The most French kidnapping in history occurred in a locked room, with River regaining consciousness and enjoying a cheeseboard and Beaujolais Nouveau with the man who knocked him out. This kidnapping is considered the most Slow Horses kidnapping in history, as River arming himself with a flimsy colander and hijacking the world's slowest bike as a getaway. The spies are not smooth operators, but they get the job done. The French assassin sicced on Bad Sam Chapman is now in the wind, as is his other target David Cartwright. The gang gained valuable information about Les Arbres and the Westacres bomber. Robert Winters, Bertrand, and several others are brothers from a one-man stud farm set up 30 years ago in Lavande to populate the planet with trained killers. Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving) presided over a harem of impressionable young girls, impregnated them, stole their babies, kicked them out, and turned their kids into his own personal army. This makes him Slow Horses' most unhinged baddie yet and perhaps its most personal. Bertrand's mother Natasha revealed that Harkness had a Eurovision Contest-worth of baby mamas, including an English girl named Cartwright. The story revolves around River's grandparents raising him and the possibility of two bombs in two different decades. David Cartwright's lack of official records at The Park linking him to France suggests he led a cover-up operation there. The plot is heightened by Jonathan Pryce and Saskia Reeves, who convey their distress and calculations beautifully. Morwenna Banks' script achieves poignancy without losing the sense of humor for which Slow Horses is loved.
Weasel Whelan recruits Giti for team 'Take Down Taverner', but Kristin Scott Thomas' wry character has seen off lesser opponents while barely breaking a nail. Jackson Lamb, behind the wheel of a London taxi, is marvellous and hard to read, with his callousness and heroics making him stand out. Standish's line about Lamb not being the only brain on Spook Street is also good, though somewhat undermined by David Cartwright evading her through the back door. At the halfway point, this is shaping up to be a Cartwright-centric series, and Slow Horses' best yet. The emotional story of David Cartwright's dwindling mind and the idea that the sins of the (grand)father may be laid at the feet of his (grand)son is rich ground to explore. Add to this Jackson's repartee with Flyte, entertaining diversions like Marcus' ballroom dancing-obsessed gun dealer, and surprise cameos from London cabs, it's no wonder that the awards world is finally catching up with Slow Horses' supremacy. Oldman was robbed of the Best Actor Emmy, but for this role, he should get one every day along with his morning coffee.
