Slow Horses

This is Lamb.

If I didn't answer, it's because I don't want to speak to you.

Hello. Ah, got you, didn't I? It's Marcus Longridge. Leave a message.

- Here you go. Enjoy. - Cheers.

This is River. Leave a message.

Hello?

Finally. Someone picked up.

Where are you?

None of your business.

Yeah, well, you're supposed to be at the Chickado.

Why?

Our Christmas party.

We don't have a Christmas party.

And if we did, we'd have it before Christmas and not at a Chickado.

Yeah. Well, maybe you're not invited.

Maybe Lamb only told the elites.

Lamb told you about it though, didn't he?

I asked him where the Christmas party was, and he gave me the details.

Right.

See if you can work out what happened.

Yeah, well, you gotta be in the game to get played, so...

- - Hello?

["This Is How We Do It" playing through headphones]

At Westacres shopping center.

Confirmed there's a car bomb.

First Desk approaching.

Claude Whelan, First Desk.

- And you are? - Agent Singh.

- Right. - Ma'am.

Oh, I mean, something like this, th... there are... There are no words.

It's just...

We're confirmed it's a car bomb?

Yes, ma'am. We have it on CCTV.

Driver was in the car, so it was a suicide attack.

On a shopping center. My God.

Car drives up through the pedestrianized area,

people scatter,

he drives straight into the entrance and detonates.

Jesus Christ.

What do we know about the car?

Hired under the name Robert Winters, 28-year-old freelance IT consultant,

but nothing in his background to indicate why he did this.

Track his journey on CCTV. We need to know where he came from.

We checked the address in Leicester he gave to the hire-car company.

Nobody's been there in years.

Neighbors have never seen nor heard of Winters.

Jesus.

So maybe he's a ghost.

Could be, uh... Could be this is a one-off.

Or the start of something.

- -

And from talking to people in London, it seems

that a sense of anxiety remains across the community.

In the latest move, armed police have been placed on some trains,

although this feels more of a confidence-boosting measure

than a response to a specific threat.

Do you really think he is part of a network?

I guess the longer it goes without another attack,

the more likely he's just a lone wolf.

I hate the term "lone wolf." Makes him sound edgy.

He's just a murderous prick.

Right. We'll do that again.

We just toasted a murderous prick. Say something else.

Um, to not being in Slough House this time next year.

Yeah. That's unlikely.

Unless we just quit.

- - You don't actually wanna do that,

do you?

Well, I'm-I'm always thinking about it. Yeah.

Great.

Anyway, um, yeah, there's just been something

that I've wanted to share with you for a while, and-and, you know,

- I wanted to do it outside of the office... - Okay.

...and, um, I've felt like I could share that with you

'cause we've... I think we've gotten closer.

- Uh-huh. - And, um...

I don't want to overstep the mark or anything,

and I get it if you want to keep it to work when it comes to us.

- Oh, River. I'm sorry. - Just...

- I do like you, but... - But my grandfather...

Hmm?

- What? - No, your grandfather. Yeah.

Yeah, what... What did you just say?

- I didn't... No. Go on... Go on. Carry on. - What did you think I was gonna say?

- Did you think I was gonna ask you out? - No, I didn't.

- Yes, you did. Yeah, you did. - I didn't. Okay, I did.

But that's because you asked for a drink at lunchtime

'cause you wanted to talk to me about something,

and then you started whanging on about how close

- you felt to me and then... Yeah. - Whanging on?

- Well, I do. I feel closer to you. - Can we go on to your grandfather now?

Okay, um...

- I think he's going... - Going where?

- Like... - Oh.

- - Hmm.

He's just confused all the time.

Forgets everything.

Isn't that just part of aging?

- He's like, what, 80-something? - No, no, no.

He thinks he's being watched by stoats.

What are stoats?

It's what his generation call watchers.

He's sleeping with a gun by the bed.

Like...

Do you think that maybe he should be in a home?

Yeah. Yeah, I do. But do you wanna tell him that?

You know, the last time I saw him, he genuinely didn't know who I was

for, like, the first ten minutes.

No idea.

He kept telling me about his grandson River.

I-I can't... It's horrible to see it.

Well, tough shit.

- What? - He is the one that raised you.

He is the one that looked after you when no one else did.

So now it's your turn.

You need to go and see him. Tonight.

No, I know, I know. I know. Yeah, I know. Yeah.

I just needed you to tell me that.

I know you're there. Come on. Let me see you. Come on.

Come on!

Come on. I know you're there. Come on.

Let me see you.

Come on!

Huh?

- -

Oh, River.

Can you let me in? I'm getting soaked.

Yes, yes, of course.

- Come in. Come in. - Ooh.

Why didn't you call? Or maybe you did.

I did call you, but you didn't answer. Uh, I'm just gonna run up to the loo.

Traffic was awful. And I'll tell you what, shall I run you a bath while I'm up there?

Looks like you got caught in the rain too.

It's just awful.

Almost ready, Gramps.

You're not my grandson.

Whoa. It's me. It's River.

C... Please. C-Can you put the gun down please?

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God. What have I done?

- -

- -

Fuck.

Lamb.

Fuck.

I'll call you when I've got more info.

They were going through stuff, but... Ah, he's just arrived.

I'll call you back.

You're Lamb?

This time of night, I'm plagued by doubts.

I'm Emma Flyte. Duffy's replacement.

Well, you're already an improvement.

On account of not being brain-dead and in a coma.

The grapevine says it was one of yours put him in that coma.

Well, the grapevine says a lot of things, but it's mostly the wine talking.

The guy before Duffy was altogether classier.

Bad Sam Chapman.

That was just a name.

Wasn't that bad.

Except for that bit about losing a quarter of a billion pounds.

Well, I said he wasn't bad.

Didn't say he was perfect.

Want to show me the damage?

You know Mr. Cartwright?

Uh, I have an alibi, I was in a sauna with Lady Di.

You can ask her.

Do you know Mr. Cartwright?

- Which one? - Either. Both.

Well, the younger one works for me.

The grandfather gave me a job once.

They're nice shoes.

You get a clothing allowance?