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SO.

I was right. Diana is the one to tell Catherine that Jackson killed Charles Partner. I formed this theory after Gary appeared on a podcast where he mentioned her finding out at the end of book five and said “I won’t tell you who tells her”. It could only really be one other person, and I was therefore waiting for it at the end of season five…

…but it never came, and I’ve been crashing out about it with @catherinestandishstits ever since. We’ve gone through the five stages of grief and cursed the writers for the last 3+ hours really, and hoped and prayed that that whole reveal and whatever subsequent fallout comes as a result (I haven’t read book 5 or book 6 yet, I only know that she starts buying alcohol again and that there are some scenes coming with Lamb that will probably end me but I don’t know anything else!!) isn’t completely left out.

And then I rewatched the Season 6 teaser, and focused in on the funeral scene and why my shayla is falling over, and a thought struck me. Bear with me. I’m freaking out and I’ve made extra slow gifs to illustrate my delusions point.

Lamb and Catherine approaching Taverner at what is, presumably, David Cartwright’s funeral. Which would, presumably, be very well attended by many former and current members of MI5 who knew David. And Charles Partner. And Catherine, when she worked for him, and when she was an alcoholic.

This part of the trailer has Lamb’s saying ‘we’re running out of time’ and Taverner saying ‘what?’ and then him saying ‘it’s a bloodbath’, but I’m not sure exactly how much of that is from this scene. Looking at Diana here, she does say what. She then looks to her left, where Catherine is presumably standing. She might’ve just said something to her. I don’t know. But, if this is David’s funeral, and everyone is talking about him, maybe they’re also talking about Charles. Maybe, given this is the first time they’ll have properly seen each other (minus that glare in S5) since Catherine came back after leaving at the end of S3, Taverner can’t resist saying she’s surprised she came back, or some other cutting remark. And maybe, at this service funeral, she can’t resist saying something about Catherine going back to Slough House after finding out about Charles.

My shaylaaaa 🥺 Here, she looks from Jackson to Diana, as if one or the other has just said something and she’s struggling to believe what she’s just heard. If you squint, you can see Jackson looks deadly serious, and Diana is smiling, maybe even laughing? Echoes of ‘That is not a can of worms you want to open’ from S1 when she mentions secrets coming out on that park bench. But focus on Catherine again. She looks shocked, a little confused, possibly like she’s trying to comprehend what she’s just heard. And she’s backing away from them, maybe as a natural reaction, and then she stumbles :(

And she falls over :( and everyone reacts :(

Everyone, like I said, who is presumably service and presumably remembers her being an alcoholic, is now looking at her years later falling over at the funeral of one of the service legends, and probably wondering if she’s sober, and that’s going to really really stick with her. Lamb barely reacts. Is Diana smiling?

More reaction. Once again, Lamb barely moves. Maybe he can’t believe what’s just happened? Like a weight just dropped. Maybe he’s realising that Catherine now knows what he did and his body just doesn’t know what to do or how to respond to that, let alone her falling over in front of him. Diana looks… almost gleeful. It’s kinda shock, but it’s the kind of gasp that would precede a laugh, or a joke about Catherine’s drinking/falling off the wagon. She looks from where Catherine is, back to Jackson. She’s definitely about to say something. Could it be ‘Oh, you never told her?’

So yeah. In conclusion

BECAUSE

If the writers don’t address it and cut it out of Catherine’s whole arc, then I’ll be fuming.

If the writers DO address it, whatever way they do it, my shayla is going to be sad and (if they’re following the books, which they’re NOT) start buying alcohol again and (seeing as they’re NOT following the books) potentially drink it :(

My brain has fully locked into this being exactly what’s going on in this scene and if it’s not I’m going to combust.