Who Paul Is In MobLand & Why Maeve Has Him Do THAT
Warning: Major spoilers for episode 5 of MobLandThe explosive ending of episode 5 will likely be seen as the turning point in the first season of MobLand because of an act carried out by the Harrigans’ quiet yet capable henchman, Paul. After Tommy Stevenson’s funeral and wake miraculously passed without any bloodshed, the conflict between the Harrigans and Stevensons was given a violent shove into existence by the murder of Vron Stevenson, the wife of Richie Stevenson and mother of the recently-butchered Tommy. A bomb was planted in her car, so when she turned it on to go shopping she was killed instantly.
Unlike the murder of Tommy Stevenson, there is virtually no mystery as to who was behind the death of Vron. The grieving mother took out her fury on Maeve Harrigan at Tommy’s wake, insulting her to her face and laughing at her in public. That prompted an enraged phone call from Maeve, who was livid about the utter disrespect shown to her. It was clearly implied that Maeve was calling to set up Vron’s murder, but she notably did not seek out Harry Da Souza, the Harrigan family’s fixer. She called a secondary member of the crime family’s entourage, Paul.
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Paul Is A Member Of The Harrigans’ Security
The Bearded Henchman Is Capable And Intelligent
Not much is known about Paul (Emmett J. Scanlan), the henchman who often seen in the background in the aftermath of some of the Harrigans’ most impactful plays. For example, Paul is part of the crew responsible for cleaning up the Cotswolds’ sitting room after Archie’s murder, taking orders from Harry about grabbing materials. However, it’s important to note that he does not appear to answer directly to Harry, at least not in the same sense that Zosia and Kiko do.
The actor behind Paul, Emmett J. Scanlan, had a supporting role as Billy Grade in the popular crime drama Peaky Blinders, and most recently appeared on the big screen as the villain Viper in David Ayer and Jason Statham’s action movie A Working Man.
He is loyal to Conrad and Maeve, and appears to be one of the more trusted members of the Harrigans’ inner circle. While he doesn’t have the same level of access to the family’s plots as Conrad’s right hand, Harry, Paul is trusted enough to help with the more nefarious deeds that Maeve and Conrad get up to. He’s shown sitting on the stairs waiting for orders when Conrad and Maeve are discussing who could be responsible for giving up the location of Archie’s body to the police, and they trust him enough to execute a sensitive task.
Why Maeve Has Paul Kill Vron Stevenson
She Wants A War, But Can’t Use Harry
In episode 4 of MobLand, Conrad and Maeve arrive at the conclusion that only Harry and Conrad knew the location of Archie’s body, so if the police received an anonymous tip (and it wasn’t Conrad), it must have been Harry, or someone he told. Conrad sends Paul to go tail Harry’s wife Jan, to see where she was going so that Conrad could confront her. Obviously that isn’t something that Conrad could ask of Harry himself, so the fact that he trusted Paul speaks volumes about the level of trust Paul has with the heads of the Harrigan family.
A showdown between Harry and Paul certainly seems like it could be in the cards down the line.
Maeve using Paul to plant a bomb on Vron’s car instead of Harry certainly makes sense as well. For one, she doesn’t trust Harry in the slightest. Second, she wants the bomb planted for one reason above all others: to kick-start a war with the Stevensons. Harry had been breaking his back to prevent that from happening, so naturally she needed someone who would more blindly follow her orders regardless of the consequences.
There have been hints throughout the first five episodes of MobLand that the noose is closing around the Harrigan family, and that Harry knows it. Especially given the strife between him and his wife, Harry could be seeking a way out of his role as the Harrigans’ fixer soon, if he hasn’t already started to. Paul seems like the perfect person to step into that role (at least in the opinion of Maeve and Conrad) due to his loyalty and competence. A showdown between Harry and Paul certainly seems like it could be in the cards down the line.
