‘Slow Horses’ Recap: ‘Penny for Your Thoughts’

9/18/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Ruth Bradley and Gary Oldman as Emma Flyte and Jackson Lamb in Episode 403 of ‘Slow Horses’ – ‘Penny for Your Thoughts’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilrs for Episode 403 of ‘Slow Horses’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

Often times in spy dramas, the instant that names begin to drop, and clues begin to make themselves apparent, the story kicks into overdrive, and rightfully so. For spy stories are made to captivate us and wow us and putting the pedal to the proverbial metal when facts arrive, allows for just that. Which is why the Apple TV+ series, Slow Horses, continues to be such the outlier in the genre. Because while it is indeed tense when it needs to be, it always stays grounded in as much realism as possible. Giving rise to stories that feel as though they are happening in the world now, and never was more evident than during this week’s episode of the series. Since ‘Penny for Your Thoughts’ reminded us that spies are people, and that the pursuit of the truth is not easy in the slightest.

River’s journey for instance, put that latter element on display. For when he awoke in a strange house in France, he found himself locked up and at gunpoint, and he was informed… that someone had things to talk to him about. Which as it turned out, was the mother of the man that grandad David put down with impunity, and she came to see if by chance her son had returned since he and River share so many features, and well… this normally would have been the moment that truths were revealed, and more clues came into play. But alas, that was not the case here in the slightest. For all River was able to ascertain was that Frank Harkness was the man he met in the other house, and that he and his brood did some nefarious things in this town, and before he could learn more, an angry mob that hated his doppelgänger broke in and forced an escape.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one that didn’t quite get the answers that they were hoping for. Because back at Slough House, the dogs had come for Jackson Lamb. Because Flyte was waiting for him, and she was supremely displeased that he sent her on quite the snipe hunt. For the blood results from the corpse in the Cartwright tub came back and it was most certainly not Jack’s blood. Which prompted her to bring Jackson in, in cuffs no less, and have him pay the piper. But instead, he flipped the script and sent her on another wild hunt for the truth through David, only for her to find more embarrassment in the search. Because Standish was able to move David to a safe space for a bit, keeping Flyte from causing more havoc and learning any truth.

Kadiff Kirwan and Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Marcus Longridge and Shirley Dander in Episode 403 of ‘Slow Horses’ – ‘Penny for Your Thoughts’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Not to mention, Jackson also suffered from this problem. Because his deal with Moira revealed that ol’ Bad Sam Chapman was someone involved in this mess, since he was the one that went to France many, many moons ago. So, Jackson did his best to arrange a meeting with an old friend, only to learn that Sam was being tailed by Harkness’ lackeys and that led… to some old school tension if you will. The kind where Shirley and Marcus did their best to protect Sam… to no avail. For this man was strong, fast and damn near lethal with his fighting skills and that forced Lamb to get involved in the matter by straight up hitting the man with a car. Which did save Sam but brought forth no answers for Slough House. Not to mention… the jackass got away. Yes, he got up and ran after being hit by a car (and after being stabbed by Shirley) because he is THAT tough.

Which were fine lessons that spoke to how the truth is a pain to get to in real life, and this is why investigations take so long. For there are complexities and surprises along the way, and well, these plotlines also showcased how human these characters are, and the mistakes they sometimes make. After all, Standish uh… did lose David whilst hiding him, River took a beating in getting out of France despite being able to escape and of course… everyone at Slough House exposed some of their flaws. Since Jackson did let the bad guy get away, and Shirley learned a valuable lesson about respect, oddly… so did Roddy, courtesy of the new guy and Marcus learned once again… that he really must quit with the gambling. Because it is just getting him in major trouble.

All of which brought forth, another enjoyable and unconventional episode from this series. Simply because, it was grounded in realism through and through and that truly is refreshing. Because it truly immerses us in this story and only attaches us to the characters further and thankfully, doesn’t leave us anxious for answers. But that’s because we also know, that the show will reveal all the details we need to know at just the right time and it is always nice to know that this show will never let us down and take good care of us, and well, now all we can do is sit and wait, to see what surprises will await us come next Wednesday. Until next time.

To dive deeper into season four of ‘Slow Horses’, check out our interview with the actor that plays Roddy Ho, Christopher Chung.

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