Recap: ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4, Episode 4 Pins the Blame On MI5

Episode 4 of Slow Horses Season 4, “Returns”, begins with a pretty significant revelation. Frank Harkness — Hugo Weaving’s finally getting a bit of direct screentime — was hired to do the Westacres job by the royal family of a foreign government. It wasn’t intended to be a bombing, though, just a hit disguised as an accident. Who was the original target? Well, we know it was David Cartwright and Sam Chapman. But what was the “weak link in the chain” that compelled Yves, otherwise known as Robert Winters, to blow himself and half of the shopping center’s infrastructure up with a car bomb? Questions, questions.

We know the people who hired Frank are serious since they’ve paid for three stories of a hotel so they can kill Frank and saw his body into pieces — which he’ll be awake for, it’s explained to him. The whole operation seems pretty sophisticated. The only thing that keeps Frank alive, for now, is a promise to kill the ex-Service agents who know about Westacres and its connection to Les Arbres. And he only has until midnight to do it.

Sam Chapman’s Trip To France

Those ex-Service agents include Sam Chapman, who is sitting in the back of the black cab Jackson Lamb used to mow down his would-be assassin at the end Episode 3. After a bit of a delay while Lamb gives Diana Taverner the run-around, he finally gets Chapman upstairs to find Catherine Standish waiting for him with some bad news. David Cartwright is in the wind, presumably heading for the Park, but probably, as Lamb claims, wandering the streets like a lost dog. “You wouldn’t have lost him if he was a bottle of gin” is an especially cutting putdown for an alcoholic, but Lamb isn’t exactly known for his politeness.

To make matters worse, he even offers Standish a drink when he sits down with her and Chapman to discuss his visit to Lavande as Cartwright’s bagman. The details are quite predictable. The OB sent Chapman out there with a car stuffed full of munitions, cash, and “cold bodies” like the Robert Winters ID to arm the militia that was operating out of the chateau. In exchange, he brought back a woman, likely one of Frank’s brood mares, who gave him the slip as soon as they got back to the U.K.

But this story does include mention of “the old building”, which is how everyone colloquially refers to the previous location of the Park, which gives Lamb an idea. David, who wants to speak to First Desk in his addled mental state, is likely to be on his way there. At the exact same time, Flyte, who is being given a rollicking by Diana for withholding news about River still being alive, is called by the receptionist of the swanky hotel that the old building has become. It’s suddenly a race.

MI5 Are The Bad Guys?

While this is going on, Whelan proves he isn’t as stupid as Diana thinks he is by showing off what Giti managed to find in the archives — another cold body identity, Adam Lockhead, the cover of who we know to be Bertrand, the River lookalike found dead in David Cartwright’s bath. Of course, River has been using the Adam Lockhead ID to get in and out of France, which has rightly raised some alarm bells (by the way, is it just me, but does this guy not look anything like River? It keeps being constantly mentioned but I’m just not seeing it.)

Whelan, being the sanctimonious pencil-pusher that he is, wants to use this as an excuse for rigorous oversight of the Service’s practices, the findings of which will be made public, which sets Lady Di off big time. She frames it like she’s more concerned about using MI5’s resources to prevent another bombing, and secondarily so that they won’t be made to look like the “bad guys”. Based on Chapman’s testimony, I can see why she’s concerned, because it seems very much like MI5 are the bad guys.

Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner in Slow Horses | Image via Apple TV+

Sam Chapman’s End

Chapman is able to get to David before the Dogs and bundle him into the back of Lamb’s black cab, the mileage of which is increasing rather rapidly, and at St. Pancras Station, River is able to give Flyte the slip, narrowly avoiding Frank Harkness, too, who is there observing the situation without anyone’s knowledge.

Chapman knows if what he did in France is revealed, which it looks like it’s going to be, he’ll be on the hook for all of it. David’s dementia, legend status, and spotless Service record will make sure Chapman becomes the fall guy, which means he needs to disappear. That means retrieving his flight fund, which Frank had already speculated he’d do earlier.

Because we have this knowledge, Chapman’s long walk back to his office feels like he’s walking Death Row, since his fate is virtually inevitable. And, of course, once he gets there Frank’s French lapdog gets the drop on him, attempting to beat David Cartwright’s location out of him.

A Personal Connection

Slow Horses Season 4, Episode 4 ends with teasing another, more personal connection to River. I’m not sure I totally understand what’s being implied here, but after arriving back at his grandfather’s house, River sneaks inside and digs out some old drawings that seem to match those he photographed in Les Arbres.

I suspect this is just confirming that the woman who Chapman took from there back in the day eventually made her way to David. She was presumably the artist that Natasha mentioned in the previous episode. But did River have some kind of relationship with her? Is she his mother? Which would make Frank his father?

There’s plenty here to ponder for those who haven’t read the books, but we do seem to be heading in that direction. In the meantime, though, despite River hiding in the nick of time from Flyte and the Dogs, he emerges from the attic a bit too soon. Flyte is still there.

Read More: Slow Horses Season 4, Episode 5 Recap