Slow Horses season 5 episode 3 ending explained: What does Roddy reveal that will put MI5 in an even more precarious situation?

Slow Horses season 5 episode 3 continues the tragedy striking London, but it turns out that the Abbotsfield shooting and the killers coming after Roddy are just the beginning. The still unknown extremists continue to terrorize London, from contaminating the fuel and causing a massive gridlock to bombing the penguins.

It also ties up with Tara, Roddy Ho's mysterious girlfriend. Roddy may not believe it, but his confession in Slow Horses season 5 episode 3 reveals that there may be a breach in the MI5 database, and it all points to Tara. Meanwhile, Slough House has to use all the collected wits between them to break out of lockdown and save the life of a politician.

So far, the Park still has no idea who they are up against and why an extremist group is targeting London.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Slow Horses season 5 episode 3. Reader's discretion is advised.

What does Roddy reveal about Tara in Slow Horses season 5 episode 3 that puts the entire MI5 in danger?

Roddy in the interrogation room (Image via Apple TV+)

While London is in a gridlock after a series of cases of cars abruptly stopping on the road and their engines blowing up, Diana Taverner interrogates Roddy about Tara after he is taken in the Park in episode 2. But they can't get anything from him. Roddy is in a full-on delusion mode that he and Tara are in a relationship and that they are soulmates. However, he unknowingly reveals something suspicious.

It turns out that early in their so-called relationship, Roddy was trying to impress Tara by showing her that he could hack into the MI5 database. While he doesn't think it compromised anything, Diana thinks otherwise, especially after Roddy says he left Tara alone with the open database while getting the pizza delivery.

While Roddy thinks Tara is innocent, the previous episode has proven that she's more than a woman who caught Roddy's fancy. Slow Horses season 5 episode 3 hints that MI5 may be under a huge threat with their database breached. Even worse, they still have no idea who Tara is, what she wants, or what she has done or left in the MI5 database, which means they are dealing with an unknown enemy.

How does the Slough House break from lockdown in Slow Horses season 5 episode 3?

Lamb helps Slough House break out of lockdown (Image via Apple TV+)

While Roddy is being interrogated, the rest of the Slough House spends the better part of Slow Horses season 5 episode 3 hanging out at their headquarters doing nothing. Since they have been put in lockdown, they have been closely monitored, and their phones have been seized.

But, as London erupts into chaos after a series of incidents, and Lamb can't get a hold of the Park, they decide to break out of the lockdown. Without any weapon in sight, Lamb creates a different means of escape, but it needs every Slough House agent to listen beyond the story he's telling about how the Stasi would torture suspected spies.

Shockingly, everyone is able to understand what Lamb is trying to send with his little story. They use a lighter and a can of aerosol to create a distraction and overpower the Dogs standing on guard. They execute the plan perfectly and get out of lockdown before stepping out with a clear mission: prevent a high-profile assassination.

Slow Horses season 5 episode 3: Is there a destabilization happening in London, and how is Mayor Jaffrey connected to it?

Slow Horses season 5 episode 3 reveals that the climate activist who contaminated the gas depot in episode 2 is Irfan, Mayor Zafar Jaffrey's son. While the mayor is not directly related to the extremist group, his son's association is going to be a huge scandal that could disrupt his mayoral campaign.

Meanwhile, Coe believes that London is facing a destabilization strategy. River doesn't believe it at first, but Lamb is later convinced after four incidents disrupt London. The Abbotsfield attack in Slow Horses season 5 premiere and the attack in Roddy's life were the first two steps in the destabilization strategy Coe has been talking about, and episode 3 seemingly proves what's happening.

Number three is 'disrupt the transports,' which happens with the exploding engines that cause the gridlock. Number four is 'seize the media,' which is proven when the extremists use a homeless man to bomb and kill the penguins at the Park. Number five is next: 'assassinate a populist leader.' So, they decide to break out of lockdown with the mission to save Gimball from being killed.

Catch Slow Horses season 5 episode 3, along with the show's previous episodes, streaming on Apple TV+.

About the author

Kinette covers beauty and home decor as a lifestyle writer at Sportskeeda. With over 7.5 years experience in writing for diverse platforms, including The Coolist, Snap Knot, Leisure Seeker, and KS Content Studio, Kinette is quite the shapeshifter in the content world and prides herself as a generalist. However, she feels that her greatest strength is her repository of personal expertise and experience, which she combines with extensive research and credible sources, to deliver compelling reportage on beauty, lifestyle, and wellness.

Kinette graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering before venturing into the world of home improvement and decor writing, although her love for skincare soon pushed her into the beauty space. Despite covering a wide range of topics in her writing career, Kinette now leans towards categories she has personal or educational experience in, to offer only the most reliable and insightful reading experience to her audience.

Kinette’s favorite artist is Taylor Swift, whose lyricism and ability to create a vivid picture with deft wordplay she admiresa lot. When not writing and reporting on beauty and lifestyle trends, Kinette loves playing with her dogs, drinking coffee in the morning and experimenting with cocktails in the evening, reading romance novels, and learning about new cultures and languages.

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Edited by Kinette Sumadia