'Slow Horses' season 4 has been really good so far. Of course, that's no surprise. I've been calling it the best show on TV for years, and its previous seasons have merited a binge-watch from more than one of the Tom's Guide staff. Our streaming editor even called episode 1 of this season her "favorite premiere of the year."
But we're through most of this season after episode 5 last night, and there's only the season 4 finale next week. The whole season has been building to a big reveal that I didn't expect when the season started and for some reason — despite everyone in the world of "Slow Horses" seeming to know — they just won't drop what should be the biggest bombshell in the show's history.
I get the desire to hold off such a moment for the finale. But the problem is, if we spend too much of the episode on that reveal, then I'm not sure we'll have enough time to satisfyingly wrap up everything else laid out in this season. "Slow Horses" has made tying up most of its loose ends each season a hallmark of what makes the brilliantly-paced show great, and for the first time since the show started, it feels like they've run out of time to do that in season 4.
Spoilers for "Slow Horses" season 4 episode 5 "Grave Danger" to follow
'Slow Horses' is taking its time with its River reveal
Unlike the showrunners, I'm not going to dance around the big reveal of season 4 anymore. Over the past few episodes, particularly episodes 4 and 5, "Slow Horses" has all but said that this season's villain, Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving), is River Cartwright's (Jack Lowden) father.
That should be a huge bombshell, especially for a show that rarely does big reveals for story arcs that aren't contained within the season. So far, the biggest one has probably been that Catherine Standish's (Saskia Reeves) old boss was a traitor during the Cold War. This reveal should have been as shocking as that one.
But it hasn't, because the show has slowly led you there this time — perhaps too slowly. Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), Catherine and even River himself know that Frank is River's father. The show has shown us that the guy who looked like River that River's grandfather David (Jonathan Pryce) killed at the beginning of the season was literally Jack Lowden with a shaved face. The young version of Frank that the show flashes back to looks like he could easily be related to Lowden.
So it's a bit baffling that the show has refused to just get the moment over with. Especially, since there's still a fair amount of questions left unanswered. Theoretically, the season 4 finale has to cover Frank and River's meeting, Jackson finding them, Frank and his henchmen getting their comeuppance, River and David reuniting and potentially discussing either Frank or the fact that David is senile. There's a lot to unpack.
I'm hopeful that "Slow Horses" sticks the landing. If there's anything this show has excelled at, it's pacing. But I'm just worried that delaying this reveal has not only diminished the moment but put the show's perfect pacing in jeopardy. We'll have to watch the season 4 finale next week to find out.
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