Season 5, episode 2 of Slow Horses immediately capitalizes on the tension of the premiere by having Roddy Ho hear an intruder in his flat. In a scene that encompasses the masterful way the entire show shifts between tension and comedy, Roddy defends himself with a massive sword. As it turns out, Jackson Lamb is the one in his bedroom, where he plans to wait for the inevitable intruder. The intruder comes, and someone else in his crew opens fire on the building. After the attack, the main characters meet up at a rooftop restaurant. River and Coe look for Roddy’s supposed girlfriend, tensions rise at The Park, and the group responsible for the shooting kills the intruder, as Shirly injured him too much to be brought to a hospital without suspicion. This group has a secret deal with a young group of eco-activists who break into a petrol distillery, resulting in car fires. The Park finds out that Roddy was under attack and goes to retrieve him and reprimand Slough House, as Lamb was supposed to report any attempt on an agent’s life. Finally, a few scenes establish the threat of the press and politicians on The Park, as Whelan is ambushed by a journalist and Taverner is visited by Judd, who reveals that he has a connection to the gun used in the premiere’s mass shooting.
As usual, “Incommunicado” is an extremely tight, well-paced, and engaging episode of Slow Horses that ramps up the tension while maintaining its comedic moments. A recurring bit throughout the episode focuses on the unbelievable nature of Roddy having an actual girlfriend, which both leads to witty interactions and the genuine tension of him being compromised. The ways in which masculinity is approached through Roddy and River are particularly interesting, with River being outwardly annoyed that he isn’t being utilized to the fullest by Lamb. Additionally, the restaurant’s location itself led to a series of beautiful scenes, complete with elegant tables, a neon elevator, and the glamorous London skyline. On one hand, the episode leaves off in an incredibly interesting place, where Slough House is invaded by The Park in order to take Roddy. This works well, putting the plot of the rest of the season completely up in the air. On the other hand, it was a shame to see the duos of River and Coe and Roddy and Lamb be broken up so soon, but they will surely have more to do as the season goes on.
It is slightly worrying that this episode establishes the shooters, the eco-activists, Judd’s gun groups, the politicians, and the press as entities that will interact and complicate things for Slough House and The Park over the course of only four more episodes. While Coe brings up the compelling point that the attacks are being deliberately aligned with political turmoil to destabilize the country, as their own government does to other nations, the show’s potential ability to balance everything is concerning. However, the previous four seasons have built up enough good faith to trust that the show and story will blend and balance these elements in a coherent and exciting way. Overall, “Incommunicado” unfolded the story set up in the premiere excellently, introducing an interesting, albeit vast, web of threats, and set up the remaining episodes very well.
Rating: 8/10