‘Slow Horses’: Jack Lowden Talks River’s ‘Disappointment’ After Major Betrayal in Season 3 Finale
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Slow Horses Season 3 finale “Footprints.”]
River’s (Jack Lowden) thrown for a loop in the Slow Horses Season 3 finale.
He and Louisa (Rosalind Eleazar) do make it out of the facility with the file that Sean Donovan (Sope Dirisu), who didn’t, was after to prove MI5 killed someone he loved for leaking classified intel, and Lamb (Gary Oldman) does rescue Standish (Saskia Reeves). But then River brings the file to his grandfather (Jonathan Pryce), who says if it got out, it would destroy the reputation of security services — and burns the papers. He says he did the right thing to protect River … who has a copy of the file in his car.
Below, Lowden takes us inside River’s head after that betrayal.
River brings the file to his grandfather who burns it and tells him not to be upset that what he did was the right thing to protect River. First of all, how is River feeling about that? Does that change how he views his grandfather?
Jack Lowden: I think his first reaction is disappointment. I think River feels he’s very much on the side of the angels, and so when his grandfather does something like that, I think it’s disappointment and it’s kind of shocking. But I think he’s easily led only by his grandfather, and so the idea of ever doing anything contrary to what his grandfather advises is not in River’s nature. So it’s a real moment of not really knowing what to do, but I think definitely at first, it’s complete disappointment and sort of shock.
Was the copy of the file just in case he needed it and not specifically him thinking his grandfather might do something?
That is a very good question. I think it was a just in case. I think it was a sort of insurance. I don’t think he anticipated his grandfather would do that at all, no. I think it would have probably been he would anticipate that other people would’ve gotten hold of it or something. So it’s a real moment of shock that the precaution that he’s taken is against the man he loves most.
Apple TV+
Considering everything that’s happened since he’s gotten there and especially this season, how is River feeling about being part of Slough House and working for Lamb at the end of the finale heading into Season 4? Is he maybe more settled there than he is ever been?
I think so, yeah. I think it’s definitely the most comfortable he’s felt because he’s begrudgingly beginning to admire Lamb. I think he always has. I think he ultimately realizes that Lamb and everybody is on the side of the angels and there’s some very sort of dodgy figures higher up and he’s right at the bottom and the higher up they seem to go, the worst people seem to act. He’s never going to be happy there. He wants the glory.
What’s the single most important aspect of River that we should be keeping in mind after Season 3 looking ahead to Season 4?
The single most important relationship is still always with his grandfather and how River is going to deal with that and how well he deals with it or not, and how he manages — like anybody does, which is why I love this show — problems at home versus problems at work and how you manage to keep your head no matter what you’re going through behind closed doors.
What was your favorite part of the season to film? Was there a scene? An episode?
The scene, because I didn’t have to do a lot of the legwork literally, that was my favorite to shoot was with Spider revealing that it was all a mock test and that he ran it. Just watching the wonderful Freddie Fox completely let rip and just watching Freddie bounce around, literally bounce around and riffing and coming up — Every single take was different. He’s just such a wonderful, fun actor to watch, and really, myself and Ros just had to stand there and take it, but also sort of admire it at the same time. But it was certainly my favorite and one of the most difficult because trying not to laugh… [Laughs]
Slow Horses, Season 4, TBA, Apple TV+
