In Episode 3 of Season 5 of "Slow Horses," London is plunged into sheer chaos. Random vehicles are erupting in flames, though fortunately, no lives have been lost—yet. The city is crippled by gridlock, with traffic snarled in every direction. Fuel companies are swiftly distancing themselves from any liability, but the true perpetrators behind this mayhem are none other than a group of climate terrorists.
Carl calls Claude, persisting in his relentless harassment over the scandalous affair story they plan to splash across the papers. Their tense exchange is cut short, however, when Diana catches up with them, bringing the team up to speed on the latest developments at MI5. The intelligence agency has managed to pinpoint the compromised fuel tanker and the affected stations, both of which have been promptly shut down to prevent further catastrophe.
Meanwhile, amidst the turmoil, a group of Middle Eastern terrorists is preparing for something far more sinister. "Kill all of them. It will be a massacre," one declares ominously. They enlist the help of a homeless man, bribing him to deliver a Thermos to a specific location—later revealed to be the zoo. This cryptic directive initially suggests a human target, but it quickly becomes apparent that their motives run deeper and darker.
Back at MI5, Ho finds himself in custody, where he hilariously repeats a mantra and flails about in a manner that leaves many officers perplexed. His bizarre behavior continues until Diana arrives, cutting through the chaos with a stern threat that snaps him back to reality.
Roddy, on the other hand, remains hopelessly delusional about his romantic pursuits. It takes Diana considerable effort to break through his fantasy-laden haze and confront him about Tara. As viewers know, Tara is a skilled honey trapper, and it soon emerges that Roddy, in his misguided attempts to impress her, hacked into MI5’s systems. In a shocking lapse of judgment, he even left her unattended for a brief period, potentially exposing the agency to a massive security breach.
Meanwhile, over at Slough House, the rest of the team continues to be monitored by Emma. Coe, ever the conspiracy theorist, is convinced that the chaos engulfing London is part of a larger destabilization plot—a theory he’s been absorbing through his podcasts.
Things take a disastrous turn when a devastating explosion rips through Regent Park Zoo, resulting in the tragic demise of 22 penguins. The homeless man, though still clinging to life, proves to be of little assistance when Emma attempts to question him. However, this seemingly inconsequential detail aligns eerily with the destabilization theory we encountered earlier—a calculated maneuver to hijack the media narrative and propagate an alternative agenda. After all, penguins hold a special place in everyone's hearts, and this explosive incident ensures that Abbotsfield's woes are pushed off the television screens.
The next ominous development unfolds with the assassination of a populist leader, casting a dark shadow over Gimball's future—suggesting that he might be the next target. Amidst this escalating chaos, Gimball decides to withdraw from the impending Mayoral debate scheduled for that very evening.
Meanwhile, Devon remains obstinately impervious to the persuasions of those at Slough House, stubbornly refusing to heed the warnings of Jackson Lamb and his colleagues. Fortunately, the Slough House crew are far from the bumbling fools they might initially appear to be. They band together, outsmarting Devon and the other guard, subduing them, and making a swift escape.
In an intriguing twist, we uncover the surprising truth that the climate protestor with the wild, verdant locks is, in fact, Jaffrey's son! As he is led away in custody, Jaffrey gears up to deliver his pivotal speech that night.
