Slow Horses Season 2 Episode 5 Recap (Boardroom Politics)

Slow Horses Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: When it comes to Slow Horses, I’ve been quite harsh on season two. The rapid-fire screenplay of the first season was muzzled by the show’s obsession on splintering up the core gang.

The generic espionage plot that has been filling the gaps hasn’t precisely been original, however. Darned if I don’t find “Boardroom Politics” a fantastic, exciting, and even enjoyable television episode. The season’s best hour comes in the season’s last hour, setting up a thrilling conclusion for next week.

A round of “River, WYD?” kicks things off as it always has. Alex’s appearance at the hangar made it immediately apparent that she was the sleeper spy he needed to keep an eye on. However, there must be a good reason for this man to stay at Slough House. He comes to in the Flight Club’s office, bound and defenseless.

Slow Horses Season 2 Episode 5 Recap (Boardroom Politics)

Chernitsky has already left for London, Katinsky has his own plan, and Alex has boarded a flight to join him there. River does some mental math and concludes that a bomb is on its way to the Glasshouse. It’s the worst of luck because that’s where A) Peter Judd is speaking, B) the anti-capitalism march is happening, and C) Pashkin and Webb have a safe parlay.

While it’s a little late in the season, I still want to shout out to Jack Lowden. He convincingly portrays both the comic caper and the “deadly ticking clock” aspects of this tale. He tells these friendly folks that the person they thought they knew best in the world has been a Russian plant with both haste and an apology in his voice when Kelly and Duncan barge in on a hog-tied River and find Alex nowhere to be found and a missing plane.

Poor excuse for an MI5 agent that he is, he has difficulty convincing them of his true identity. That’s even more ridiculous than calling someone “Johnny Fucking Walker.” Kelly exclaims upon formally meeting River Cartwright for the first time.

Louisa and Marcus are in the midst of the storm in London, finalizing arrangements for their guests Pashkin and Webb. They search Pashkin’s briefcase and pat him and his thugs down. They are fooled by the tried-and-true “two briefcases in the car trunk” ruse. Slough House, to repeat. Idiots.

Peter and Diana are also on their way to the Glasshouse. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Taverner with the requisite steeliness befitting the role, but she truly rises to a new level when confronted with the task of making scathing small chat with Britain’s smuggest jerk.

With the Prime Minister’s popularity plummeting, Judd plays with Diana’s emotions by subtly suggesting that he is in a prime position to take over party leadership and that he can make her career if she helps make his. Judd’s logic is intelligent and logical, but in the actual world, it would prohibit him from holding office in the United Kingdom.

Then there are Jackson and Catherine, who are off on their own little quests. Jackson is deep within the MI5 archives, trying to piece out why the Russians keep killing his men and each other and where Katinsky comes into the picture. Catherine returns to the social club and recommends a game of chess despite being humiliated by her sparring partner Victor the week before. If she comes out on top, he’ll spill the beans. When he’s victorious, she has to raise a glass of vodka with him. Saskia Reeves impresses once again as the unfortunate loser who uses a Queen’s Gambit-style trick play to defeat her opponent.

Slow Horses Season 2 Episode 5 Recap

The Glasshouse is where Webb and Pashkin ultimately cross paths. In this case, Webb truly ups the ante on the “complete prick” scale. Pashkin has lost his suave, slimeball persona from a week ago when he flirted with Louisa at the hotel bar. There’s no nonsense about this guy; he’s all business. After Webb has made an ass of himself several more times, Pashkin does what we’ve all wanted him to do since the pilot episode: he shoots Webb. The point is to celebrate even the smallest of triumphs.

When River reports a bomb is about to go off, all hell breaks free in the Glasshouse and she rings in to report it. Louisa, Marcus, and the wounded heavy are trapped in the boardroom when Pashkin and his other man escape, but not before Marcus steals a gun from under the table and wounds one of his men.

Due to the widespread anarchy on London’s streets, next week’s climax should be absolutely insane, but not before one more twist. Once Jackson begins to notice several discrepancies in Katinsky’s biography, he quickly learns that he does not exist. Whoever he thinks of as Katinsky is actually a whale and has been in control ever since Dickie Bow closed up business. Why does he act this way? Jack Lamb. To paraphrase a famous movie, Nikolai, you should be careful what you wish for.

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GSR

My name is Gourav Singh, and some of my favorite hobbies include watching movies and television series, playing sports, and listening to music. For my blog posts, I prefer to write about themes that are lighthearted and fun to read and write about. To keep things light and entertaining, I'll include funny observations on life or a summary of the most recent entertainment news. Check out my blog if you're in the mood for some light entertainment.