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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1495 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 25, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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for instance the question of if River is meant to be in Slough House

Yes he absolutely deserves to be there.

Putting aside the actual political incident the landed him in Slough House. The major reason he deserves to be there is that he is a bad spy. He's a great law enforcement agent, but a horrible spy. He really leaps before thinking, goes off half cocked, and routinely makes big messes or gets himself into really horrible spots because he doesn't think things through.

The incident with the glasshouse in the 2nd season is a peak "Cartwright" moment. He's just too moral, too much of a goody two shoes, a righteous knight to be an effective spy. He idolizes his grandfather but from all accounts, David was a right bastard. Lamb's a bastard, Lady Di is a bastard, Teerny is a bastard, Every good spy/spymaster we see is, morally, a piece of shit, because thats what it takes to play in that world.

Right, I think more perceptive watchers will pick this up quickly but at first you are supposed to think he isn't at fault. Later on it becomes clear he nearly has everything he needs but is justttttt off, not sure what will happen in future seasons/books, he may eventually put it together.

And at the same time - you also start to realize that with like only 3-4 exceptions, everyone else is the same as him or worse (even at the mothership). Cough cough dogs cough.

I'm not sure Lamb is a bastard, and I think perhaps his off-puttingness is part of his coping mechanism for not being one.

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