Slow Horses

The Metropolitan Police are yet to comment on the incident,

but details are starting to emerge.

The body was reportedly thrown from a vehicle outside Anna Livia's,

a restaurant frequented by stars and politicians.

Home Secretary Peter J--

Sit down.

I won't be here long, so I'll stand.

I know what you're going to say.

Then why don't you say it for me?

That I've bitten off more than I can chew.

That I'm meddling with things that don't concern me.

That I'm dangerously out of my depth. Close?

Bang on.

You set a team on MI5 to test our security defenses.

- And now that team has gone rogue. - Well, more than rogue.

They dumped a fucking body outside my favorite restaurant.

It's gonna have a seriously detrimental effect on the restaurant bookings.

- That's really what you want to focus on? - I know the owner.

And I'm also one of the investors. But that's not the point.

- No, it isn't. - Point is, this can't get out.

I'd have to resign.

And it would completely undermine Chieftain's viability as a business.

In which you also have a financial stake.

You understand my predicament.

I'd love to let you drown in your own swill.

But you have tarnished MI5 with this nonsense.

So I will clean it up and make it go away.

How? We can't give in to them.

Leave it to me, the professional.

Ingrid.

I'm going to let the tiger team into the facility to see the Grey Books.

Really? You don't have to do that.

You could stall them, track them down.

This way, the Home Secretary's tiger team genuinely breach a secure MI5 location

in a way that's harmful to him but not to us.

There's nothing of any value in the facility.

No, but I am in charge of the facility. Is this gonna come back at me?

Of course not, Diana. You have my word.

Cartwright?

Upstairs.

I found out where Donovan's keeping Standish.

No, you didn't.

Not exactly,

but I've got a list of properties on Chieftain's books.

I've narrowed it down to these four.

Time frame means she's within 30 miles of London.

But Donovan won't be using any Chieftain properties.

Because?

Because then they'd know where he is, dipshit.

- I'll do it. - Okay.

Show me that picture you got of Standish with a gun to her head.

Uh, right. There's been a bit of a development.

Spider works for Chieftain.

- Thank you. - No problem.

Yeah, well, they're not gonna let Standish go,

so I'm gonna have to get her myself.

Here. Put that on, um-- on your laptop. Blow it up. Make it bigger.

So think.

Was there-- Was there any background noise when they rang?

No. Nothing.

- But did you hear what she just said? - Spider was in on it, the tiger team.

Yeah. What was the message?

The message was, you know, "Don't tell anyone.

Be at the Barbican Bridge or Catherine Standish dies."

- And Spider was there. He's in on it. - Yeah.

Forget about fucking Spider.

He's dead.

What?

Wait, are you-- We were just with him.

Uh, yeah. But shortly after that,

he was rolled out of a car in front of a restaurant

where Judd and Monteith were having lunch.

Wait. Who killed him?

Uh, looks like Donovan.

I imagine he felt he wasn't getting anyone's attention.

- They'd kill for the Grey Books? - Yeah, it would seem so.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

Looks like she's in a house.

Well, that narrows it down.

Employee of the week.

She's flinching.

She's got a gun to her head.

Mm-mmm. No.

She-- She wants to show us something.

Zoom in right there on that bit of the wall.

Now that does narrow it down. Clever girl.

Find the house where those three kids grew up.

Oh, come on. Cheer up. He was an absolute prick.

Where are you going?

Church.

All right, make this quick. I've got underlings to bully. I'm busy.

No one in Slough House is busy.

Come on. Get on with it.

The tiger team has killed one person and taken two hostages.

I don't know what they think they're going to find in the Grey Books,

but there's nothing of any value in them.

So, I propose to give them what they want so we get the hostages freed quickly,

- and deal with them later. - Okeydoke.

I'd like you or your people to escort them in and out.

Oh, you would, would you?

It's win-win. Trust me.

Trust you? Well, that's a topic for another day.

You get Standish back quickly.

And a favor from me you can call in at anytime.

Nah.

Nah, I'm good.

You know, I've been caught like this before.

"Oh, sorry, Jackson. We fucked up. Do us a favor.

Go through this door, and everything will be sweet."

The last time I did that,

I walked in and found a severed head on a fucking table.

You can clean up your own shit.

- It's not my shit. - No, it's Judd's.

And I think you want me to help you roll him in it.

- What are you gonna tell your wife? - About what?

About being fired.

I wasn't planning on telling her anything.

Surprisingly, my wife has very little interest as to whether you're fired.

She doesn't even know who you are, mate.

We were both fired.

Why would he fire me? I wasn't the one caught with coke on me.

"You're fucking fired.

I've got fucking hemorrhoids that are more fucking use than you."

- That was the message. - I know what the message was.

He was talking about you.

But you'll find out when we get back to Slough House.

Hemorrhoids is plural.

- You don't get single hemorrhoids. - Yeah, you do.

All right. Well, you'd know.

Why would he fire me?

Well, because you're a degenerate gambler for one thing.

You got repetitive strain injury from spinning roulette. Both hands.

No... the players don't actually spin the roulette themselves.

And my little hobby doesn't affect my work unlike your drug habit.

No one can tell when I'm high.

You do realize that's a bad thing, right?

Hundred quid says it's both of us.

500.

- Really? - You know what, fuck it. A grand.

Done.

Yeah. Done.

There's no milk.

That's because Catherine always gets it.

So what do you think Lamb's got planned once Ho finds the house?

Um, well, I guess we ride in and-- and get her.

You're actually upset about Spider?

I mean, I fucking hated the man. I fucking hated him, but...

you know, we were friends once.

Really?

Yeah.

I think he used you a lot.

And I think if it was the other way around, he wouldn't really care.

Hmm.

- Yep? - River Cartwright?

Yeah.

I'm calling from the St. Joshua Club where your grandfather was a member.

Is a member.

There's been a dispute over his membership status--

Why are you calling my grandson? Don't you believe what I'm telling you?

Oh, yeah, yeah. I-- I know what that'll be.

Do you want to speak to him?

No, no, it's fine. I'll just, um--

- I'll come down. It's not far. - If you don't mind.

Okay. Thanks.

Um, I've got to go and sort my grandfather out.

What? Now?

Yeah, now.

Oh, um, thank you for the tea.

I actually prefer it without milk, so...

- So now we're wanted for murder. - I am.

I'm not letting you go off on your own again.

- It's all good. - You killed someone.

And now we'll get what we want.

- Are you sure? - They'll call.

- And after that, what happens to you-- - It doesn't matter!

First, we get justice for Alison.

And once that's done,

I'll take whatever justice is coming my way.

What are you going to do with that man you've taken prisoner?

Nothing.

Is he your boss? Is he your hostage now? He was going to let me go.

We have to keep you for a little while longer.

We picked you for a reason.

Oh, this? This is in the new storage facility.

And you know all about that.

You know what files are in what boxes in what rooms.

These are decommissioned documents. They're of no interest--

They're of interest to me.

This was part of a set of files originally marked for destruction.

Then there should be no trouble telling me exactly where it is.

I'm sorry, I can't.

I'd be in all sorts of trouble if I did that.

You're already in trouble.

I know what you're capable of.

But that gun to the head was a piece of theater.

So you're not going to hurt me.

Okay.

Everything I told you in that café was the truth.

Except your name.

My name is Sean Donovan.