Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers from MobLand Episode 5.From the start, it was obvious that Maeve (Helen Mirren) andEddie (Anson Boon)were going to be problems with the inner power dynamics of the Harrigan family inMobLand, especially with the reveal that it was Maeve who convinced her grandson to kill Richie Stevenson’s (Geoff Bell) son, Tommy (Felix Edwards). Maeve’s scheming and Eddie’s arrogance have made them entertaining, yet skin-crawling characters to watch throughout the season. However, it was theshow’s latest episode, “Funeral For a Friend,” that showed the depths to which they can sink.
Not only do both characters show a complete lack of respect during the funeral, but their bloodthirst has caused the death of an innocent woman who only died for petty reasons. They’re not only the biggest risk to others, but to the Harrigan family itself. While I sincerely hope these two get their comeuppance sooner rather than later, it feels like this will not be an easy task, asthey will be willing to do things others aren’t to win.
Eddie and Maeve Actively Enjoy Disrupting Tommy’s Funeral in ‘MobLand’
When Richie decided to inviteHarry (Tom Hardy)and the rest of the Harrigans to Tommy’s funeral, it was, asConrad (Pierce Brosnan)points out, “genius.” Either he had the opportunity to massacre all of them in one setting, or he believed the lie Harry andKevin (Paddy Considine)told him about it being Valjon (Peter Ferdinando) who killed his son, not Eddie. As such, it felt like the tension would be too high for any of the Harrigans to walk with their heads held high, no matter how proud they may be. Yet, as soon as we see Maeve in the car with Conrad, we know this isn’t to be the case. Maeve, in a whimsical tone, claims that she loves funerals due to the ceremony and the supposed fanciness of it all. The bewildered look Conrad gives her is the same that was probably on all of our faces.
When the Harrigans finally arrive to give their condolences, the tension is palpable as everything the characters feared could happen really could happen in that moment. Richie could give the order to gun them down, or someone could say something terrible that makes that decision for him. At first, it seems fine, as Richie and his wife, Vron (Annie Cooper), accept the Harrigans' sympathies, albeit while Vron gives them all the stinkeye. The worst moment was when Eddie stepped up, wearing perhaps the most arrogant pair of sunglasses possible, and not only looked the parents of his victim in the eye, but leaned in to kiss Vron on the cheek, with her peeling away in disgust. It is a truly vile moment ofpsychopathy, asEddie revels in thinking that he has gotten away with murderand being able to twist the knife.
While that moment was full of glee for Eddie under the surface, his later stunt, strutting around Tommy’s bedroom and bathroom before doing cocaine off his sink counter is far more disturbing. The way he inspects Tommy’s room is like a kid at a birthday party seeing if he can dig up anything embarrassing while the birthday boy is downstairs. Only in this scenario, he has killed the birthday boy and therefore is only trying to tarnish his memory. The use of cocaine not only shows hislack of decorum but also how he doesn’t care about causing a scene. He could be caught, but, more likely, being high on a drug like cocaine will make him more aggressive and antagonistic, straining the already thin truce that has been built.
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Maeve and Eddie Have No Care For Collateral Damage in Their Pursuit of Power in ‘MobLand’
The worst part about these two villains is that their goal is so petty in the grand scheme of things.Theirentire strategy is to antagonize without provocation, to create as much chaos as possible, and use the carnage to their advantage and gain more power. At the funeral, Maeve signals to Eddie to start a conflict with a security guard, and it is only after this that Conrad, Harry, and Kevin are called into a private room. Most likely, this move was designed to start a brawl that would justify a shot at Richie, even if they are surrounded by civilians.
Later, when Maeve awakens from her roofie-induced sleep, after being spiked by Kevin to keep her docile, the call she makes to Paul (Emmett J Scanlan) is a clear sign that something terrible is about to happen. Therefore, as soon as we cut to Vron getting in her car, it was obvious that the boom was coming, yet the explosion of the car itself was still shocking due to how unjustified it was. We may not know who gave the order exactly, though it seems the show wants us to assume it was Maeve. What we do know for certain is that this has spiraled into an all-out war with no coming back that has been instigated by Maeve or Eddie, at every step.
One of the best moments of the episode was when we got a taste of the kind of justice Eddie will face with Harry confronting him in the bathroom, sitting him on the counter, and making him feel like a child. However, it feels as if these kinds of actions, along with spiking Maeve, only make them act more extreme to prove their own power. This kind of animalistic nature makes them more dangerous, as we know that only death will stop these two psychopaths, but since they are family,they’ll likely be the last ones Conrad, Kevin, or Harry turn on, leading to the death of so many others who don’t deserve it.
New episodes ofMobLandpremiere Sunday on Paramount+.
