River Cartwright

**River Cartwright** is a main character played by Jack Lowden in in Season 1 and Season 2 of Apple TV+'s *Slow Horses*.

## History

### Season 1

At an airport, River Cartwright gets ready to board his flight while waiting for someone. He talks to a team which guides him, telling him to look for an Asian male. He is asked if there is a handover and he sees the target move. However, he is told to wait and not move. He is told he can move and apprehend the subject, who he starts chasing with other agents. When Cartwright looks inside the bag, he finds the man is clean and they have the wrong subject, due to Cartwright being given details of the man's clothes wrong (that was blamed on Cartwright mishearing the details by the operation lead Agent Webb). He is told to stand down as the team locates the real subject, but Cartwright runs towards the man anyway.

River makes it to baggage reclaim where the man is at, but he is walking straight out. Cartwright finally has a visual on him and runs towards him as an alarm starts sounding and telling people to evacuate the airport. Cartwright chases the man, who starts running down a flight of stairs. Cartwright has to take down police as he chases the man. However, when he finally reaches him, the man looks him straight in the eye as a train reaches him and he pulls a trigger to a bomb.

River looks through trash bags, saying he is looking for a reason to not blow his brains out. Catherine asks him if he believes Sid would be happy with him dumping the trash on the floor. She gives men old reports as she goes to another men and gives them more reports, which one finds unchallenging.

River walks up to Lamb's office and tells him that he does not know what he is looking for in the trash, to which he is told that he is looking for the remnants of a once promising career. Lamb wonders what he has found, to which River responds that he has not found many things. He wonders if they wanted their suspect to know they were onto him, but Lamb tells him that there was no "we", but only him telling River what to do. Lamb laughs when River asks if he would be watching Hobden, saying that things did not go well last time he had had any sort of responsibility. He is reminded of the gravity of the bombing at the train station, which he says is a daily occurrence and Lamb says he would do it on the weekends as well if he did not hate him as much. He tells River that he is surrounded by fuckups in their building, but he is the biggest one. Lamb says that he does not like him and wants him to quit, so River goes back to the trash.

Sid walks up to Lamb, who congratulates her on what she had done with Hobden. River asks what was on Hobden's flashdrive, but Lamb tells them to get out of his office. River wonders why they were both assigned to Hobden, but Sid reminds him that he was not really doing much.

River walks up to Lamb's office, who says he meant to call Sid. However, he tells River to deliver the package to Regent's Park, which he found strange, since he could not believe it had been passed to them. Lamb says that they did not want him to deliver it, but he is being sent because Sid is not there. Lamb tells him to take the package to Webb.

River makes his way to a safe, where he makes a copy of the files to his computer before finally going to deliver the package. When he reaches the front desk, he says that he is part of MI5, but the secretary tells him that he is not showing up on their database, so he clarifies that he comes from the Slough House. River makes it to Webb's office, refusing to shakes his hand and making fun of him for being part of HR. River wonders if he was ever going to admit that he had made a mistake in the training exercise. Webb makes fun of him, later telling him that his grandfather had to pull many strings for River to not be expelled from the force altogether.

River watches a video as he is approached by Sid, who startles him and tells him he looks like a mole. He tells her is is watching a video about Greg Simmonds and plays the speech for her, saying that he probably funded hate groups. She tells him there are better ways to spend his free time, saying that she had only come for her charger after getting drinks. He thanks her for the invite and she says that she has invited him before, but he has rejected the invites.

Lamb walks into Sid and River's office, saying that if people did not leave the building by 5 then he was not doing his job properly. He tells them that if he finds out they are taking part in extracurricular that activities that could ruin the balance of the Slough House, then he would make it so they wished they were in a Siberian gulag.

River looks up information on Hobden as he drives around, walking into his grandfather, David's house. David wonders if River had heard from his mother, which he says he had, but only from a post card. River asks about Hobden and complains that it had been 8 months since he had been at the Slough House. He says that Lamb was actually living at the Slough House and had not been forgiven.

David pours River a drink and they talk about the box he had tried to open. River says that the box had a laptop with Hobden's files. David wonders if anyone knows about his stunt, but his grandson says that nobody found out. River wants to know why Park wanted to know about Hobden and David says that Hobden had had a run-in with the MI5 before.

River makes it to the Slough House, wanting Roddy to check something for him. He hands Roddy a flashdrive and wants to know what he is looking at. Roddy says that he is looking at the number Pi, which makes Sid realize he had copied the files and Hobden had been expecting a snatch. Sid sees his injured hand and slaps it, but River tells her that if Park was looking into Hobden, they should be making an effort as well, but Sid wants to stay out of their way.

Roddy calls River and Sid, telling them that there was a hostage that had been picked up yesterday and had popped up on a Middle East chat a while ago. All the Slough House starts watching the video, which makes Lamb wonder why. He tells them that whatever was happening would be assigned to real agents, not them since they are fuckups. They wonder what they should do, but Lamb says that nothing. River tells Sid that Hobden's old crew was the British Patriotic Party and one of them might have something to do with it. It is announced that the young man's head would be cut off the next day, but Lamb tells that that changes nothing. He asks where River is however, but he was already gone.

River walks down the street and into Webb's barber shop. Webb taunts him saying he could not afford to go to a place like that one, but River says he only wants to know what was on Hobden's USB. Webb tells him that is classified, but River thanks him for letting him know that there was nothing important in it, leaving afterwards.

Catherine goes and sees River with Roddy, telling him that Lamb wants everybody back at their desks. River wants Roddy to help him get into Hobden's emails, but Roddy says there is little point to that because the Park would not give them bonuses or medals for helping out, so River tries bribing him. River tells Roddy that he knows why he is in MI5, which scares him. Roddy says that he could not get into his emails because Hobden has no email presence.

Sid gets a call, which she does not answer and goes to her office where River is cleaning up the trash. River tells her that he wanted to find out if the USB stick had what the Park was looking for, but it was not. HE says that what he was doing could get him kicked out for good, but he has one lead which could possibly be bullshit.

Hobden calls Nick Drew, asking to be put on whoever was on the news desk, but gets no answer. He does this many times until he leaves the restaurant, followed by River, who picks up a cellphone that he threw away. River follows him throughout the city until Hobden makes it onto a bus and another one after that, sensing that he was being followed. Unbeknownst to him, River had already been waiting for him on that bus.

River waits in a car, where he is joined by Sid, who tells him that she had been following him all day long. She asks what he found in Hobden's trash and he says that Ho predicted that Hobden would have turned his computer to ash and he found evidence to confirm this. He says that in order to get Ho to help, he would tell him why he was in Slough House. She asks him to break it to her because she knows that Ho is only there because he is an insufferable prick. River asks Sid if she believed that Roddy could find out why Lamb is in Slough House, but she says that he would already have done so. River asks Sid why she is there, since Lamb and he could see that she is not like the others. She says that the decision to go to Slough House came out of nowhere and is none of his business. He tells her that he is waiting for Hobden to sleep so he could steal his laptop.

River says that Hobden was calling many journalists. Sid gets a call from her Aunt Zadie, who had been calling her all day long. She does not reveal who Aunt Zadie is and says that there is a reason she did not tell him why she is in the Slough House. He tells her that she does not need to tell him because the only possibility of her being in the Slough House must have to do with her personal life. She says that it is his business, since she did not follow him today, but Taverner did. She also tells him that she is not watching Hobden, she is watching him. River laughs but finds out she is serious. She says that he is the reason she was assigned to Slough House and they see movement outside as someone tries to get into Hobden's apartment.

River walks in and hears struggling. A masked man with a gun is holding Hobden, so River tells him that there would be reinforces in minutes and if they saw him with a gun, they would just kill him. There is an explosion and River tries fighting the man, but is taken down. At the entrance, Sid struggles with the man. River hears a gunshot and rushes to the door, where he finds Sid had been shot in the head.

At a hospital, River is followed by a man, who make sure he is secure. The man is attacked by another man Lamb, who opens the door only to see River with a shoe in a bag and says he is embarrassed for him. Lamb tells him to take all the time he needs as they walk towards reception and River asks for Sid. River tells Lamb that they could not leave without knowing how she is, but Lamb simply responds that she is still on the table, also berating him for having gotten in the ambulance with her. He tells her that the dog had been following him because he had gotten in the ambulance. River asks Lamb how he knew he was there, to which Lamb simply responds that he had gotten Ho to monitor the Park's alerts in case he did something as stupid as he did. Lamb says that the doctors were saying she might live.

River and Lamb drive around. River asks him why he had brought him back to Slough House, to which Lamb responds that he is one of his agents and was there when another one of his agents was shot, so he wanted to know what they were doing at Hobden's. River explains that he has something on his laptop and speculates that he has something to do with the kidnappers. Lamb wonders if Sid thought that as well and River tells him that Sid followed him. When Lamb asks who shot Sid, River says that the man had a balaclava on and tactical gear, so he was not able to see who it was. River says that it was strange, almost as if the man wanted him to think he was one of the Dogs, but he thinks it was not quite right and he did not speak.

At the Slough House, Lamb and River see Min and Louisa, with Jed Moody on the floor - dead. Lamb says that he is not sure that the murder could be considered defense, but Min explains that he had a gun. Lamb says that is better for their case and adds that he had shot Sid earlier as well. River explains why Sid had been shot and asks why Moody was there. She says that they did not get the chance to ask, but tells Lamb that he had been in his office. Lamb asks if they could account for their movements and Louisa explains that they were in the pub across the road. Lamb wonders if it seemed like Moody was going to use the gun, saying that it would be better for their case to say that it did seem that way. Lamb sees that Moody had been cleaning up and sees that he had two phones, using the one that only had one call from it. He calls it and Diana picks up, telling her that they need to talk.

River, Louisa, and Min wait for Lamb, who asks what happened to the gun. River hands it to him and they all follow their boss, who tells them that they were going to Roupell Street, which was at the south of the river since they would be assisting in the rescue of Hassan Ahmed.

In Lamb's car, River asks if the money he took from Moody was his flight fund in case he needed to make a run for it. Lamb says that there were 1500 pounds, a passport and a key to a box which was in a bank in a small French town four hours away from Paris. Lamb wonders why he is telling him all that and River figures it is in case he needs an excuse to kill him, which Lamb says is probably correct.

Lamb, River, Louisa, and Min make it to the house, where Lamb loads a gun, which River finds strange. Lamb says that the whole op is fucked, however, and walks towards there, stroking a cat as he makes his way towards the house. He walks to the front door, which opens and the three agents go after him. River follows Lamb to the kitchen, where they see blood everywhere and Moe's head on the table.

River pukes while Lamb asks Louisa for her phone. Min gives it to him, as Lamb tells them all that they need to disappear. Lamb orders them to get Ho and Loy, also telling Cartwright that he would see them later. Cartwright tells Min and Louisa that he recognized the head as Louisa says that he was one of them. As they leave, the Dogs make it to the house.

Min, Louisa, and River ride in Min's car, talking about Alan Black, who they all knew. They discuss how Lamb knew the address and know about both him and Taverner. River says that he does not believe Lamb would leave them and trusts he will have a play. River supports Lamb, so Louisa agrees to try it out. They remember Ho and Loy's addresses, so they split up in order to reach them.

River tells Ho that they need to move fast because the Dogs are after them, which confuses him. River walks into a restaurant and grabs keys. Ho says he does not want to be involved in whatever is happening, but River says he already is.

River tells Ho to get him Alan Black's service record as he tells him that he is confused as to how he even knew where he lived. River says that he had overlooked a massive weak spot in his defenses and Lamb had followed him home. Ho says that he did not know why Black had captured Ahmed as River tries to remember how he knew Alan Black.

River takes them to the hospital, which confuses Ho since it was not Blake's grave. However, River says that he needs to make sure Sid is okay. At the hospital, River asks to see Sid, which makes him get caught by MI5 immediately and the Dogs go after him.

River makes it to Sid's room, where she sees her lying unconscious, remembering their conversation in the car and thanking her for what she helped him remember. He sees a Dog chase after him, so he starts running and manages to knock the man down. Leaving, he tries to find the car, but sees that Ho had abandoned him.

After being left behind, River runs across the street fast as Cho is captured.

Min and Louisa climb over a fence and walk through a cemetery, while Catherine and Lamb walk in as well. Catherine asks about Charles' death, but Lamb tells her that it was not the best time to talk about it. Louisa tells Lamb that the Dogs got to Loy before they did. Ho reaches the group and tells them that Cartwright had tried to see Sid. Lamb tells them that they need to leave, since Taverner and Black had a plan and now that it had failed, she would try to play it as Slough House gone rogue. Louisa asks about Hassan, who Lamb says would be dead soon. River makes it to where the group is and tells Ho that he is a dickhead.

River tells Lamb that he remembers where he saw Black and Taverner together, saying that he had seen them talking at her gym café when he followed Taverner secretly. He says that he was following her for surveillance training, so he took a photograph. He says that he might have a copy, but Min says that that is hopeless. Lamb tells the group that he usually does not do speeches, but recognizes that it is a big moment and might not see them again. He tells them that they are useless and that working with them has been the lowest point in a disappointing career, telling River to follow him. Louisa says that they could try to save Hassan in the meantime, but Lamb says that that would be a sure way to get him killed, so he instructs them to hide in a toilet somewhere.

Lamb asks River if he left the lights on, but he does not remember. They walk back into the Slough House, where Lamb tells River to walk in alone and tell him if Dogs were there.

At the Slough House, River walks past Moody's body and finds an old phone. He also grabs a box and takes Moody's clothes off.

Duffy inspects the car Jackson had brought back in, seeing the bomb is a fake, but realizes that there is an intruder as River walks into the building.

As Webb walks into his office, he is held at gunpoint by River, telling him to get him the file, which Webb pretends to not know about. He orders him to tell him where the photo was at because he knew that Taverner wanted him out because she knew that he had taken a photograph of her and Alan Black. Webb says that Taverner probably had many reasons for wanting him out, but River says that he knows it was all a setup. He tells Webb that he knows Taverner probably asked him to delete the photo and he probably kept a copy for insurance, but Webb says that he lost him. River hits him in the face and knocks him out, starting to look for the photograph himself.

Duffy and his team move forward, looking for River as he keeps looking for the file. He thinks of the word "Fiasco " and finds a file. Duffy's team enters Webb's office and pin a man down.

Diana walks into her office and hands Lamb his fake bomb, also saying that Duffy and his men were sweeping the building, thinking it is probably Cartwright who was smuggled in. However, he says that it is to test her security because her guys are not very good. Diana gets a call and asks for someone to be put in the basement next to Loy. Lamb says that if his men were as good as hers, they would be hers. She offers to have him sign the confession while he asks who she had sent to the basement as River walks into the office. He tells her not to call anyone and hands her the Fiasco file. She tells them that she could have a dozen guns pointed at their heads in seconds, but Lamb knows she would not do that because she would not want anyone to see her with Alan Black. He tells her that he now has evidence and hands her the confession, saying that it now had her name. She says that meeting with an ex-agent means nothing, so River says that she probably would not mind if they sent the photos to Tearney, everyone else at the Park, and River suggests that they could even send it to Hobden, but Lamb says that news desks would be better. Diana asks them what they want and Lamb says that he wants Ahmed found and alive, but thinks her attention has been split between finding the boy and burning him. Diana tells Lamb that there were three cars they were targeting, and they had lost all three. Lamb says that she could do more, since it turns out that Hobden had called someone when it all went to shit, so he tells her to pay that person a visit.

Peter is awoken, told that Diana Taverner is downstairs waiting for him. In a car, River looks towards Peter's house, wondering what the others were up to. However, Lamb is not listening since he is asleep.

Ho and Catherine reach Lamb and River, saying that they must have the photographs, which River confirms. Catherine tells them that Ho had worked out a way to track the kidnappers, so Min and Louisa had gone to look for them, which Lamb does not agree with, saying that he hopes they only get themselves killed and do not set an orphanage on fire. When Diana leaves Peter's house, Lamb tells her that they are headed to Harwich, knowing this thanks to Ho. He tells Diana that he would be going to bed and leaves Ho and Catherine behind. Ho hands Diana the van's plate number and the theft locator's ID. Catherine refuses to work with Diana unless she tells him about Partner's death, but she tells her that the ship had sailed when she pulled a gun on the Dogs.

Ho tells Lamb and River that the van is twenty miles ahead of them and Min and Louisa are 10 miles ahead. River wants to know how Sid is, but Lamb grabs his phone and throws it to the back of the car, telling him that he needs to hear from him that Sid is gone. Lamb tells him to count himself lucky, which River does not agree with at first, but Lamb says that when he was River's age, he had lost many partners and would not forget Sid because she was the only one of them who was not complete shit. Lamb tells him to get used to death because he would see a lot more of it.

Ho calls River, telling him that the Dogs had shredded a kidnapper, adding that Taverner was not taking any prisoners. River asks about Hassan, but Ho says that there was no sign of him. When Lamb asks where the van had last stopped, Roddy tells him that that had happened five miles behind him.

Lamb and River pick Min and Louisa up, telling them to get into the car quickly.

Lamb, River, Min, and Louisa reach the last place where the van had stopped, which Lamb confirms was the right spot after seeing a dead body near them. Lamb hands River a gun and all of them except for Lamb move through the woods.

Curly sets up his camera and tells Hassan to kneel, saying that the boat had been blown and once the video was online, MI5 would be there. He says that they could either take him out, or he could use the last bullet on himself. Hassan realizes that Curly wants to become a martyr and he defends himself, saying that it was all about being part of something bigger than himself and was putting his country first, which is what made them win the war. Hassan tells him he is stupid, but is shot at in his arm. Curly tells him he is a good shot and says that the next shot would go towards his balls, but River shoots at him.

While being shot at by River, Curly gets behind a wall. Distracted, Hassan grabs a rock and throws it towards Curly's face, hitting him. Curly falls to the ground and Hassan picks up the axe, ready to kill him. However, River tells him to stop and says that he is part of MI5, so Hassan puts down the axe and tells Curly that he made him ashamed to be British. River binds Curly's hands together and looks as Hassan applies pressure on his wound. After that, River reaches Hassan and tells him that he needed to stop the bleeding on his arm, so he wraps a belt around his arm. Hassan asks if River could call his parents, but River says that he does not have a phone on him, which makes Hassan wonder what kind of a spy he is.

Duffy and the Dogs reach Hassan's location, where River, Min, and Louisa were waiting. Ingrid asks who they are and Diana confirms they are the Slow Horses. Duffy confirms the kill order, which Hassan says is wrong because he should go on trial. Min runs over to Curly and gives Duffy the finger, saying that the murderer is now unarmed. Louisa asks him what he is doing because he would get himself killed. River also runs over to Curly and they drag him away from the helicopter, covering him. Duffy asks for orders, and Diana tells them to stand down.

Curly is put in an ambulance as Hassan is taken away in another one. River, Lamb, Min and Louisa drive away as news vans fill the location.

Back at Slough House, River, Lamb, Min and Louisa see Ho and Ingrid watching the news. Catherine congratulates the Slow Horses and herself as Min says that he has a bottle of wine if anyone wanted to celebrate. Lamb asks why they would celebrate if they were useless. However, Ho says that he tracked the van, while River says that he had actually saved him, but Lamb replies that the kid had saved himself with a rock. River sarcastically says that he loves their team talks and Lamb tells them to get back to work, only to tell them to piss off instead when he learns it is Saturday.

Ho shows River that there is no record of Sid having ever been at the hospital or in MI5, which means there would be no funeral or memorial service for Sid because she never existed. Ho asks for something in return after letting River know that Sid might still be alive somewhere and River tells him that the reason he is in Slough House because he is too good after having made everybody look bad, which Ho says make sense because you cannot cage a dragon.

River reaches his office and looks at Sid's desk. Wearing gloves, he sees Lamb leave with a bag and starts picking up the trash.

River drives and meets with his grandfather, who asks him what he expected. River says that Stansted had not been him and they had rescued Hassan, so a clean slate at the Park did not feel like too much of a stretch. However, David asks him if he really believed that Taverner would confess her sins to benefit his career while also destroying her own. This makes River realize that he had covered her while she stabbed him in the back. David tells him to keep his head down, nose clean and maybe there would be a chance back in.

### Season 2

In Last Stop, River is at an interview, and while his interview starts off well, it quickly deteriorates as soon as Slough House is mentioned. The interviewers just want to know funny stories about River’s fearless leader Jackson Lamb. Later, River tries to sneak back into Slough House, but Lamb already knows about the failed interview, they phoned asking for a reference the same day. They bring him up to date on their latest assignment. Out in the countryside, River complains to his grandfather David Cartwright, about his unfortunate situation. He didn’t get the private intelligence job and Lamb won’t give him anything important to do at Slough House. After saving the hostage Hassan Ahmed, River expected his slate to be wiped clean, but he is still labeled as a failed agent. Their conversation moves onto the subject of Dickie Bough, who David was aware of. They discuss cicadas, which are sleeper agents embedded into British Society. Richard said he was abducted by a Russian called Popov and interrogated, but they never believed him. David then completely downplays Richard’s story and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death to his grandson. Later, Shirley and River look over the footage together and discuss how she ended up at Slough House. Shirley explains how her case officer made a pass at her and she decided to knock them out in return. River takes the footage and meets with Lamb at a back alley restaurant. Lamb eats disgustingly as River explains the new CCTV footage. The bald man is seen touching Richard on the shoulder. Thus, River believes he has been injected with a deadly concoction. They discuss cicadas, which River accurately guesses was written on Richard’s phone. Lamb admits that he is right. River thinks Richard wasn’t lying about Popov and may have been killed for tailing the Russian spy. The cicadas might have been reactivated, which could lead to lots more deaths. Lamb then tells River to investigate this bald man further, something River was planning to do with or without his boss’s consent.

In From Upshott with Love, while at the Cotswolds, River tracks down the taxi driver who last saw the bald gent they’re after. This driver is no fool and he swiftly asks for payment for any information. The driver recounts the night in question, the bald man ordered a trip back to Oxford Parkway, but then set a new destination as soon as he stepped foot inside the taxi; now to Upshott. River pays the man for this info, but he isn’t finished yet. The agent follows the driver back to his car, where he phones up the killer almost instantaneously. On being discovered, the driver attempts to swallow the note in his hand, but River chokes him until he regurgitates the paper. River takes this note, containing the elusive phone number, and demands the driver takes him to the proper destination. The driver took the bald man to an airfield, Upshott’s Flying Club and he takes the same journey again with River. The driver subsequently drops River off at the Flying Club, which is locked up and abandoned. River asks Roddy Ho for help, who traces the phone number and discovers that the bald-headed assassin is now in Estonia. To make matters worse, the driver ditches River in the middle of nowhere and Lamb has to come and pick him up. River updates his boss on the day’s events. Lamb thinks the whole cover up has been handled clumsily, as if on purpose. Proposing the notion that he is trying to get Lamb’s attention for some reason. Lamb states that they may need to walk into the trap to see why it was set in the first place. He orders River to head to Upshott and see who the bald man spoke with. River is given a new identity, a cover story, funds, and a dossier on the killer. They are looking for Andre Chernitsky, who may have an association with Alexander Popov. River is excited by the prospects of an undercover mission and can’t hide the grin on his face.

In Drinking Games, River sports his new secret identity, with some rather fancy, designer glasses. He books in at the local B&B under the guise of an investigative journalist, who is doing a piece on the culture clash between rural life and city life in Upshott. River overhears the bar lady Kelly chatting with her father on that first night. He has noticed that the guest bedroom is taken. The next day Kelly offers to show River around the village. It happens to be a very quick tour, but she suggests giving him an aerial one as well. She’s also a pilot and her father owns the local Flying Club. While they are up in the air performing nauseating loops, her father inspects River’s wallet and phone that were left in a locker on terra firma. River is fully aware that his possessions have been tampered with. So the secret agent is instantly suspicious of this man and speaks with Lamb about his concerns later that day. Thus, as River is used as bait, the other Slow Horses continue their investigation. Later. Lamb phones up River, who updates him on Min Harper’s passing. He warns his field agent to be careful. Moments later, River is invited to Kelly’s parents for a meal. The countryside meal is rather awkward, with Kelly’s dad Duncan being visibly antagonistic toward River. It then becomes abundantly clear that Duncan has secrets and River’s cover starts to appear paper-thin, to say the least. While River is presented with a delicious three-course meal, his fellow teammates make some stark discoveries. Catherine Standish calls River to warn him about what they found, but it is too late. At the meal, a man called Leo joins the party. Leo is a large, bald fella with a distinct Eastern European accent. River then shakes hands with this Leo person.

In Cicada, still at Upshott, Leo aka. Andre Chernitsky is charming the dinner guests. River knows this is a Russian agent and a killer, but he plays it cool. Leo explains that he is here on business and he then proceeds to ask River about his specific line of work. River continues with the journalist act, but Leo sees straight through it. The spy mentions being on a bus, dropping a hint about his involvement with Dickie Bow. As they are leaving, River slides his phone into Leo’s coat pocket, so that he can track the murderer. At Slough House, Roddy Ho is called by River whilst the latter is chasing after Leo’s car. With Roddy's help, he tracks Leo, who is heading for the Flying Club. Thus, as River chases after a killer, Lamb and Shirley simply drive up to the mansion of their enemy. Eventually River tracks the Russian spy down to the Flying Club. He finds Nikolai and Andre loading a plane with ingredients you’d need for constructing a bomb. Kelly’s mother Alex enters the hangar to find River pointing a gun at the Russian spies. They all play dumb, stating that this is just a surprise party for Duncan, but River isn’t fooled. He tells Alex to phone the police, although she tasers him instead. River falls to the ground as the Russians communicate with each other in their mother tongue.

In Boardroom Politics, after River’s discovery, he is tied up in the Flying Club’s office. Leo aka Andre Chernitsky, waves off his comrades and drives into the city center for further devastation. Nikolai Katinsky and Alex Tropper discuss how they are dropping a bomb on the protest march in the heart of London this very day. River overhears their plans and argues with them, stating that they’re going to kill thousands of innocent people. Nikolai says they are fighting capitalism, The Glass House is their main target. Strangely, they don’t kill off River but leave him tied up and conscious after explaining their plans. He soon gets to work on trying to escape, so he can warn the Park of this catastrophic terrorist attack. While River struggles to free himself, he hears a phone vibrating and, using his mouth, manages to answer the call. Alex’s husband and daughter are looking for her. River demands they head straight to the Flying Club immediately. Duncan and Kelly find River tied up on the floor. They can’t believe Alex did this and then flew off in a plane. Duncan doesn’t even know that his wife can fly planes. River explains the situation, but they aren’t buying it. At first, they find it hard to believer River when he says that the motherly, warm Alex they thought they knew, is a Russian sleeper spy that has been reactivated. Duncan slowly comes around to the idea, finding Alex’s wedding ring and a note asking for their forgiveness. Eventually, they untie River, and he calls MI5, stating ‘Code September.’ Diana Taverner is informed of the terrorist threat and is placed in contact with River immediately.

In Old Scores, River awkwardly talks to Alex’s family members, who are still reeling from the many surprises they have been faced with. River decides to give them some space and finds himself by the plane hangar. In another shocking twist, River discovers that all the bomb-making materials are still in the hangar, untouched. It was all a con, one big distraction. Nikolai and Alex wanted it to look like they were bombing the city, but it wasn’t so, they wanted the city shut down for another reason. Ignoring the consequences, River calls up Diana and explains that the bomb is just a hoax. Once Andre arrives on a sleepy countryside track, River exits a plane and legs it across a field. Andre then knocks on a door, ready with his weapon. It’s River’s Granddad, David Cartwright that answers the door as gunfire can be heard. But David is the victor, gunning down Andre first. Nikolai realizes that Lamb’s one step ahead of him. Lamb knew they’d target David and he was forewarned. Nikolai asks for a quick death of his own, but Lamb refuses to shoot him. The Russian spy kills himself in the end. Once the dust settles, Diana provides Judd with a debrief of the entire saga. Judd is annoyed by the whole debacle and wants to pin it all on River. Diana believes it’s better to lie and keep it all a secret.