Slow Horses season 5: What is River’s end goal?

As we prepare to see Slow Horses season 5 on Apple TV+ down the road, it does feel easy to map out what some of the story could be. Odds are, Slough House is going to find themselves taking on another threat that is a little too big for their britches but, somehow, most of them will survive. Someone could die, and a few people will bumble their way in and out of trouble.

Speaking of bumbling, nobody does that better than River, right? Jack Lowden’s character is an expert in some ways at incompetence, as he somehow often finds a way to land himself in serious trouble. Just in the season 4 finale alone he was captured, questioned by Harkness, and then put in multiple dangerous situations. Yet, he is still here, and he has not quite let go of his ultimate ambition.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Lowden himself indicates that River, despite his frequent mistakes, still thinks he can someday get higher up on the MI5 food chain:

“River ultimately wants to go back to the Park, wants to be in the top seat … and that’s something I would personally love to see.”

From a standpoint of affection for the character, we totally understand where Lowden is coming from. However, at the same time River would have to show a model of consistent success to get it back there. He is not like other members of Slough House where he landed there because of addictions or past trauma; he is there solely because of his frequent mistakes, and likely because MI5 does not want to dismiss him because of his grandfather. It is easy to root for him, but he perhaps often wants to be the super-agent to his own destriment.

For now, River really should just focus on trying to find a way to be happy — after all, he has certainly gone through it.

Related – When is Slow Horses season 5 going to premiere?

What do you think we are going to see from River Cartwright moving into Slow Horses season 5?

Be sure to share right now in the comments, and also come back for some other updates.