Aahana Swrup
In ‘Slow Horses’ season 5, the agents at Slough House are still reeling from their last near-death experiences. As a result, Louisa has decided to take a mental health break from the Service while Shirley’s approach toward coping remains more paranoia-laced. While Jackson Lamb, their unbothered leader, is happy to overlook his team’s adverse reactions, River inevitably gets caught in the middle. Meanwhile, a bigger threat brews on the horizon as Emma Flyte, Head of MI5 security, finds herself investigating a peculiar case of mass shooting. All signs point toward a political angle behind the attack, which promises to cause considerable trouble for the upcoming mayoral election candidates. As such, the season’s episode 1, titled ‘Bad Dates,’ remains packed with many inquisitive set-ups to explore. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Flyte Looks Into the Strange Abbotsfield Shooting
Rob Trew, a recluse young man, has a horrifying start to his day. He walks into the square near his apartment, where a man is campaigning for Zafar Jaffrey, one of the mayoral candidates for the upcoming election. However, early into his spiel about the significance of youth voting, Trew uncovers a daunting gun in his possession and begins to open fire at everyone. Starting with the campaigner, he kills 11 people in total. In a strange turn of events, before he can flee from the scene, a sniper ends up landing a clear headshot, killing the shooter in one fell swoop. Away from prying eyes, the sniper quietly removes himself from the premises in the same white van that supplied Trew with his weapon earlier in the day.
Later, Emma Flyte arrives on the scene. Between incompetent cops and a few misdirects that suggest the shooter committed suicide after his attack, she manages to uncover the involvement of a third party in Trew’s death. Furthermore, she discovers that the latter was a superfan of Dennis Campbell, Jaffery’s prime opponent in the upcoming elections. Around the same time, a background check on Trew’s socials, courtesy of Agent Welles, reveals his prominent presence on incel websites where his violent inclinations seemed to have been egged on by another anonymous user. As such, Flyte and Taverner find their prime suspect, who armed and murdered Trew: deleted user Cartiridge726. On the other hand, Claude Whelan, First Desk Director General, is assigned the unpleasant task of updating Jaffery and Campbell about the possible political connection behind the shooting.
River Messes Up Louisa’s Farewell Party
While MI5 remains caught up in the whirlwind of the Abbotsfield attack, Jackson Lamb at the Slough House is content to overlook any and all such troubles. Thus, instead of big cases on their desks, Louisa’s going-away party is the biggest deal that looms over the office. The Agent, who has been around for a long time, seems to have finally hit a wall. Therefore, she’s taking a step back from the tense and draining job to look after her mental health. As River piles up the refreshments for the office party, he’s expecting the leave to last no more than six months. Naturally, the party, which really only involves people munching on crisps around their desks, turns into something of a social nightmare. As a result, by the end of the night, River and Louisa find themselves enjoying the last of their drinks by the bridge outside.
It’s then that Louisa reveals to River that her leave will last far longer than six months. The Agent is actually thinking of quitting the Service altogether. It’s clear that this line of work is hard enough on any individual. Adding in the particular brand of monotony and unexpected danger the agents at Slough House deal with is the perfect recipe for disaster. As such, after everything she has gone through, a fresh new start and an opportunity for a normal life seem to be the best thing for Louisa. This turn of events incredibly throws off River. Worse yet, he misreads the signals, leading him to kiss his now-former colleague. As a result, by the time an emergency emerges to drag River away from the unpleasant, uncomfortable conversation, thick tension remains unresolved between the duo.
Shirley Crashes Ho’s Surprising Date
Of all the agents at Slough House, Shirley seems to be the one most visibly affected by last season’s events, during which she lost her partner, Marcus. As a result, she has grown far more vigilant and paranoid, almost to a concerning degree. On the morning of Louisa’s farewell party, she saves Ho’s life from oncoming traffic and becomes obsessed with the idea that someone had willfully targeted the latter in a planned assassination. However, the fact that the near-accident was likely caused by Ho’s carelessness lends little credibility to her theory. Still, she continues to stand her ground. For the same reason, she ends up following her co-worker out to a nightclub the same night in a misguided effort to keep him safe.
The venue’s penchant for alcohol leaves Standish unable to accompany the Agent for backup, which compels her to call in River. Although he shows up and tries to keep an eye on Shirley, even he couldn’t have predicted that she would jump over a balcony to tackle a “suspicious-looking” guy. Even so, in the aftermath, he tries to help the Agent out, especially when she tries to revert to her cocaine addiction in a bathroom stall. Nonetheless, his efforts remain futile. Meanwhile, Ho and his date leave the venue. Yet, rather than going home together, the couple parts ways at the former’s apartment. From the privacy of her cab, the mysterious woman sends out a text to someone, alerting them that the Agent would be alone in his home. Thus, Shirley’s theory seems to have some credibility after all.
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