Slow Horses Season 4: The Shocking Death That Has Fans Talking

Apple TV+'s hit spy drama Slow Horses returned to our screens this week with its hotly-anticipated fourth season – and fans have given their verdict on the opening episode.

Based on Mick Herron's Slough House novel series, the popular drama follows a group of misfit intelligence agents whose career-ending mistakes have sent them to the dumping ground department of MI5, Slough House, headed up by the rude and often drunk Jackson Lamb, played by Gary Oldman.

Warning! Major spoilers for episode one ahead.

The premiere episode opened with the bombing of a London shopping centre, which puts MI5's Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) under pressure, while River (Jack Lowden) confided in Louisa (Rosalind Eleazar) about his growing concerns for his grandfather's apparent dementia.

After some encouragement from Louisa, River decided to pay his grandad a visit at his countryside home that evening. But when David hears a knock at the door from someone claiming to be his grandson, he's clearly unnerved.

Arming himself with a gun, David follows the man upstairs to the bathroom and shoots him dead. While viewers don't get a look at the body, the retired agent is quickly convinced that he's made a mistake and has murdered his grandson.

Fans were in disbelief over the shock death, with one person writing on X: "Is River really dead? Please tell me it was a dream. #slowhorses," while another added: "That can't have actually been River that died in Slow Horses right? No way they're killing off the second-best character on my favourite show."

Fans had to wait until the very last moments of the episode to find out that River was in fact not dead and had escaped to the French countryside. The last scene saw the spy in the backseat of a French taxi while holding someone else's passport, presumably on a mission to find out who was after his grandfather.

Relieved fans flocked to social media following the twist ending, with one person writing: "I almost believed River was dead #Slowhorses," while another added: "Okay you had me there for a minute."

A third viewer penned: "That's how you do it. I haven't been fooled by a twist like that since 1995."

However, not all fans were fooled, with some predicting the shock reveal. One fan wrote on X: "First few minutes into the first episode of Slow Horses S04 and it's clear they're out to mess with us," while another added: "Wow that was a great opening episode and I knew early on what we discovered by the end of it … no spoilers."

Since it first aired in 2022, Slow Horses has amassed a legion of dedicated fans, who have praised the relationships between the main characters, particularly the growing friendship between River and Louisa.

Speaking about the pair's dynamic and whether things could turn romantic, Rosalind told HELLO! ahead of season four: "There are quite a lot of overlaps in River and Louisa's personalities, which can sometimes look like they are suited for one another romantically.

"Jack [Lowden] and I have spoken a lot about what the future of River and Louisa looks like and we oscillate a lot with what we think is the right way. Not that it's solely up to us, but I think that the scene in season three in the car where they open up to each other is where a lot of this talk has come from, and it's really interesting hearing people's opinions."

She continued: "I've found that it's been pretty split between people who are really angry at the thought of them being romantically involved and other people who really want them to have a very complicated relationship, but I think that it's somewhat more platonic. I think there's a brotherly sisterly vibe to them, but who knows what's gonna happen?"

Slow Horses Season 4: The Plot Thickens

The new season of Slow Horses arrived on 4th September, and it’s safe to say it opened with a bang.

There are serious Slow Horses spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen season four, episode one yet.

The hotly-anticipated new season of the Apple TV+ drama begins with a huge bombing in a shopping centre, and the drama then focuses on River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) and his ageing grandfather David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce). Worried that he is struggling with dementia, River visits him. He knocks and is let in (although his face is never revealed) and heads immediately to the bathroom.

David, feeling uneasy and worried that something isn’t right, grabs his shotgun and also heads to the bathroom. Protesting that the visitor isn’t his grandson, David shoots and kills him.

Fans reacted on social media, with one writing: “I don’t want to believe Cartwright just died like that #SlowHorses”

Another wrote: “He can’t be dead! #SlowHorses”

Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) is called to identify the body, which he does. This scene is the first interaction between the character and MI5’s new head of security, Emma Flyte (Ruth Bradley), and if it’s anything to go by, their relationship is going to be a delight.

“You’re in charge of the rejects, right?” she asks, referring to the Slough House lot.

“They don’t like being called that,” he replies.

“What do you call them?” she asks.

“The rejects,” comes the answer.

When the shopping centre suicide bomber’s flat is searched, booby-trapped explosives go off, killing multiple members of the response and forensic teams.

Meanwhile, viewers are still wondering if River is actually a goner. The rest of the slow horses have been informed of his death, but Lamb, even by his own standards, doesn’t seem at all bothered.

He visits Standish (Saskia Reeves) - whose resignation he hasn’t accepted, by the way - to ostensibly to tell her about River, but really he is at her flat because he knows that the missing David Cartwright is there, and that - duh duh duuuuh - River is alive.

How does he know? Well, River’s car is outside, for a start.

Indeed, David is hiding out in Standish’s bedroom, and Lamb wakes him up and asks where River is.

The final scene reveals that the very much not dead River is, in fact, in France, trying to find out more about the man who David actually shot.

Fans took to social media to express their relief that River is alive. One wrote: “Okay you had me there for a minute.”

Another added: “Goodness me, that was a dramatic start to the new season of #SlowHorses.”

Others took to X to praise the season opener. “Brilliant start to the new series of #SlowHorses so glad it’s back,” one wrote.

Someone else added: “Amazing start to new series. Jackson Lamb in fine form!!”

One person said: “Beyond myself with delight as #SlowHorses is back on,” and other wrote: “Blimey @AppleTV #SlowHorses what a blooming episode to start the new season.”