Oh, that’s got to sting.
We’ve got an exclusive sneak peek of Slow Horses Season 3 Episode 4, in which Ingrid Tearney (Sophie Okonedo) meets with Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) to ask for the Slow Horses’ help.
If there’s anything we know about Ingrid, she doesn’t think much of the disgraced heroes of Slough House.
This season focuses mainly on the team’s efforts to rescue Standish (Catherine Reeves), but, as usual, they have more obstacles than any regular MI5 agent (yet they still triumph).
Her kidnapping coincides with that of There have been some big swings this season so far.
It turns out that Standish was kidnapped by an inside group of MI5 agents that Ingrid put together to test MI5 security.
When it all falls apart and the “fake” kidnapping becomes the real thing, everyone, Ingrid especially, is left with egg on their faces.
With what MI5 considers the biggest buffoons of the lot being relegated to Slough House, seeing those in charge surpass said buffoonery is for the record books.
Imagine how little they’re thought of when someone like Spider (Freddie Fox), arguably the biggest buffoon of them all, would rather find a new gig than take the Slough House demotion.
Slow Horses Season 3 Episode 3 saw Spider at his absolute worst, which we probably thought we had seen time and again.
For a minute there, it seemed like, despite continual errors in all the things, the bastard was going to land on his feet.
Getting a cushy well paying job after being such a pain in the ass, let alone a waste of an agent, made my skin crawl.
TV scripts follow patterns, though.
For example, if ever a secondary character gets a big episode that drills down into their inner workings, the odds are pretty good they’re not long for this world.
If the looks of Spider at the end of the episode ring true, his smart mouth just became the death of him.
That leaves everyone outside of Slough House scrambling for answers.
The matter of two hostages is one thing, but being responsible for the death of a former MI5 agent is another, even if he wasn’t still (ever) a valuable member of their team.
Ingrid is left holding the bag for setting this whole thing into motion, no matter how far astray the mission went from her initial plans.
When she needs a job done and done well, she turns to Jackson and the Slow Horses to pick up the pieces.
She’s granting the Tiger Team access to the Gray Books, the conspiracy theory tomes they have demanded access to. She wants the Slow Horses to be their escorts.
Is that really all that she wants from them?
This seems like a setup for a pass-the-bag scenario in which she somehow turns the tables and places all of the blame on the Tiger Team mayhem squarely on the shoulders of the Slow Horses.
These people are clever, and if anyone can turn an escort mission into a crisis for which they’ll have to pay for the sins of others, it would be this particular MI5 management team.
Watch Ingrid’s expressions as she promises Jack in the clip that it’s a “win-win” and to trust her.
The downcast nature of her eyes says so much, but Jackson can read the signals better than anyone, I’d think.
“Trust you? That’s a topic for another day,” he quips in response.
The question is whether he’ll see the ask for what it most likely is — a setup to rid herself of her well-begotten burden.
Slow Horses Season 3 has nailed every episode so far, which is no big surprise. It’s one of the best shows on TV.
Check out the exclusive clip now, and shoot us your thoughts on how this little mission might play out!
New episodes of Slow Horses drop on Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
Edit Delete
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
