Reviewer Rating: 4.6/5.0
4.6
Wow, Slow Horse Season 4 Episode 2 flew by or what?
Just when things get interesting – boom, it’s all over.
There are so many intricate clues to unravel in the entire mystery of Robert Winters that waiting for Slow Horse Season 4 Episode 3 to air will be pure torture.
Even though Strangers in Town left us with a million unanswered questions, it was still another great series: Taverner and Whelan, Lamb and Moira, Big Maverick and Winters, and of course River once again tries to play the “hero”.
River really needs to ditch the whole “hero” spy program and leave it to someone more experienced – like Lamb.
But honestly, “hero” is the last word anyone would use to describe Jackson Lamb.
However, Lamb is a seasoned pro who knows the game inside and out. He could see River heading for trouble long before River himself knew it.
River may not have known what kind of trouble he was getting into because he was struck by a stranger’s truck.
But that’s the thing about Lamb – he can be rude, sarcastic, he’s constantly berating his team, but deep down, he’s got their backs.
No matter how much he insults them, they are his “friends” and every one of them matters.
You have to wonder if he ever thought about quitting the game, though. Constantly cleaning up the mess at MI5 and dealing with betrayal within your own organization must be exhausting.
Maybe he’ll thrive on the challenge, but there’s no denying that it will definitely take its toll.
The Secret of Lavender
Apparently someone was looking for rivers in France.
Maybe this is the lamb. He probably had a contact in Lavande keeping an eye on the river while he pieced everything together.
It didn’t matter what he said to his team; He’s always had more firepower than he lets on, but this time, it seemed more like a diversionary tactic.
Or maybe it was Taverner, trying to protect MI5’s secrets about “Robert Winters.”
I’m still not sure if “Robert Winters” was David’s fake identity, but the way Diana quickly buried the evidence that MI5 created the identity suggests that may be the direction we’re heading.
The real question is whether Diana knew about “Robert Winters” after the West Acres bombing, or whether Kitty’s revelation prompted her to dig deeper.
The fact that she tricked Whelan into signing an agreement to destroy evidence, making him appear to be complicit once things were revealed, hints that she may already know the truth.
In any case, Diana was not trying to protect MI5’s reputation – she was protecting someone within MI5. That man could be David, whether he’s “Robert Winters” or not.
Of course, Lamb doesn’t believe David’s actions as someone with dementia, and he may have a point.
In a flashback, River asks his grandfather what he found on Adam Lockhead’s body (we later learn the man’s real name was Bertrand), and David doesn’t want to answer any questions.
I’m not saying David is faking it, but it feels like he knows his mind is fading and uses it to his advantage when it suits him. Adam Lockhead, Lavande — David is hiding something.
Speaking of Lavender, it’s a strange little town that’s perfect for keeping secrets.
River walked in completely blind, and any spy instinct he had (if he ever had any) disappeared as soon as he stepped into Lockhead’s house.
The bearded man (we don’t know who he is now) was waiting for him, most likely the owner or the mysterious person sitting inside who tipped him off when River stopped to ask questions.
He had no other way of knowing which direction River was heading.
While it did seem possible at first, it was definitely not the person in the car watching River chatting in the store.
River’s lack of awareness is mind-boggling. He didn’t observe what was going on around him, and he didn’t even feel that anyone was lurking nearby.
After a fire, you’d think he’d be on high alert—fires don’t happen on their own. But no, the bearded man surprised the completely unprepared River and he was once again lucky to be alive.
Will that bearded guy kill him? We’ll never know for sure, but luckily for our “hero” agent, the people in the car stepped in and saved him.
Of course, the guy might not be a friend either because he clocked River after he rescued him from the burning house, but maybe it was for his own good.
Whatever secrets were hidden in the house, including the photos of “Robert Winters,” were lost in the fire. Some people want these secrets gone.
But why did they wait until River Cartwright walked into the place to destroy these secrets? There is something deeper at work here.
The old guard and the new guard
While River plays spy hero in France, both Diana and Lamb are busy outsmarting Whelan in their own way.
Diana has zero patience for Whelan. He was like a mouse and she was like a cat, playing with him and then eating him alive. Whelan had no idea what he was doing, and Diana took full advantage of it.
She can tell Whelan she doesn’t want his spot, but we know that’s exactly what she wants.
But you have to give her credit for how well she resisted Whelan’s efforts to make MI5 transparent. What kind of spy agency wants the public to peek behind the curtain?
Despite his bravado, Diana completely intimidated him. Too bad Whelan didn’t realize how badly he was being played until it was too late.
Even Lamb knows the game. Whelan sends Moira to clean out Slough House, or so she thinks, until Lamb opens his eyes.
Despite Moira’s overestimation of herself, Lamb convinced her that Whelan was playing her. But this is actually Lamb manipulating her into digging up the information he wants about David’s time in France.
To be honest, he just wanted her to be busy and stop disturbing him. The look on his face when he saw what she had done to his office was priceless.
There was no doubt that Lamb knew exactly what was going on with David, France, and “Robert Winters.”
That’s what separates the old guard – David, Lamb and Diana – from Whelan and his team. The old guard knows how to play the long game, keep secrets, and manipulate the pieces as they progress,
For all we know, Diana and Lamb may be working together to bury “Robert Winters'” secret.
I doubt David was involved, but he’s still a spy through and through. He will always play dumb, even if it’s partly due to dementia.
One thing is for sure, though: David isn’t the bearded man’s only target. He also wants to kill another old man, a man who works for David, and all signs point to Lamb.
But as we all know, Lamb was always ten steps ahead of the game. So, good luck to you.
Over to you, TV fanatics. What did you think of “Strangers Come to Town”? Let us know in the comments below!
