Last week’s deconstruction of “Slow Horses” delved into the kind of series this is at its heart — a fun, rollicking mystery that makes you, as the viewer, ask a lot of questions. And the questions that were asked last week pretty much got answered in this penultimate episode, “Cleaning Up.”
We focused on Dame Ingrid, of course, because the lengths she’d go to achieve power and slide effortlessly into venality marked her as the prime person to focus on, and whether Diana Taverner had enough skill to outplay her — not lacking in her own kind of power hungry morally dubious ethics — was also in play. I was wondering how long this all might drag out, but with “Cleaning Up” essentially being a cliffhanger/two-parter it seems like a major change (or a few of them) might be coming next week.
There are a number of things to get into that in some way answer questions we raised, and others that peek into next week’s season finale. I had wondered if eccentric (and, in this instance, scared and empathetic) Douglas would muck things up and he did, only not as expected. But isolating Duffy as the one who kills Douglas essentially signals that Duffy is going to be culpable and a liability, just as Dame Ingrid is. I don’t think we see him next season. Or her, for that matter.
I said in the last deconstruction, regarding Shirley and Marcus, that “I sense that maybe there’s something redemptive from them that might save their asses” and it looks like adrenaline junky Marcus and his “boot” filled with badass weaponry — baby on board! — is that link. Maybe he and Shirley do save the day, or part of it, or maybe they go down with a little more glory than getting fired for gambling and drugs would have got them. Either way, I’m just happy they were not pointless diversions as characters, since each has something to add and individually the acting has been there to suggest more relevance. Just being fired would have been disappointing.
Let’s not forget that Ho is out there in the woods. I mean, he’s all fired up on his speed metal song so perhaps he goes in and…adds value? Or maybe he’s just a lamb to the slaughter? Because, hey, the half hour that Lamb set as the cut-off point certainly got changed BY THE ARRIVAL OF A BLACK CAR. If I had to guess, I’d say Ho might be instrumental in helping to get everybody out (or most of them) relatively unscathed.
Speaking of a Lamb, Jackson got off the episode’s best one-liner when he knocks out Standish’s “captor” — pretty easy there — and looks around to see that Catherine had tea, food and was playing board games while being held: “Scrabble? Christ, I did a favor knocking her out.”
We know that one of the two surviving Dunn sibling has been killed (although he went out knowing they had found the evidence his sister was murdered by MI5), so we’ll see if the remaining sister survives the coming attack from the two mysterious men in the car that Lamb spotted. (Also, see, the more you talk the more time you waste and allow the bad guys to creep up. I would say “no monologuing!” but one of the reasons that I and so many of you watch is precisely for those rambling bits of dialogue).
The “Clean Up” reference in the title comes from orders to get rid of Standish, so I’m a little worried about that.
“Tell me, have they ever saved you before?” Dame Ingrid says to Diana Taverner about the Slow Horses, her only recourse for surviving this, politically. But of course, they have. And of course I’m betting they do again. The question is, do we lose a character in the process (other than, one would guess, Dame Ingrid and Duffy)?
I do have concerns about the scene that allows both Dame Ingrid and Diana Taverner — First Desk and Second Desk — to essentially drink whiskey and watch the dramas that they’ve created unfold. It’s tidy, but I’m fine with that part of it. The element that gives a little pause is whether they both have to be back-stabbing, rule-breaking connivers to be the only women to get that high and hold on to power? You could make an argument that it would be better if Taverner was less tainted, but I think a better argument is that tons of shows like this have tons of men in power who did dubious things to get there (and stay there) and they are mostly celebrated, rather than toppled. And it’s also realistic to believe that, hell yes, in a patriarchal hierarchy like MI5 (and to some extent England itself), this is what it would take to get there. It’s a warts and all bit of cynicism but also not unrealistic.
As the episode ended we also have to deal with River being that close to the blast force of the grenade. Is that believably survivable? We shall see. And how drunk are Marcus and Shirley anyway? Those are some serious weapons so maybe that helps jolt them out of any pint-aided stupor that might be on them but I’m not completely convinced that one or both will survive, but they certainly could.
However, that’s a perfect point to ask for some final guesses, right? We’ve come this far and the finale is next week. You’ve got River, Standish, Marcus, Shirley and Ho ostensibly in the line of fire (I’m leaving Lamb out of it), so do they all survive or what?
Another episode that went too fast and left me wanting more. Have at it.
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Thanks Tim, I too had forgotten this is the second-last episode, how do they fit all this plot in? (Just as pertinent, how does Mick Herron fit so much plot into each book?) One aspect of the show (and the book) is that I really care for all of them, even Tavernier and Ho! They’re real to me.
All in all I thought the (Dame) Ingrid vs Tavner stand off could’ve been done a little better...
I’m wondering if that confrontation was different in the book...
Finale Predictions:
Marcus, Shirley, River, and Louisa are collectively about to be snuffed and at the last moment Donavan does some type of selfless act (dying in the process) that saves them...
Standish dies either saving or directly because of the actions of Sarah...
Duffy gets killed somehow...
Lamb uses that file to insulate himself and Slough House from Tavner who wins her pissing match with (Dame) Ingrid...
Other Thoughts...
Episode 5
- I’m guessing Tavner’s “confession” is only covering for an even deeper play…(at least I hope so)
- Luisa DEFINITELY understands and sympathizes Donavan’s motivations…
- I really thought Douglass was gonna be more useful…
- “Scrabble?!? Christ I did her a favor by knocking her out” I’ve never understood the appeal of Scrabble so I’m with Lamb on this one…
- They needed a bit more steam in the background when Marcus was prepping his arsenal…