Season 4 of Slow Horses will have a completely different river story due to a missing character

As perhaps the most important core character in Slow horsesJack Lowden’s River Cartwright has been a central narrative focus for three seasons. Although the details of his adventures have changed, the core aspects of his character have remained the same throughout. After a dramatic death in Slow horses Season 3 will change at least one element of River’s story forever and alter the balance Slow horses‘ structure and has dramatic implications for its future.

Whether he’s fighting right-wing extremists, Russian sleeper agents, or internal Tiger teams, some things haven’t changed about River Cartwright. For example, he is clearly very devoted to his grandfather. – a relationship that subtly advances the story of the show and will play a central role in Slow horses Season 4. He also has a stormy but strong relationship with Jackson Lamb, as well as an important platonic friendship with Louisa Guy. However, these constants have not only had a positive impact on River’s life. Historically, his enemies have also been a permanent fixture – until now.

The death of James “Spider” Webb changes River’s story

Their rivalry has shaped the stories of both men

Until his dramatic and shocking death in season 3, James”spider“Webb was perhaps the greatest enemy River had. Being on equal footing, there has always been a sense of intense competition between the pair – exacerbated by the incident at Stansted Airport where Webb helped frame River for incompetence. Since then, the pair have been at loggerheads with each other, with Webb being an ever-present internal enemy for both River and the entire Slough House team, to such an extent that their animosity leads directly to storylines such as the Tiger team targeting Slough House.

However, Slow horses Season 3 has fundamentally changed this picture. After he was murdered by Sean Donovan, Webb is no longer part of the Slow horses Story. This removed a constant thorn in the side of River and the team. On one hand, this seems like a positive, as Webb was a constant source of provocation. At the same time, however, his absence means the show has lost one of its biggest sources of conflict and created the need for the emergence of a new type of enemy.

River will have a new enemy in Season 4 of Slow Horses

James Webb must be replaced

The fact that Webb is no longer on the scene leaves a big gap in Slow horses‘ story. On one level, he needs to be replaced because the drama he provided was crucial to the show’s success and exciting character dynamics. Finding a replacement for Webb is not an easy tasksince much of his attraction was based on his past with River and the depth of their animosity – something that cannot be conjured up in an inorganic way.

As Slow horses Season 4 trailer and promotional material have already confirmed Slough House will be confronted a new threat in the form of Hugo Weaving’s Frank Harkness – a rogue CIA agent with a mysterious agenda. While this enemy will undoubtedly be a major problem for River, it will not be able to replace the uniquely petty internal squabbles that made Webb such a deliciously hateful antagonist. The emphasis on a new and external threat could well help Slow horsesThe story will move forward, but it will be a stark departure from what has come before – and proven so successful.

Slow Horses must build a new internal threat

It is an essential part of what made the show successful

Although it is almost impossible to find a replacement for Webb given the uniqueness of the character’s relationship with River, Slow horses has yet to find a way to reproduce the low-level threat it poses. This is especially important now that other MI5-based antagonists such as Duffy and Hobbs were also removedIf this fails, the internal power struggles that are affecting relations in Slow horses – from Rivers infiltration of the park to Jackson’s duels with Taverner – will end up feeling a bit mundane.

Of course, the fact that characters like Webb, Duffy and Hobbs were all killed off in Season 3 also presents a great opportunity for the show to revamp its version of MI5. While all three were reprehensible in their own way, whoever replaces them could still be even worse. The result could be a renewed rivalry between Slough House and the Park that, while not based on years of grudges, quickly becomes just as toxic. Whatever approach the show takes, it is important that Slow horses finds a way to replicate one of its core dynamics.