In Slow Horses Season 4 Episode 2 on Apple TV+, the intricate web of deception and danger deepens. We gain more insight into the dire circumstances surrounding a suicide bombing at a crowded shopping mall and an attempted explosion at an empty apartment, events that have cast a shadow over London.
As the city remains on high alert, the MI5’s investigation unearths some shocking truths. Meanwhile, David Cartwright’s deteriorating memory leads to a horrific mistake when he mistakenly kills a young man, believing him to be his grandson, River Cartwright. However, River’s fate becomes clear by the end of Episode 1, revealing that he is alive and has faked his own death for reasons that are finally explained in Episode 2.
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Why Did River Fake His Own Death?
The episode begins with a flashback to the previous night when David Cartwright, suffering from confusion, mistakenly kills a man he believes is his grandson. River, having been urged by Louisa to visit his grandfather more frequently, arrives at David’s countryside home late in the evening, only to find a disturbing scene. The ground floor is unusually quiet, and River hears a noise from upstairs. Fearing that David might have injured himself, River rushes upstairs to find his grandfather standing beside a dead body in the bathroom, with blood spattered everywhere.
David, believing he has accidentally killed his grandson, holds River at gunpoint. In a tense moment, River convinces David that he is, in fact, his real grandson and that the man lying dead in the bathroom must have been an intruder. David reveals that he grew suspicious of the imposter when the man rushed to the bathroom without properly greeting him and called him “gramps,” a term River never used.
River searches the dead man’s pockets and finds Diazepam tablets, a return train ticket to France, and a piece of paper with the name of a café, Le Blanc Russe, in the small French town of Lavande. The dead man’s passport reveals his name as Adam Lockhead. River realizes that the man had planned to drug David and make his death look like an accident or suicide by drowning him in the bathtub.
With no clear answers, River decides to protect his grandfather from legal trouble by faking his own death. He shoots Lockhead again to destroy his face, making the body hard to identify. Then, he plants his own phone and wallet on the body to make it appear that he was the victim. Afterward, he takes David to Catherine’s apartment, knowing she will help, and sets off for France to uncover more about Lockhead and the mysterious café.
What Is Revealed About Robert Winters?
The episode also delves deeper into the identity of Robert Winters, the man believed to be behind the London bombings. A video of Winters claiming responsibility for the bombing at Westacres shopping mall, along with the discovery that his identity was used to rent the car involved, links him directly to the attacks. However, an MI5 team sent to investigate his apartment is caught in another explosion, suggesting that Winters is a dangerous individual.
A breakthrough comes from Giti Rahman, an MI5 employee who examines Winters’ passport. She discovers that, although all of his documents identify him as a French citizen, the British government originally issued his passport. This revelation alarms Diana Taverner, who quickly removes Winters’ name from the MI5 database and fabricates a story about a clerical error to keep Rahman quiet.
In truth, Robert Winters is a false identity created by MI5, likely for an undercover mission in France. His credentials are legitimate enough to pass any scrutiny, but the fact that this identity was used to conduct terrorist attacks forces MI5 to bury the evidence. Jackson Lamb, sensing a link between the bombings and River’s disappearance, begins his own investigation, enlisting Moira Tregorian to help him find out if David Cartwright had any connection to France.
What Does River Find in France?
River’s journey through the French countryside takes him to Lavande, where he finds the café Le Blanc Russe. After asking around, he learns that a man resembling him, presumably Adam Lockhead, stayed nearby at a place called Les Arbres. However, as River investigates the abandoned mansion at Les Arbres, he finds a photograph of the man who claimed to be Robert Winters in the online video, confirming a connection between the two mysteries.
Before River can make further discoveries, an unknown assailant attacks him and sets fire to the mansion. A mysterious man, who had been following River, intervenes and rescues him, only to knock him unconscious and take him captive. It remains uncertain whether River is safe, and the episode ends with a cliffhanger, leaving viewers eager to find out more.
Back in England, another man appears at David Cartwright’s house, reporting to someone on the phone that David survived the assassination attempt and that the hitman was dead. The mysterious caller suspects River has returned to France with Lockhead’s passport, which is indeed the case.
What’s Next for Slow Horses Season 4?
As the plot thickens, it is clear that a complex conspiracy is at play, involving forged identities, secret missions, and deadly assassinations. Jackson Lamb’s determination to uncover the truth about Robert Winters and River’s disappearance suggests that more shocking revelations are on the horizon. The upcoming episodes promise to unravel this web of deceit, with each character playing a critical role in the unfolding drama. With its thrilling twists and intricate narrative, Slow Horses Season 4 continues to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
