Episode 5 of ‘MobLand’ Recap: Mourning Celebration

In many countries within the Anglosphere, there is a term frequently used to describe individuals they strongly dislike. However, this word is much more offensive in America, where it can easily provoke a confrontation if used inappropriately. In the world of MobLand, when referring to the character Eddie Harrigan, who is portrayed as arrogant and incompetent, the author Harry Da Souza doesn’t hold back: Eddie Harrigan is undeniably a see you next Tuesday.

If you prefer a more British slang term, you could call him a git. Other terms to describe him could include moron, asshole, douchebag, or a real piece of work. The point is clear – this individual is far from commendable. In this particular episode, which mainly revolves around the memorial services for the young man Eddie killed, his despicable nature is laid bare.

The Harrigan family is given a straightforward task. They are obligated, as per Richie Stevenson’s request (more like a demand), to be present at both the funeral and the wake for his son Tommy, the very victim of Eddie’s actions. The attendance is mandatory for everyone, including Harry’s wife Jan and Kevin Harrigan’s wife Bella. Jan appears to be quite aware of Bella’s past involvement with Harry, and although the interaction between the two women remains civil, there’s an underlying tension. Kevin Harrigan, or Kev as he’s called, also senses the strained atmosphere.

Everyone must come unarmed, though Harry blackmails a disgruntled Stevenson minion into sneaking guns and a hand grenade into the Stevensons’ house just in case things go south. And everyone, including that little pischer Eddie and his grandmother Maeve — a lush who’s grooming him to take over the family — must be on their best behavior.

Neither Harrigan understands the assignment. At least, they don’t understand Harrigan family patriarch Conrad’s assignment. It’s clear now that Maeve is deliberately provoking a war with the Stevensons, to whatever end. Eddie, being an easily flattered imbecile, is happy to help.

On the way into the wake, Eddie “greets” Richie without taking off his sunglasses or showing any deference to the much older and more respected crime boss. He actually goes to kiss the man’s grieving trophy wife, Vron (Annie Cooper), who slinks away horrified. Once inside the Stevenson home, he sneaks off to snoop around the bathroom and do lines of coke off the mirror. When Harry, whom it’s increasingly obvious he’d like to eliminate, interrupts him, he nearly stabs the fixer with fingernail clippers before Harry points out the ridiculousness of even trying.

“Come downstairs and at least pretend to be a man,” Harry says, disgusted. Then he adds the crucial kicker: “Cunt.” Look, I know the whole thing smacks of gender, and it’s not a word I like to use as an insult, but if the shoe fits.

Meanwhile, Maeve, on her umpteenth glass of champagne, makes a point of walking over to Vron Stevenson, Tommy’s devastated mother, to offer her wildly insincere condolences. Understandably, given the fact that both she and Richie know damn well that Maeve’s grotesque grandson Eddie, Vron says she never wanted any of these c-words at the funeral to begin with, and talks to her girlfriends about how disgustingly unbelievable it is that Conrad Harrigan fucks “that.” 

If you’ve guessed that insulting Maeve Harrigan to her face is a bad idea, you’re right. After this incident, and after Eddie nearly provokes a physical fight and defies his father’s orders to leave, Conrad, Richie, and their closest lieutenants sit down to talk things over. Richie is surprisingly contrite. He knows Eddie killed his son, not the patsy whom Harry served to him and then murdered. But he has no interest in a war. He’ll let every Harrigan live…provided he never sees Eddie again. If he does, all bets are off, at least as far as Eddie himself is concerned. With Harry and Kevin’s approval, Conrad agrees to the deal.

Maeve does not. When she realizes someone in her own family slipped her a mickey to keep her subdued at the funeral, and that Conrad plans to do nothing to avenge Vron’s insult, she takes matters into her own hands. She has Harrigan soldier Paul rig a bomb to Vron’s car. The explosive results conclude the episode, over the extremely end-of-a-Sopranos-episode song choice of “People Ain’t No Good” by Nick Cave. 

Elsewhere, a pair of plot threads are worth following: Brendan, Conrad’s least-favorite child, tries to inveigle his half-sister Seraphina in a gemstone-importing scheme that he claims has no downside. And Kev finally remembers the sexually abusive prison guard Harry spotted at an old folks’ home a day or two earlier. 

There are no bloody stabbings in this episode, no fight scenes, no gun battles. The only pyrotechnics to speak of — I mean, other than the car bombing — come from the tension between the Stevensons and the Harrigans, embodied in the gritted-teeth determination projected by actors Geoff Bell and Pierce Brosnan as their respective bosses. Tom Hardy remains excellent as a man who doesn’t necessarily always stay cool, but does alway stay under control. Helen Mirren is having a ball as Maeve grows increasingly ambitious and unhinged. As he did on House of the Dragon, Paddy Considine excels as a guy who’s doing a basically okay job as a figure of importance but who’d probably be better suited doing literally everything else. 

And director Daniel Syrkin peppers the thing with the occasional lovely vista: Conrad fishing as night falls over his country house, Harry on his balcony looking out over the nighttime city. The Fontaines D.C. theme song, “Starburster,” whips ass. In short, MobLand is good gangster TV.

Sean T. Collins (@theseantcollins) writes about TV for Rolling Stone, Vulture, The New York Times, and anyplace that will have him, really. He and his family live on Long Island.