Slow Horses Episode 5 Ends With Jim’s Death and an Uncertain Escape

The fifth episode of Slow Horses’ sixth season ends with River Cartwright and Sid Baker killing Russian assassin Jim, but their escape from the wider threat remains uncertain as the finale approaches. In “Sayonara,” Sid and River fight Jim after he pursues her through the woods and tries to drown her. Sid strikes him with a rock, and the two hold him underwater until he dies. The confrontation follows a car crash involving Jim, Sid and fellow assassin Jane. Jane’s body is missing afterward, and the episode does not establish whether she survived. The immediate danger follows Diana Taverner’s decision to arrange Sid’s handover to the Russians. The episode reveals that Taverner used Sid’s identity in an operation in Kazan, and the Russians are seeking her in connection with it. Sid is taken to a private airfield, where the flight is scheduled to go to Sofia, Bulgaria. The destination does not guarantee her safety, as the deal would leave her vulnerable to Russian intelligence. River refuses to accept the handover. The episode’s final sequence separates him and Sid as they try to get away, with River staying behind as MI5 operatives close in.