River Cartwright is rescued from a burning building by an unnamed Frenchman, possibly a friend or foe, based on the fact that Jean D'Eau saved River from an attacker before knocking him unconscious. The kidnapper may be a contact of Jackson Lamb, who has set a plan in motion. The next target is an "anuzzer old man" who may have forgotten why he has to die. Lamb, who is a decade younger than River's granddad, could fit that bill. If Lamb is next on the killer's wipeout list, it means more about the man, the guff, and the legend. During Lamb's time in the field, he unwittingly pissed off Moira Tregorian, who was landed at Slough House, dusting Lamb's mantlepiece. This inadvertent incident may have been a plant for Claude Whelan, who is known for his "glass ceiling." The story continues to explore the legend of Jackson Lamb and the potential targets of his assassins. In this episode of Slow Horses, Mr. Transparency shows an empty hand, a reference to Will Smith's old show The Thick of It. Whelan is a blank space, with no complete works of William Shakespeare inside. Claude's humiliation takes place inside a giant poster for an exhibition on leadership promising "500 Years of Defining Authority" and ending with the hashtag #greatleaders. Taverner chose well when she quashed Giti Rahman's discovery that the Westacres bombing was carried out by someone using an MI5 cold body ID. Shredding the evidence under the watchful eye of the Park's record keeper Molly Doran is a short-term solution, but it beats shredding Giti Rahman, which was feared as Taverner's original plan. Emma Flyte's cavalier way of parking her car across the Disabled parking space would have been without a qualm. Back at Slough House, rumours of River's death were greatly exaggerated, removing Louisa from the hook for sending him to Casa Cartwright that night. Marcus and Shirley were too distracted by their £10k gambling debt to notice one way or another. There was also some hint of silent new detainee JK's Slough House-worthy sin when Lamb screamed at him that YOU NEVER BLOW A JOE'S COVER. Pryce and Lowden are praised for their ingenious plotting, witty scripts, down-to-earth action, and shock twists. However, emotional poignancy is rarely on the menu in Slow Horses, as seen in Pryce and Lowden's scene in the bathroom where River had to step up and take care of the man who'd always taken care of him.
