The Few Bright Spots In Episode 3 Have Kept Me Interested, But I Need More From This Overcomplicated Series
Warning: This post contains spoilers for MobLand Season 1, Episode 3A little better than episode 2, a lot worse than episode 1, MobLand season 1, episode 3, “Plan B,” remains just peculiar enough that the half-baked plotlines, leaps in logic, and confusing characters without much to do haven’t sunk the series. MobLand keeps up its odd tone, which is at some points psychopathic in intensity and at other times almost farcical. I don’t know if these vying moods mesh well, but they keep me surprised, which is a little fun.
In the last episode, we ended with Harry (Tom Hardy) finding the body of Tommy Stevenson (Felix Edwards) chopped up into bits, though his head is kept intact, perfect for identification. Now what to do? Richie (Geoff Bell) is going to be furious, and he’s already blowing up houses, even before he hears about his Tommy. He said his wrath would be like a “swarm of locusts” if he didn’t get his son back. I imagine he meant in one piece at the very least.
Harry Da Souza Seems To Be In Charge Despite Saying He’s Trapped
Maeve Is Not As Clever As She Thinks She Is
Now Kevin (Paddy Considine) and Harry have got to figure out what to do about this, because with Tommy dead, nothing is going to stop Richie from taking his revenge. Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) circles the wagons, bringing everyone to his home for safety. That includes his daughter Seraphina (Mandeep Dhillon), whom Maeve (Helen Mirren) would like to see go the way of Tommy. The matriarch of the family is still acting like she’s pulling the strings, but far from being a gray cardinal working in the shadows, she wants everyone to know who’s the big cheese.
Related
The Studio episode 4 parodies detective noirs as Matt searches Hollywood for a missing film reel — but the spoof gets a bit too on-the-nose.
Kill Tommy’s mom, she suggests to Conrad. Why that’s the next step in a turf war, I’m not sure, but Conrad shrugs his shoulders like she suggested Thai for dinner. But it’s not Conrad who Maeve should be eyeing to puppeteer — it’s Harry. Despite telling Bella (Lara Pulver) that he can’t escape the Harrigans, it seems like Harry wields plenty of power. He can call up Conrad to get a couple of mooks off his back, as if he’s sicking a dog; he even breaks up Conrad’s wagon circle, demanding Kevin and Eddie come meet him.
I guess we’re supposed to assume that Conrad’s trust in Harry is so great that he is essentially the second in command of the family. But then I’m not sure why Harry acts like he’s trapped in this game. Bella calls him a pawn, but he really makes his own decisions. Conrad doesn’t even seem to know what he’s up to half the time, and his eldest son, Kevin, defers to Harry more often than not. It seems less like Harry is in thrall to the Harrigans and more just frustrated with their way of doing things.
I’m Still Unclear About What Tone & Story MobLand Is Aiming For
MobLand Overcomplicates Its Storytelling
A bit more happens in episode 3, but not a whole lot more. The show’s not quite as clever as it wants to be, and just when I think we’re starting to get somewhere, the scene keeps going, and suddenly I’m unsure. Kevin and Harry interrogate Valjon (Peter Ferdinando), the club owner who has gotten himself mixed up in this grim young-man-chopping business. They threaten to kill him, but it turns out to be a feint; they want him to agree to pretend killing Tommy was his idea, not Eddie’s.
…Considine and Hardy are involved, and the pair reliably act like old friends.
That should really be all MobLand needs, but Harry and Kevin continue this mock execution skit for almost a quarter of the episode. It’s played for laughs, except it’s also quite cruel. By the end of it, I wasn’t sure what was a joke and what was a bit of information I needed to retain. Fortunately, Considine and Hardy are involved, and the pair reliably act like old friends.
That’s how it goes in MobLand, I’m finding. Overcomplications and mysteries for the sake of mystery are covering up what should be a simple and relatively compelling story about young people paying for the sins of their fathers. There are still a few things keeping my interest: Hardy, Brosnan, and the whiplash that comes from jokes resolved with kneecappings. But it’s a precarious balance, and a few moments of fun won’t sustain a series for 10 episodes.
