Cleaning Up

I love slow horses because it mixes humour with action and suspense very effectively. Unfortunately, this episode suffers from some very illogical scripting (something that has crept in several times over this season), the behaviour and dialogue of the characters just wasn't coherent with the scenes. Given the very dangerous events that unfold in this episode, it was totally unrealistic that there wasn't a shred of panic or urgency among the horses. Instead, amidst a claustrophobic and life-threatening firefight, the characters continue to crack wise and play up to their presumed incompetencies. It made what could have been an engrossing and gritty episode completely trivial. Maybe this was supposed to be a Christmas special that the grandkids would enjoy. Hopefully the scripting is saved in future episodes. On the plus side, the scripting for Duffy's character was spot on.

This episode really stood out for me. The two circling female sharks finally come together in the same tank to share a bottle of Macallan 18 - that had been a gift from one to the other, but had remained unopened until this battle.

Highly intelligent wit, sharp tongues and side glances at each other as one was going to overthrow the other. It was a showdown without physical punches, but some king hits being delivered.

The bottle of Macallan 18 sat there in between them during the scene, as they drank to each one's career demise. Love it.

Bravo to the writers - this piece of television is going to be replayed many times in my house!

"Cleaning Up" is the fifth episode of Slow Horses, focusing on background information and the conversation between Tearney and Diana. The episode aims to keep viewers informed about the upcoming finale, as people are being moved into place. The conversation between Tearney and Diana is fascinating due to its context and understanding of their complex relationships. The episode aims to keep viewers up-to-date on any slipping information. Diana, a familiar figure in Slough House, is a mystery, while Tearney, a skilled MI5 operative, is more of a mystery. Slow Horses skillfully crafts tense moments, but the events at the warehouse could have been more dramatic. Instead, the show takes a more humorous approach, focusing on River's reactions to Duffy being outside. River doesn't immediately jump to the worst-case scenario, but is continually presented with reasons why Duffy being outside is a bad thing. The show's approach to the situation is the right choice, as it showcases the show's ability to craft tense moments. "Cleaning Up" effectively avoids the issue of focusing too much on tension and suspense in its storyline at the warehouse. Instead, the show leans more into humor and the overall Slough House atmosphere, avoiding the need to cut away from Louisa and River's situation to progress the Catherine rescue mission and Marcus and Shirley's storyline. This approach allows the audience to enjoy the story without losing any suspense. The switch from ignoring River's voicemail to answering it is not an issue. Slow Horses is a show that follows the MI5 team, focusing on their shenanigans and the best of the best. Catherine, a character with an idealistic view of the service, is in the wrong line of work. The knowledge that River's grandfather and Lamb were behind Charles' death adds tension to her exchange with Lamb. It's possible that Lamb will confess the truth to Catherine during the finale, but it's uncertain if she will ever return to work after that, as it would destroy her. The penultimate episode of Slow Horses, 'Cleaning Up', follows the characters of Louisa, River, Sean Donovan, and Alison Dunn's brother as they try to hold off the dogs and find the file incriminating Ingrid Tierny in Alison's death. Diana Taverner, played by Kristin Scott Thomas, has been absent for most of the season, but her presence is evident in the scenes between her and Ingrid, where they try to one-up each other over a glass of scotch. The dynamic between Scott Thomas and Sophie Okonedo is dynamite, showcasing their distrust and spite for one another. Taverner reveals her involvement in the proceedings and her role in the pieces moving forward. The episode of Slow Horses is a thrilling finale, focusing on the tension and suspense within the facility. The characters, River and Louisa, are vulnerable and no one is safe from being killed. Shirley and Marcus are also involved, leading to a jam. Lamb and Ho are tasked with extracting Standish. The show's finale is expected to wrap up loose ends, but it continues to do justice to the world created by Mick Herron in his book series. Despite its bleakness, the show finds humor to lift the mood and stand out from some of the more dour spy series.

Another good episode, not the best, but the tension is high and the slow horses are against a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. It will be interesting to see how they will resolve this without it looking completely unbelievable. You already need quite a bit of suspension of disbelief to enjoy some of the scenes, because of the classic infinite ammo during firefights trope and the bad guys being lousy at their jobs, although they are supposed to be a private military. Then again, it could, at least to some degree, be because the show wants to portray them as not so competent weekend warriors who are getting jobs due to political connections.

I give the episode bonus points for Ho listening to some classic Iron Maiden tunes.

The first series was fun and interesting but clearer they had no where to go after it. Just repeating River's gullibility, Lamb's farting etc the writers seem to think everyone will be happy and they can pad a story out around that. Series two was painful but this is worse, the violent version of cheap laughs and no story at all! The 'Dogs' or as I call them the football supporters is really a low point. The most ludicrous imagination less story angle for ages. The last writers were probably patting themselves hard on the back for the extreme depths they dared to plunge. Please end it now before they embarrass the UK any further.