Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for MobLand Episode 4.Things are heating up on theRonan Bennett-produced,Guy Ritchie-directed British mafia dramaMobLand,currently available on Paramount+, and it appears that Maeve Harrigan (Helen Mirren) is determined to insert herself into the budding drama as it unfolds. The Harrigan crime family is creeping towards a bloody war with their rivals, the up-and-coming Stevenson family from South London. The opening salvo was delivered in the premiere when Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and Maeve’s rebellious grandson Eddie (Anson Boon) killed Richie Stevenson’s (Geoff Bell) son Tommy (Felix Edwards) and had him dismembered by a local bar owner. Things have continued to escalate as Richie demands payback for the murder. Butthe most dangerous character on a show littered with ruthless killers and mafiosos is Maeve, as she is the devil on Conrad’s shoulder and continues to manipulate and use the rising tension for her own pleasure and thirst for power.
Maeve Has Her Own Personal Agenda on ‘Mobland’
The most frightening part of Maeve is how she wields such influence over the entire show without the use of a weapon or even having to set foot outside the Harrigan estate through the first four episodes.Maeve is as devious as they come, knowing that she has Conrad’s ear and can whisper diabolical sweet nothings without any fear of reprisal or consequence. She is trying to get Eddie trapped in her web of deceit to control him, almost as if she sees him as a potential successor to Conrad and wants to groom him in case the prince becomes the king. She has a scene in the most recent episode where she praises him for murdering Tommy, like it was part of an overarching master plan tocreate conflict and send these men into an all-out war.
She sees the writing on the wall and wants him to be in her corner whenshe makes even bolder moves to wrangle authority away from Conrad. Also, in Episode 4, she tries to pit her husband against his right-hand man, Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy), sowing discord just because she can. Harry has done absolutely nothing to rouse suspicion or cast doubt about his loyalty to the Harrigans. He is the only thing keeping the rival families from an all-out war.Her manipulation of the dangerously impulsive Conrad and the tractable, naive Eddie makes her a lethal threat moving forward. Conrad is the loose cannon, and Maeve is the fuse with an heir apparent in waiting. She doesn’t seem to care about anyone and will use her influence to do whatever she has to feel powerful and carry out her sordid agenda
What Is Maeve’s End Game, and Will She Pull it Off on ‘MobLand’?
Maeve’s Machiavellian approach is wickedly inspired and a terrific change of paceto all the machismo andRitchie-esque testosterone flying aroundthe seedy London mafia underground. Sometimes, a refined and intelligent woman can be far more dangerous than an army of mindless men/ So far, she is proving to be more formidable than the men she so carefully prods and pushes in her intended direction. But it is time to ask the question, what is her end game, and what does she want to ultimately have happen by the end of the season? Does she want to be the new head of the family even if it costs her entire family? She sees herself as bulletproof as the matriarch, but she is playing with fire and may end up getting burned herself.
Outwardly, she appears to be a loving and supportive wife to Conrad, but her deceit and deception behind his back makes you think that she is not trustworthy. This most recent attempt to sow discord between her husband and Harry is telling. If she is willing to try to come between Conrad and hismost trusted ally and the family fixer in Harry, then you have to wonder if she has any loyalty to Conrad or the family at all. The way she is eyeing the brass ring at the expense of all else makes her come across as almost sociopathic and unable to truly care about anyone other than herself. Then again, maybe that is what she wants and isharboring something about Conrad and the family that the audience has yet to be privy to.
Is Maeve Trying to Elevate Eddie Into the Top Spot?
If Maeve is indeed as duplicitous as she seems through the first half of MobLand, then it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that her grand plan is to elevate Eddie to become the new head of the family. Having a dim-witted kid in his twenties atop the food chain would ensure that she has the puppet she can easily control, thereby giving her even more influence on the day-to-day activities of the Harrigan crime family. Eddie clearly loves his grandmother’s attention,even if he doesn’t understand that she is intentionally trying to become his only allysince he plunged the family into a potentially deadly war. Even worse is the possibilitythat she has already betrayed her own flesh and blood, and everything she is doing now was always part of the plan.
No one, least of all Eddie, should take Maeve on her word, and that has never been more evident than after Episode 4. It was fairly clear after she had Conrad kill his lifelong friend Archie in the premiere, and it is obviously her modus operandi, being a power player behind the scenes inMobLand.
MobLandstreams every Sunday on Paramount+ in the U.S.
MobLand is currently available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
