The WORST episodes of Slow Horses
Every episode of Slow Horses ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Slow Horses!
This quick-witted spy drama follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents – and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb – as they navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces.
#1 - Failure's Contagious
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/1/2022
River Cartwright is ousted from MI5 and finds himself in a place worse than purgatory: Slough House, dumping ground for failed spies.
#2 - Work Drinks
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/1/2022
River and Sid join forces. A misfired gun has dire consequences.
#3 - From Upshott with Love
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/2/2022
Lamb liaises with a Russian defector who may hold a clue to sleeper agents. River is on the trail of a ruthless assassin.
#4 - Last Stop
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/2/2022
Jackson Lamb is on high alert after a former spy is found dead. Min and Louisa are tempted by an offer from outside Slough House.
#5 - Visiting Hours
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/15/2022
Taverner sends the Dogs to hunt down Lamb and the Slow Horses. River holds the secret to saving the gang.
#6 - Bad Tradecraft
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/8/2022
Slough House is the unlikely venue for a secret romance, but events take a dark turn when a dangerous encounter becomes deadly.
#7 - Bad Dates
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/24/2025
A mass shooting rocks London, intensifying a testy mayoral race. Shirley believes one of the Slow Horses was the target of an attempted hit.
#8 - Incommunicado
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/1/2025
Lamb intercepts an assassin. Taverner receives a key piece of intel about the Abbotsfield shooting.
#9 - Drinking Games
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/9/2022
River gets cozy in the Cotswolds while searching for a sleeper agent. Min discovers Russian drinking games are the most brutal of all.
#10 - A Stranger Comes to Town
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/11/2024
A naïve agent makes a discovery about the Westacres bomber. Lamb suspects that David knows more than he’s letting on.
#11 - Fiasco
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/22/2022
The Slow Horses must disappear to avoid capture by MI5. Lamb and River head to The Park to outwit Taverner.
#12 - Strange Games
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/29/2023
A romantic relationship in Istanbul ends badly. Lamb hits the panic button when one of his Slow Horses fails to show up for work.
#13 - Missiles
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/15/2025
Flyte sets out to find Roddy's girlfriend. The gang is dispatched to two different campaign events to prevent another attack.
#14 - Cicada
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/16/2022
Louisa makes her move on Pashkin. Catherine makes moves of a different kind when she plays high-stakes chess with a sinister stranger.
#15 - Returns
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/25/2024
Taverner is desperate to hide dangerous secrets. River seeks answers at his grandfather’s house.
#16 - Tall Tales
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/2025
An act of sabotage grinds London to a halt. Taverner interrogates Roddy. Coe is convinced a destabilization strategy is at play.
#17 - Identity Theft
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/4/2024
A London bombing puts Taverner under pressure. When River grows concerned for his grandfather, Louisa encourages him to go for a visit.
#18 - Penny for Your Thoughts
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/18/2024
River is trapped in France. Back at Slough House, the Dogs have come for Lamb.
#19 - Hard Lessons
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/29/2023
River has to steal something out of the Park to save a life. Lamb realizes a stranger game is afoot.
#20 - Follies
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/29/2022
Taverner and the Slow Horses attempt different approaches to locate the kidnappers and Hassan. Ho makes a shocking discovery about Sid.
#21 - Boardroom Politics
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/23/2022
Lamb orders his Slow Horses to walk into traps. River believes something alarming is heading toward London.
#22 - Uninvited Guests
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/13/2023
Tearney makes a bold move. The Slow Horses assist the Tiger Team, unaware of their hidden agenda. Lamb and Ho take a road trip.
#23 - Circus
Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/22/2025
Lamb debriefs River and Coe. Roddy is pulled in to help decipher a piece of code as the destabilization strategy nears its final stage.
#24 - Cleaning Up
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/20/2023
Taverner and Tearney face off for control of MI5. River and Louisa find themselves caught in the crossfire.
#25 - Grave Danger
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/2/2024
Lamb questions David about France as River comes face to face with the enemy.