With just one episode left in Slow Horses Season 6, the tension is at an all-time high. The team is scattered, Diana Taverner's safe house is about to be breached, and River Cartwright might finally be confronting his feelings for Sid Baker. But for Catherine Standish, the season's biggest emotional gut punch came early—and she's still reeling.
In the premiere, Standish learns that Jackson Lamb, her longtime colleague and confidant, was responsible for the death of her former boss, Charles Partner. The revelation, delivered casually by Taverner, hits Standish like a physical blow—literally sending her to her knees. In an interview with Collider, Saskia Reeves, who plays Standish, opened up about that pivotal scene and what it means for the character's future.
Why Standish's Fall Was So Important
Reeves revealed that the decision to have Standish physically collapse was a collaborative choice with director Adam Randall. "This information is like a punch to the stomach," she said. "I wanted to physicalize that shock by actually falling over." The actress insisted on performing her own stunts, despite offers of a double. "When you're in the moment of it, it just seemed so important to me that I carry out the whole thing," she explained.
The fall also serves a deeper purpose: it highlights Standish's humiliation. "When you fall over as an adult, it's so humiliating," Reeves noted. "She's also upset. I wanted it to be as uncomfortable and awkward as possible." The scene was shot from multiple angles, but Reeves felt the final cut didn't show enough of her acrobatics. "I remember complaining to him after, saying, 'But Adam, you have loads of angles. Couldn't we have seen this a bit more?'" she laughed.
The Cruelty of the Revelation
Reeves also weighed in on the cruelty of Standish hearing the truth from Taverner rather than Lamb. "It was just hearing a secret, but also, yeah, that Lamb didn't have the balls to tell her himself," she said. "You're shocked to realize, 'Oh, it was Lamb who shot him. He didn't kill himself.' And then, 'Wow, he kept that quiet.'"
Despite the betrayal, Reeves suggests Standish may ultimately have to accept it. "She works for the service. They've all done terrible things," she pointed out. "It's something she has to suck up, actually, in the end." But that doesn't mean it's easy. The revelation challenges Standish's sobriety, bringing her dangerously close to relapsing. "She nearly drinks more than once, and each time, she's saved by something else," Reeves revealed. "I like that we still don't know whether she would. She gets so close, but she still doesn't fall off the wagon."
Standish's Temptation
One of the most tense moments comes when Standish visits a wine store, seemingly testing her own limits. Reeves described the complexity of that scene: "I don't think there's one linear way of thinking about it. Addiction is very complicated. The brain tells you..." She trailed off, leaving the ambiguity intact.
As the season hurtles toward its conclusion, fans are left wondering: Can Standish ever forgive Lamb? Reeves remains tight-lipped, but her performance suggests that while the wound may heal, the scar will remain. For more on the season's emotional fallout, check out our interview with Kyle Soller about Jim's brutal end, and our chat with Tom Brooke on Coe's heartbreaking arc.
Slow Horses Season 6 is streaming now on Apple TV+, with the finale dropping this week. If you're a fan of the show, you might also enjoy our piece on how the series has become Apple TV's crown jewel.
