7 Moments from MobLand that shows us how much power the underworld holds 

When MobLand first premiered in March 2025, viewers anticipated a gritty British crime drama. What they received was an electrifying descent into London's criminal underbelly, orchestrated by a powerhouse trio. Pierce Brosnan plays the calculating patriarch Conrad Harrigan, Helen Mirren, the formidable matriarch Maeve Harrigan, and Tom Hardy as their enigmatic fixer Harry Da Souza in MobLand.

The stage is set in the midst of a brewing turf war between the Harrigans and the rival crime syndicate, the Stevenson cartel. MobLand delves deep into the mechanics of power, loyalty, and betrayal. The show's inclusion of the brutal crime scenes is not for the purposes of voyeurism; as it vivisects the very anatomy of control within the underworld.

As the plot unfolds, several pivotal moments underscore the immense influence wielded by the criminal elite. MobLand paints a vivid portrait of a world where power is currency, loyalty is negotiable, and the underworld's influence permeates every facet of society.

As MobLand continues, it becomes glaringly evident that in the shadows of London, it's not just about who holds the gun, but who controls the narrative. Here are 7 moments from MobLand that show us how much power the underworld holds.

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The 'Fixer' upper (S1E1)

In the pilot episode of MobLand, the tone is set within the first twenty minutes. Eddie Harrigan, the impulsive grandson of crime patriarch Conrad Harrigan (Pierce Brosnan), played with a volatile edge by Anson Boon, stabs a man named Hughie Campbell during a drug-fueled night at a club.

The family's fixer, Harry Da Souza, is summoned to clean up the mess. It's a chaotic and recklessly stupid move, but it sets the tone for this explosive character. Harry Da Souza, portrayed by the effortlessly intense Tom Hardy, is the family’s go-to “clean-up crew.” He is the guy to call when bloody messes need to disappear.

Calm, methodical, and terrifying in his precision, Harry walks into the club like a man punching a timecard. He doesn't flinch as he reviews the CCTV footage and threatens the club owner, Valjon, into deleting the night's CCTV footage. His cold tone and calculated words are enough to get the job done, and a few minutes later, the footage is gone, and Valjon, the club owner, is in Harrigan's pocket.

He then visits the hospital in which Hughie is admitted and coerces him into changing his story when he's interviewed by the police and disposes of Eddie's incriminating clothes in a Harrigan-owned mortuary. His swift and ruthless actions, of intimidating witnesses, erasing CCTV footage, and disposing of evidence, underscore the family's reach and the lengths they'll go to protect their own.

This sequence sets the atmosphere for the series, showcasing Harry's efficiency and the Harrigans' influence over London's underworld. The mess is gone by sunrise. No body. No camera footage. No witnesses willing to talk. In one night, Harry showcases the invisible machinery of the Harrigan operation, he's their silent, swift, and surgical weapon of choice when problems need to vanish without a trace.

This isn't just damage control, it's erasure. It's power flexed and decked out in the most chilling way possible, as the underworld doesn’t just bury its secrets, it convinces you they never existed in the first place.

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The matriarch's manipulations (S1E1 & S1E2)

"You look at Archie and saw an old mate. I saw a liar, a leach, and a liability."

Played by Helen Mirren, Maeve Harrigan is not just the matriarch, she is the conniving Queen of the underworld. As both psychologically manipulative and the most dangerous mind in the room, Maeve doesn’t lift a gun because she doesn’t need to.

With her sharp tongue and her lethal mind, she moves people at her will like pieces on a chessboard. In a scene that has been hailed as one of the season’s most psychologically intense moments comes at the climax of the pilot episode itself.

Maeve manipulates her husband Conrad into turning on his lifelong friend, Archie. The camera lingers on her as she sips her wine, eyes calm, voice cold, she whispers,

“Did you know that Archie's been going behind your back with The Fire?”

And just like that, the seed of doubt is planted so deep that the ever-volatile Conrad soon becomes enraged by the mere thought of betrayal.

What makes this scene so eerie is its Shakespearean undertone, which is no surprise, since Mirren herself described Maeve as

“a blend of Phaedra and Lady Macbeth” in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Her presence is theatrical, but rooted in a quiet realism, infecting everyone with her subtle and chaotic malice. "Stick or twist, baby, stick or twist," in an anxiety-riddled scene, Maeve pushes Conrad to make a fatal decision, culminating in him shooting Archie point-blank in front of his entire family.

However, what Maeve does to Conrad is even more chilling. She weaponizes his loyalty, forcing him to choose between his past and his inheritance. She doesn’t just control the family’s operations; she controls their hearts and minds. As is also seen in her strange and deeply impactful relationship and strong influence on her grandson, Eddie.

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The funeral face-off (S1E5)

Tommy Stevenson’s funeral was never going to be peaceful. Not with whispers that the Harrigans were behind the hit, and definitely not with Maeve and Eddie showing up dressed in black but reeking of provocation.

Not only that, suspecting that Richie Stevenson doesn't believe Valjon was responsible for his son's murder, the Harrigans smuggle guns into the funeral. The tension begins with side glances and ends with open threats. Maeve arrives as extravagant as ever, and her less-than-sombre demeanor matches her venom.

Eddie, matches his grandmother's energy, almost half-itching for a fight, he brushes shoulders or should we say very inappropriately leans in to kiss Vron Stevenson's cheek, who is reeling and heart-broken at the death of her son and is rightfully upset as at this point pretty much everyone secretly knows that Eddie is the real culprit behind Tommy's murder.

The tension between the Harrigans and the Stevensons reaches a boiling point in the aftermath of the funeral ceremony. Maeve and Vron butt heads so much that a war seems inevitable. Richie confesses he knew there was the Harrigans' hand in his son's death; however is disinclined to start a war and wants to be sensible.

The chilling trade comes when Richie, talking to Maeve, asks for Eddie to be “fair game.” She bursts enraged and the next day has Vron killed, starting the war between the two crime families. This scene exemplifies the delicate balance of power and the ever-present threat of violence.

It is a masterclass in MobLand’s exploration of power dynamics and shows how grief is just another weapon, and how diplomacy can collapse with a single bullet. The underworld isn’t just violent, it’s strategic bloodlust. And no one plays that game better than the Harrigans.

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The betrayal in Antwerp (S1E6-E7)

"My father's house has many rooms. If that were not so, would I say that I'm going there to prepare a place for you? And if I prepare a place for you, I will come back, and I will take you there with me. So you may also be where I am."

Richie Stevenson, played by the incredible Geoff Bell, delivers this bone-chilling line back in MobLand's episode 5, 'Funeral for a Friend,' as he stares off Conrad Harrigan (Pierce Brosnan) while giving his final speech for his deceased son Tommy.

His not-so-veiled threat comes into fruition as a diamond deal goes south in Antwerp, spiralling into one of the series’ most complex and harrowing arcs.

Brendan (Daniel Betts) and Seraphina Harrigan (Mandeep Dhillon) are kidnapped during negotiations, caught in a brutal trap, surrounded by Richie Stevenson and the Mexican cartel, on the tip-off provided to them oh-so ruthlessly by their own mother and step-mother, Maeve.

In a shocking reveal, it’s discovered that Maeve tipped off Richie about the pair’s location, making a deal with him to let Brendan (her biological son) go, and Seraphina would become a recompense for the losses Richie has endured. A brutal ploy just to get her way, but that's Maeve.

However, Richie goes against her and breaks the terms, taking both siblings. In a dungeon-like warehouse, Jaime López, the Mexican Cartel leader, prepares the torture. Richie calls the Harrigans, live-streaming Brendan and Seraphina’s agony. Harry, normally unshakeable, falters, calling Donnie (Alex Fine), who connects him to Kat, a mysterious underworld broker with internationally deep-rooted cartel ties.

She manages to get through to Jaime, but not fast enough. Brendan is executed on the livestream, and Seraphina is spared by the skin of her teeth. This is the underworld without glamour. No clever quips. Just blood and betrayal. Maeve’s manipulation didn't just shatter her family; it tore the fabric of loyalty and ripped apart the power the Harrigans held for so long.

This gruesome sequence underscores the complex web of alliances and betrayals that define the underworld, where trust is scarce, and the stakes are life and death.

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Cartel connections in MobLand (S1E7-E8)

Power, in MobLand, is rarely loud. It is whispered in foreign tongues, exchanged in dimly lit rooms, and, occasionally, it descends like a guillotine. In Episodes 7 and 8, the narrative takes a chilling turn with the introduction of Kat McAllister, portrayed by the formidable Janet McTeer.

With the poise of a diplomat and the chill of a silent killer, Kat doesn’t ask. She commands. Kat's emergence is not just a plot twist in MobLand, but a plot arc that provides the audience with the revelation that the international crime web is deeper and far-reaching than the cobbled streets of London.

When Seraphina (Mandeep Dhillon) and Brendan Harrigan (Daniel Betts) are abducted and held by the Mexican cartel under Jaime López (Jordi Mollà), their fate seems sealed.

However, a single phone call from Kat halts the execution, illustrating her unparalleled influence in the world of organized crime. Her intervention doesn't just save Seraphina; it exposes the Harrigans' entanglement in a global network of crime syndicates.

That moment, when a cartel boss from Mexico bows to the will of a British fixer, underscores a reality MobLand is eager to confront: that crime doesn't stop at borders. The underworld is globalized. Kat's ability to override Jaime's orders signifies a hierarchy where traditional power structures become obsolete.

Kat’s presence reveals that the Harrigans, once kings of East London’s rackets, are but a cog in a sprawling, multinational machinery of corruption. The message is crystal clear. The real power lies with those yet to reveal their hand.

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It's a mole town! (S1E4 & S1E8)

If Season 1 of MobLand had a subtitle, it would be Trust No One. The entire premise of the show, MobLand, delves deep into the theme of infiltration, revealing a world where trust is a luxury few can afford. Nowhere is this paranoia more palpable than in Episodes 4 and 8, where everyone, it seems, has a wire under their collar or a knife behind their back.

Alice (Emily Barber), who befriends Jan Da Souza (Joanne Froggatt) in therapy, is unveiled as a police informant. Their relationship, built on shared vulnerabilities, becomes a conduit for law enforcement's ploy to gain access to the Harrigan family secrets. The discovery of Archie's body further intensifies suspicions, suggesting a mole within the family's inner circle.

In episode 8, as the scale slowly tips towards Richie, the former Deputy Chief Inspector Colin Tattersall (Toby Jones) advises DS Fisk and DC Mukasa to ally with Conrad Harrigan's rival, the Stevensons, to dismantle the Harrigans. However, this strategy backfires catastrophically for Scotland Yard when Tattersall is revealed to be in league with Richie.

Collin arranges for the officers to meet with Stevenson, and amidst their discussion, Richie asks Fisk, who owns whom in their proposed "pooling of resources", which incites Mukasa's unshaken response that Richie would never own the police. Bang! Richie, asserting his dominance, executes both officers, with his ending words being spine-tingling,

"No one...no one...owns Richie Stevenson."

This sequence of events underscores the omnipresence of betrayal and the futility of conventional law enforcement methods in a world where allegiances are fluid and often deadly.

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The patriarch's decline (S1E6-E8)

In the series' latter episodes, the once-formidable Conrad Harrigan grapples with the disintegration of his authority. Once feared for his quiet ruthlessness and sharp suits, Conrad begins to unravel as the empire he built with blood and fear starts to rot from the inside.

Internal family strife, coupled with external pressures, slowly but surely erodes his control. The signs are everywhere, as his wife, Maeve, subtly orchestrates power plays behind his back. Whispering suggestions into the ears of sons and soldiers alike, and destabilizing the loyalty that once made Conrad untouchable.

Kevin's (Paddy Considine) trauma resurfaces, and he unravels, spiralling into his own grief, and his son, Eddie's, recklessness threatens the family's stability.

Conrad's decision to claim responsibility for Vron's murder, a move intended to consolidate power, instead accelerates his downfall. His inability to foresee Maeve's betrayal or control his family's actions reflects a leader outpaced by the evolving dynamics of power.

The empire isn’t falling. It’s evolving. The Harrigan patriarch may be nearing his end, but the business? That’s eternal. As MobLand progresses, Conrad's isolation becomes palpable, symbolizing the inevitable decline of even the most entrenched patriarchs in the face of shifting allegiances and new emerging power players.