Slow Horses Season 6, Episode 2, “Daddy Issues” Spoilers Ahead
Slow Horses continues to be one of the best things on TV while simultaneously leaving me floored because there are still people out there who aren’t watching. Since last week’s gripping season opener, “Circle of Life,” I’ve been itching to get to this week’s episode and explore the detail that everything’s going dark.
Part of what continues to make the show so impressive is that there’s genuinely so much range in a single episode that it’s wild to process. Grief is still weighing on River, but he doesn’t have a single beat to sit with it, and yet, in the same breath, Jack Lowden can give us the most comical performance as River’s frustration with Roddy comes to a breaking point. And it’s not only entertaining to see the way Lowden and Christopher Chung play off each other, but also how everyone in the cast manages to bring moments of levity through the darkness that’s so striking in “Daddy Issues.”
Erasure Goes Beyond the Files in Slow Horses Season 6, Episode 2
There’s a moment in this week’s episode of Ted Lasso where characters talk about what it means to disappear from people’s lives and the world they were once a part of. It’s more physical and deadlier here on Slow Horses, but the message is all the same: too many people are seen as disposable, and that’s a huge metaphor for everyone specifically at Slough House. They’re the rejects of MI5, and yet, they’re the ones constantly showing up, even if they’re grumbling through every mundane task. They’re the ones everyone looking passed, even while they’re always trying to carry too much.
We joke that River’s always on the run, but it wasn’t until I was recently rewatching that it made me process just how horrible the stakes continue to be for these characters. It makes for thrilling television, yes, but my God, it’s getting heavier and heavier to process in terms of what’s actually happening.
At what point do these characters get a chance to breathe before everything they’ve done is wiped from existence, both digitally and physically? It’s also part of what’s making this season so thought-provoking because the stakes have never been higher. There’s going to be death this season, and that much has been clear from the first episode. From David to former Slough House agents, no one’s safe on Slow Horses right now.
Still, it’s the emotional weight I can’t stop thinking about because it’s exactly what’s making this season stand out. Slow Horses is a well-written show on so many levels, but we aren’t here for plot twists and action. It stands out because of the characters. Our little rejects who are constantly going out of their way, in the wildest ways possible, to continue doing the right thing. And they’re doing it while everything else around them is falling apart. But there’s a stark shift this season in how serious these threats not only are, but how they’ve each reached a juncture that’s legitimately concerning. My heart was in my throat the entire time Standish was at the market buying the liquor. There’s so much concern in Lamb, even while he’s pissed off and brushing things off as he usually does.
And then there’s everything that we get with Moira that’s so alarming; it’s wild that we’re in this situation in the first place. To top things off, Diana going on the news and the slight ambush she’s getting is also making for riveting television because every line is blurring in a way that’s making Slow Horses Season 6, Episode 2, “Daddy Issues,” a harsh tipping point.
Sid’s Back in Slow Horses – Finally!
I’ll have more to say about Sid’s return next week, but the idea of her being the one to continuously call River and stay quiet is so delicious I don’t know how to cope with it. We might’ve had them for a short amount of time in Season 1, but everything about their dynamic stuck with me in a way that makes her return extra satisfying. There’s a lot to unpack here, and I’m basically vibrating with excitement for everyone to see next week’s episode.
Further Thoughts
- But actually, who’s worse than River’s dad?
- If anyone harms this fox, I’m suing.
- “Not everything’s about you and your daddy issues.” Is sending me. LET HIM GRIEVE.
- “Unless you want to use this as a chance to tell me about life and death again.” He’s a comedian.
- Shirley and JK remain the weirdest team , and I never want them split.
- River’s tell being that he’s a bad liar? Oh, there are layers here.
- “If he calls again, let me know ’cause f–king with you is my job.”
- “Yeah, if you’re Obi-Wan Kenobi.” “I f–king hate Star Trek.” I love this man, I do. It’s the only reason I won’t be offended by this.
- I’m so worried for Catherine
- OMG they’re gonna stage her death as a gas leak!?!?!
- HELLO RIVER. HELLO RIVER. HELLO RIVER. I’ll never be over this.
Now streaming on Apple TV+: What are your thoughts on Slow Horses Season 6, Episode 2, “Daddy Issues?” Let us know in the comments below.
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