Slow Horses Season 4 Episode 4 Ending Analysis: Will River Be Caught?

The highly anticipated Slow Horses season 4 episode 4 premiered on Apple TV+ on September 25, 2024. This riveting episode delves into Frank Harkness’s mission, River’s return to London, and a pivotal revelation from Sam, among other plotlines.

Entitled “Returns,”the synopsis for episode 4 states:

“Taverner is desperate to hide dangerous secrets. River seeks answers at his grandfather’s house.”

In this latest installment of Slow Horses season 4, River returns to London following his investigation in France. Upon his arrival, River is unexpectedly intercepted by Flyte, despite initially managing to evade him.

The episode offers viewers a deeper insight into Frank Harkness’s background, as well as the connection between Frank and David Cartwright through Sam. Tensions continue to escalate between Whelan and Taverner at MI5, setting the stage for two explosive concluding episodes.

Flyte catches River at the conclusion of Slow Horses season 4 episode 4

In episode 4, River returns to London following his escapades in France. However, he soon encounters Flyte at the station, who is waiting for him. According to official records, River is presumed dead after being shot by his grandfather, indicating a complicated legal situation lies ahead.

Although River initially evades Flyte’s pursuit and retreats to his grandfather’s countryside house, he stumbles upon photographs that bear a striking resemblance to the murals at Les Arbres, leaving him shocked.

Meanwhile, Flyte and his team manage to trace River to the house. As the episode comes to a dramatic close, River is caught by Flyte, necessitating an explanation for his actions to several powerful figures.

What is Frank’s agenda?

In Slow Horses season 4 episode 4, Frank Harkness receives significant screen time as he enters a luxurious hotel to meet with a client from an unnamed Middle Eastern royal family. The episode reveals that the bombings in London were orchestrated by this client.

However, Frank’s operatives have fallen short in executing their tasks. Additionally, the client’s attempts to maintain discretion have been jeopardized due to Winters’ uploading of a compromising video. Just as the client is about to eliminate Frank, he spares him momentarily when Frank vows to rectify the situation by eliminating those who could link the bombings back to him.

Frank is given a deadline to complete the task by midnight, and he instructs his French assassin from episode 3 to locate and eliminate both David and Sam.

What role did Sam play for David?

Episode 4 of Slow Horses season 4 uncovers the backstory connecting David and France. When David served as the MI5 director, he had tasked Sam with a covert operation. Sam shares the details with Lamb in the latest episode.

Back in the 1990s, Sam traveled to Les Arbres with significant assets, weapons, and MI5-generated passports—aliases that Giti has been researching. Sam entrusted these resources to a young Frank, who allowed one of the women to accompany Sam in return.

In London, however, the woman managed to escape from Sam’s vehicle. This sequence of events involving Frank, the woman, and David hints that the woman may be David’s daughter, whom he was able to reclaim from Frank only by offering access to resources that could potentially threaten national security.

As the episode concludes, the French assassin under Frank’s orders tracks down Sam and presumably delivers a fatal beating. With Sam out of the picture, Frank now has David to eliminate, but David’s location is secured beyond MI5’s reach, thanks to Standish’s clever maneuvers.

As Slow Horses season 4 continues, only two episodes remain, with the next installment set to premiere on Apple TV+ on October 2, 2024.

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