Who was Curly in Slow Horses Season 1? Character arc explored 

In Slow Horses, Curly is portrayed as a member of a far-right extremist group, The Sons of Albion. He is the most inexperienced member of the group, and is named Curly due to his distinctive hair. By the end, he remains the only one surviving and ends up kidnapping his fellow extremist Hassan Ahmed.

Hassan Ahmed is a British-Pakistani university student and aspiring stand-up comic. Curly's plan behind kidnapping Hassan? To execute him live on camera and incite racial hatred. Curly was planning to be a martyr after killing Hassan, but his plan failed when the Slough horses team arrived at the location. Curly remained nothing but an insecure and naive extremist who resorted to violence just like that.

Read on to know the complete character arc of Curly in Slow Horses.

Who was Curly in Slow Horses Season 1?

Curly's nationalist seed was sown in Essex, where he grew up. All the while, he clung to a false sense of English heritage and history, built on illusion rather than truth. Within Sons of Albion, he became one of the most fanatical recruits. He came across as needy for validation, and unlike others, Curly was deeply invested in the cause, consumed by extremism.

In season 1, Curly kidnaps Hassan and takes him to the Norman ruins, which is a sacred place for him. Hassan opines that people built these ruins to impress, rather than to preserve their heritage. This further angers Curly to take extreme steps against him.

Curly's fate

Episode 1 of the show portrays Curly kidnapping his fellow extremist in the far-right organisation, a British-Pakistani university student, Hassan Ahmed, who is also an aspiring stand-up comic. As mentioned, Hassan takes him to a folly castle of Norman ruins. Hassan turns out to be even sharper than him when he mocks him, saying how it's fake and how he learned more in a madrassa than he ever did in school. Curly, unable to bear this humiliation, hits Hassan with his gun.

He sets up his camera and makes Hassan kneel. Curly was planning to execute Hassan on camera and then either die in a shootout or use the last bullet to kill himself and become a "martyr". On the other hand, Hassan calls him a pawn, searching for meaning in his naive acts.

The moment he was about to finish Hassan, River Cartwright arrives and shoots Curly.

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This character in Slow Horses is someone consumed by hatred and is utterly insecure. On the other hand, Hassan is the bright one, funny, and has a future.

Curly starts as a wannabe extremist and escalates into a reckless oppressor and ends as a pathetic figure, highlighting insecurity, immaturity, and incompetence when not along with the group.

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