The Slow Horses were hunted this season. It started with someone completely inconsequential from the beginning of the series. Then, it moved to someone who was never seen before. When the threat escalated, the narrative needed to eliminate a familiar face. Coe was killed. River can't even say it when he meets up with his colleagues at the safe house. The threat would seemingly go away if Sid got on the plane to Moscow. Instead, River got her to safety. She had a chance at survival. Jackson has more confidence in her skills than River's. The story doesn't continue with Sid. She never belonged at Slough House. Her skills are better than this assignment. As such, it's more important to focus on the misfits trying to survive against impossible odds. Diana's holiday home is no longer safe. It's invaded by both Harkness and the female assassin. The threats converge on this location. Jackson wants to eliminate the threat so his team can return home and continue their trivial jobs. He can't protect them. He never could. And so, more die. It's devastating. Even the heroic moments come with a hint of irony. That chaos fuels the storytelling. It also sets up a massive cliffhanger that seemingly promises to change the foundation of the show for good.
When River and Sid were together, they had a grasp of what was going on. They didn't have all the pieces. That was Jackson's responsibility. He was roaming around London putting everything together and then implementing a strategy. He knows Diana is capable of selling a story. He meets with Natasha to see if she can do the same. He crafts one hell of an argument that she would be blamed for the disaster that took place in London. Cantor provided a list of the Slow Horses to the Kremlin. They wanted retribution for what happened to their dead agent. The pair of assassins failed in their mission. And now, it's better to blame Cantor for all of this going horribly. He was destined to achieve what he wanted. He finally had an opportunity to expand his media empire. He was giddy at the prospect. He believed his money could buy the influence of anything he wanted. He's accustomed to making his aspirations come true. This was no different. Instead, it's ironic that the Russian money Cantor used to compromise Diana financed a British covert operation to kill a Russian agent. When those facts are plainly stated, Cantor's betrayal is the only logical conclusion. He's not that cunning. He receives the blame nevertheless. A British citizen is placed on a plane heading to Moscow. It just isn't Sid. Once again, Jackson protects his joes.
Diana benefits from all of this too. She was prepared to tender her resignation to the Home Secretary. She was the biggest threat to the security of the country. Instead, she listens to Jackson. She delivers a story of conducting this operation to flush out Russian assets within the British government. She was successful. Cantor was exposed. Peter Judd will be shortly as well. She didn't tell anyone because she didn't know who to trust. She had to keep the operation closely guarded. It doesn't take much convincing for her to agree to this plan. Jackson protects her. In turn, she listens when he tells her to send a team to her holiday home. She doesn't know what's happened there. Standish calls Jackson in a panic for help. He convinces Cantor he will spare his life if he calls off Harkness. Jackson isn't that kind or noble. He exploits what Cantor can do. Then, he delivers him to the plane anyway. Nothing has changed. His team is safe. It's delightful when they are bickering amongst themselves. That's not what the culmination of this part of the narrative was destined to be. So many of the Slow Horses were conveniently removed from the main story. Something climactic needed to happen to them too. River gets there just in time to witness the fight. He's conveniently always at the center of the action. Sometimes, he's successful as a hero. Other times, he's lucky his father has a gun to kill the woman targeting him.
Harkness and his goons aim to smoke out the people protecting Reece. It was wise for Louisa and Shirley to prepare. Louisa and Flyte are the only ones with guns. They fire back. Shirley launches her molotov cocktails. It's all good enough to escape to the beach. It's not good enough to eliminate the threat. Both Flyte and Louisa feel compelled to go back to cause a distraction. They want the others to get to safety. The job is keeping Reece safe. Some are better equipped than others. In trying to escape, Shirley finds a harpoon. She thinks Reece should know how to use it. He has to be responsible for his own protection. Roddy runs as he's only looking out for himself. He returns solely because he stumbles upon Flyte's body. She took out one of the goons. She shot Harkness in the leg too. That was it. Roddy can't fire straight even with a weapon. He serves as the distraction. Reece is successful with his shot. Everyone survives because Harkness is told to stand down. He listens despite being meters away from completion. He argues that none of this was personal. It was purely coincidental that he was at David's funeral. He doesn't want River to know that he cares. He obviously does. The evidence is the dead assassin. River couldn't take her out on his own. He needed help from the true agents.
River had a moment of hope. As the Slow Horses mourn those they've lost, Standish delivers a message. It doesn't make sense to her. In fact, she finds it rude that River leaves before she can find the number in her purse. He knows Sid is waiting for him at his grandfather's house. She left a light on for him. They were on this epic adventure together. Emotions were high. They turned romantic in a way that inspired further action. They aim to act on that even as things have calmed down. Not everyone survived. Louise took a bullet to the gut. Help arrives in time to treat her injuries. She's not coming back to Slough House. She's still a member of this group no matter what. These bonds go beyond the torment they receive from Jackson. This job requires them to trust each other. These are the most personal relationships they have. They ridicule because they love. It's the only way for them to cope. As such, they'll grasp onto anything to keep that spark alive. It's almost never healthy. River wants it be. He sees a future with Sid. She's right upstairs. He tries to surprise her with tea. Instead, he's the victim of one last hit from the Russians. He collapses from a nerve agent. He falls victim to the same ploy that started all of this. The retribution continues between the two intelligence services. Nothing was solved. Agents died. That's the cycle.
