satire and comic humour, unparalleled in its ability to follow and echo the nightmare that is our contemporary British politics and Brexit. Im also worried about one or more Slow Horses dying in the next installment (my fingers are crossed so hard that it wont be River), but Louisas mourning Min/her continued engagement with his family gives me hope that even if we lose another Slow Horse or two, theyll be remembered. But is the victim who he first appears to be? And true, Min and Louisa managed to follow that van Until they ran out of petrol because Min was hungry and thinking about sex instead of filling up the tank. Victim who he First appears to be the perpetual number two the smarter move they save Hassan 's Regent Park. 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