Aahana Swrup
In ‘Slow Horses’ season 6, Jackson Lamb and his agents face a threat that hits much too close to home. While River Cartwright undergoes a tragic personal loss, the rest of the horses find themselves in a peculiar predicament. The Slough House’s payrolls, along with any other trace of their existence, seem to have been wiped clean from the Park’s records. Around the same time, bodies begin to drop across the country, as a mysterious force seems to be targeting former MI5 agents with connections to the Slough House. Although Diana Taverner, the new head of First Desk, insists that the string of deaths is nothing but a coincidence, Lamb can’t shake off the feeling that something more menacing is at play. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Struan Loy Burns to Death Inside His Own Shipping Container
Struan Loy lives a strange life following his retirement from the Service. He’s a martial arts teacher who is also trying to start a new business selling studio apartments within shipping containers. In fact, he believes in the idea so much that his current residence is inside one such container. One day, two people arrive at his home, expressing vested interest in his business. Struan, oblivious to their shady dispositions, invites them into his house, eager to share information about his work. By the time he realizes how strange this encounter is, it’s already too late. The two agents attack him and light up a fire inside the container. Then, they proceed to lock him up inside until he burns up along with his home.
Later, the death, presumed to be an accident, ends up on the radar of Emma Flyte, Head of the Dogs at the Park. Yet, when she shares the incident report with Diana, the latter brushes it off. Moreover, although protocol dictates that Jackson Lamb be alerted to the death, since Loy was a former agent at Slough House, Diana insists that he doesn’t need to be informed. Even so, Flyte ends up going behind her back. She seeks Lamb out at the Italian restaurant near the Slough House, where she shares Loy’s file with him. While Lamb puts on the show of someone who doesn’t care, he takes the file. He even proceeds to instruct Roddy Ho to look into other former horses to see if a pattern of attacks emerges.
The Slough House Gets Taken Off the Park’s Payroll
Around the same time as Loy’s death, something strange happens at the Slough House. First, Cole runs into a strange man at the office, and, deeming him to be a threat, knocks him out with Roddy’s keyboard. However, afterward, the horses deduce that the stranger is actually just an estate agent. Nonetheless, his presence at the office remains strange. On the other hand, the agents realize they haven’t received their automated salaries this month. Not only that, but when Roddy does some digging, he realizes that the Slough House has been erased entirely from the Park’s servers. Initially, when Lamb learns of this development, he simply leaves the office, insisting that he won’t work without pay.
Inversely, Standish decides to pay the Park a visit to dig into the complication. Fortunately, she’s able to talk Moira into investigating the matter for her. However, her findings propose another cause for concern. As it turns out, the Slough House’s erasure from the servers isn’t a glitch in the system or a mistake. Instead, it was ordered by someone at the very top of the agency’s food chain. Eventually, Lamb gets to confront Diana about the situation when they meet again at David Cartwright’s funeral. Nonetheless, the head of the First Desk insists that it must only be a mistake. Simultaneously, she has another interesting conversation at the funeral, this time with Peter Judd, who reveals that the money the Park took from him came from a wealthy benefactor.
River’s Father Shows Up at David Cartwright’s Funeral
David Cartwright’s death looms over the sixth season from the very beginning. As his grandson and only remaining family, River is left to deal with the funeral processions while he struggles with his own grief. It certainly doesn’t help matters that the funeral is set to be a Park affair, even though the reality of what David did for the agency can never be publicly revealed or acknowledged. Instead, his cover as the Head of Transportation remains. At the service, River even delivers a modified speech, keeping his grandfather’s secret while also attempting to pay him the respect he deserves. Later, once he’s out of the church, something strange happens. The MI5 Agent notices his father, Frank Harkness, waiting for him outside.
River ends up following Frank and confronting him about his presence at the funeral. Even though the father claims he’s only there for sentimental reasons, the son doesn’t buy into this explanation. Notably, Frank also makes a passing, hurtful comment about the fact that River’s mother hadn’t attended the funeral. This brings up questions about her absence. Later, when the mercenary tries to leave the premises, River stubbornly tries to foil his escape by jumping onto his car. Nonetheless, Frank is ultimately able to shake off his son and drive away. Meanwhile, shortly before the funeral, another former Slough House agent, Kay White, is killed at her home. As they’re leaving, the assassins pick another victim from their roster, and seemingly settle on River as their next mark.
Read More: Slow Horses Season 5 Ending Explained: Does River Return to the Park?
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