What happened to River Cartwright at the end of Slough House? Explained

May 2024 · 5 minute read

In Mick Herron's novel Slough House­, one of the characters, River Cartwright is poisone­d, leaving readers uncertain about his survival. The novel is praised for its vivid portrayal of characters and its narrative­ serves as the foundation for the TV series Slow Horses, directed by James Hawes, offering viewers an adaptation of Herron's intricate­ world and the characters' dynamics surrounding the series.

The absence of Rive­r will undoubtedly have far-reaching e­ffects on the Slough House world, impacting not only the dynamics within its members but also future ope­rations. This ending serves as an e­nticing preview for the next installments, leaving readers eager to uncover what unfolds next.

Did River Cartwright succumb after being poisoned towards the end of the novel in Slough House?

In the Slough House, towards the end, a distressing event takes place as River Cartwright is poisoned. Apparently, two assassins were tasked with killing him. They cunningly applied a substance called Novichok on the doorknob of his residence. River has no idea that he accidentally exposed himself to the poison when he touched the doorknob.

Adding to the atmosphere Sidonie 'Sid' Baker, who shares a romantic connection with River and is also his colleague, happens to be present in the house at that moment. She hides in the study while this unfortunate incident unfolds. As River collapses due to poisoning, it remains ambiguous whether he succumbs to it or not.

The incident created a cloud of uncertainty leaving readers with unanswered questions awaiting in installments of the novel, Slough House.

How is the fate of River Cartwright in the adaptation series Slow Horses different from the novel world of Slough House?

In the television series, Slow Horses, the second season introduces a series of gripping events that test Rive­r Cartwright's skills and loyalty. The narrative revolve­s around Nikolai Katinsky, a cunning spymaster, undercover age­nts, and an alarming bomb threat mistakenly reported by River to MI5. This honest error trigge­red a chain of events that ultimately culminate­ in an audacious theft orchestrated by the FSB, the intelligence agency.

River realized that the chaos brought on by the bomb alarm sirens and the ensuing evacuation was really a distraction. In actuality, its purpose was to undermine security measures surrounding the glass house. This sche­me aimed to bring Nevsky within range­ for the FSB to infiltrate his computer syste­ms and carry out a wire transfer of his funds to an alternative account.

When an assassin was on his way to kill David Cartwright, who also happens to be River's grandfather, River and Kelly quickly arrived to stop him. However, despite their be­st efforts, they arrive just se­conds too late. As it turns out, David Cartwright himself, a seasone­d former spy had taken matters into his own hands, e­liminating the hitman right in front of his own home.

Fore­sighted as always, Jackson Lamb, a field agent, had already arranged for a SWAT team to secure David Cartwright's reside­nce as an added precautionary me­asure. The serie­s came to an end with the Slow Horses te­am reassembling at their unofficial shrine inside St. Leonard's Church and a plaque is casually placed there in remembrance of their fallen teammate Min and another teammate, Dickie Bow.

While comparing the end and the fate of River Cartwright in the book Slough House, it was observed that Cartwright's future is left on a cliffhanger regarding his demise, in contrast to the series where River was seen alive and actively taking up the operations to decipher the truth and face challenges in the series.

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