**Slow Horses Season 5 Finale Delivers a Funny and Poignant End, Setting Up the Next Chapter**
The season 5 finale of *Slow Horses*, titled *Scars*, offers a memorable conclusion for Slough House this season, blending humor and poignancy while paving the way for future developments. The episode centers on the team’s urgent mission to prevent an act of mass carnage and halt the final stage of a complex destabilization strategy.
While most expected the last step to involve an attack on a place of worship, the Libyans’ plan conceals a trap within a trap. Claude Whelan becomes the unexpected target in what River’s grandfather, David, refers to as the “sting in the tail”—the true final act of the plot. Thanks to River’s timely intervention, Whelan avoids death, but his troubles are far from over. His position atop MI5’s hierarchy becomes precarious as past misdeeds come back to haunt him.
Meanwhile, change is stirring at the Park, but life at Slough House remains largely the same.
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### **Disclaimer:** This article contains major spoilers for *Slow Horses* Season 5 finale. Reader discretion is advised.
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### Why Is Claude Whelan Targeted in the Season 5 Finale?
In the finale, River prevents Whelan from being killed, but the episode reveals deeper motives behind the attack. Unlike previous steps in the destabilization strategy, Jackson Lamb correctly anticipates a major assault—an attack on a place of worship, which leads to Tara’s arrest and the prevention of a mass shooting in Abbotsfield.
However, despite the apparent conclusion of the attacks, River’s grandfather David—despite his dementia—senses there is still “one step left in the bee attack.” It turns out this final stage targets Claude Whelan himself.
The remaining Libyan extremist, Sami, seeks revenge for Whelan’s role in the UK’s withdrawal from Libya in 2011. At the time, Whelan served as a forecaster for the British government, and his assessments heavily influenced the decision to leave Libya, leaving the country in turmoil. Sami’s life and homeland were devastated as a result, fueling his vendetta.
Sami corners Whelan in the park, holding him at gunpoint. Just as the situation turns dire, River arrives, saving Whelan from what seemed an imminent death.
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### Whelan’s Plan for Slough House: Does He Succeed?
Earlier in the finale, Diana Taverner predicts that Whelan will try to save himself from the fallout at MI5 by “throwing Slough House into the fire.” True to form, Whelan aims to pin the blame for the entire scandal on Slough House, using the narrative that Judd had warned about the Libyan connection through Tara and Roddy Ho—but that Lamb failed to act.
By doing this, Whelan hopes to secure his position at MI5 and finally achieve his long-held goal of dissolving Slough House.
However, Whelan underestimates Lamb’s capabilities. The Slough House leader has uncovered damaging material on Whelan, which ultimately derails his plan.
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### Lamb’s Game-Changing Threat Marks a Major Shift at the Park
After Whelan threatens Lamb, the Slough House chief counters with a threat of his own that changes the power dynamics at MI5.
Lamb possesses a recording device once owned by Dennis Gimball, which was given to him by Coe in episode 5. The device contains incriminating evidence of Whelan threatening a politician and his columnist wife, vowing to ruin their lives if they didn’t comply with his demands. Additionally, the recordings reveal Whelan’s involvement with sex workers—referred to as escorts in the show.
Lamb makes it clear that if Whelan doesn’t resign immediately, he will make these recordings public, regardless of the damage it causes to MI5’s reputation.
The finale strongly implies that Whelan resigns, as Diana Taverner confirms she is finally stepping into the role she deserves—that of head of MI5.
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### What’s Next for Slough House and the Characters?
With Whelan out and Diana Taverner ascending to power, Slough House’s future looks uncertain but intriguing.
Roddy Ho returns to Slough House after being rejected by Diana, despite River’s hopes to rejoin the Park. For now, Slough House remains the outpost for misfit agents, as ever.
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Catch all six episodes of *Slow Horses* Season 5 streaming now on Apple TV+.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/shows/slow-horses-season-5-finale-ending-explained-is-claude-whelan-dead
