The Truth Behind River Cartwright's Strange Behavior in Slow Horses Season 5

Slow Horses is back on Apple TV+, and the Season 5 premiere wastes no time throwing River Cartwright off his game. If you watched the opener and thought, 'Why is River suddenly so scattered?' you are not imagining it. The guy is wobbling, and the show gives us plenty of reasons why.

So what is going on with River?

Short version: his personal life is on fire, and it bleeds into everything he does in the field. In the premiere, he comes off distracted and worn down, the kind of tired where the small mistakes start piling up. That is not random plot noise; it is a character in a tailspin.

• David Cartwright, River's grandfather and a retired spook himself, has been moved into a care home and is declining fast. He is also the last family River has left, which makes it land even harder.
• River recently uncovered the identity of his estranged father: Frank Harkness, a former CIA operator with a nasty streak. Frank tried to pull River into his orbit as a mercenary-for-hire. That reveal is still rattling around in River's head.
• On top of that, things with Louisa Guy are not good. Despite River trying to keep it together, the relationship is in a rough patch, and Louisa has asked for a break — from him and from the job.

How it plays on screen

The episode literally shows the wear and tear: River drifts, second-guesses, and botches the kind of basics he usually handles without thinking. It is not incompetence; it is a guy who has been running on fumes for too long and finally hits the wall.

Where this might be headed

Unless something stabilizes at home — with David's health, the fallout from the Frank Harkness mess, or whatever happens with Louisa — expect more of this frayed-at-the-edges version of River. It is not pretty, but it is consistent with what the character is carrying right now.

Slow Horses Season 5, Episode 1 is streaming now on Apple TV+.