Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for MobLand.
Mafia television is back in fashion. WithPierce Brosnanheading the Harrigan family as Conrad, andTom Hardyas their right-hand man, Harry Da Souza,MobLandshines with incredible performances. Its supporting cast is unbelievably good, plus littered with women. It’s rare for a show about crime life to step so far outside typical male archetypes, butMobLandwrites about women with specificity and complexity. Where even prestige crime shows likeThe Sopranossee women largely confined by gender roles,MobLandallows them to be as ambitious, conflicted, and fallible as the surrounding men.
Helen Mirren’s Maeve Is Manic With Ambition in ‘MobLand’
Helen Mirren’s unhinged portrayal of Maeve Harrigan would giveLady MacbethandCersei Lannisternightmares. Every escalation in the rivalry between the Harrigans and the London-based Stevensons is in her hands. Eddie (Anson Boon), the heir-apparent to the Harrigan family, is Maeve’s grandson, whom she favors; whenMaeve encourages Eddie to fatally stab his equal in the Stevenson family, Tommy (Felix Edwards), his death and subsequent dismemberment devastate his father and crime lord, Richie (Geoff Bell).
Living vicariously through Eddie — and using him as her preferred weapon — is only the start of Maeve’s meddling. Part-humiliation ritual, part-olive branch, the Harrigans go topoor Tommy’s funeral and console Richie, per her request. There, Maeve is both drunk and passive-aggressive, as well as looking for a fight. When she gets one, from the much younger Stevenson matriarch, Vron (Annie Cooper), the mask of heady recklessness drops.Maeve is revealed to be deeply insecure about her ageand position in the family. She handles it by planting a bomb in Vron’s car, killing her the next day.
Naturally, this escalates things further between the Harrigans and Stevensons, but Maeve thrives on the chaos and the bloodshed. Overplaying her hand, she contacts Richie to let him know that her son, Brendan (Daniel Betts), andConrad’s daughter through an affair, Seraphina (Mandeep Dhillon), are doing a deal in Antwerp. The more Maeve gets away with, the higher she is on her own supply. This isn’t 4D chess. There’s no cool, cunning behind Maeve’s actions. She gets Brendan killed, but Seraphina survives, the opposite outcome of her original hope that her husband’s love child would end up on the chopping block. Maeve is arguably bad at this, butit’s a delight to watch her lose her grasp on the situation. If she’s this out of control and risk-prone when times are good,what will she become when things get tough?
“I Don’t Think She Cared”: ‘MobLand’s Helen Mirren on Maeve’s Reaction to That Chainsaw Shocker
‘MobLand’ Episode 7 wrapped things up on a bloody note.
As for Seraphina, she not only threatens Maeve as a living consequence of one of Conrad’s many affairs, butshe’s also the competent and calculating heir that none of her brothers or her nephew can be. Whereas Brendan scrambles for Conrad’s love, Seraphina has it; where Maeve pushes Eddie to earn the criminal underbelly’s respect, Seraphina has that, too. Through the sale and trade of diamonds, Seraphina has taken the acclaim that being a Harrigan gives her and expanded her contacts. The financial profit and international ties are obvious, but diamonds are historically great cover for money laundering, and crucial to the illicit dealings of a crime family.
But Seraphina isn’t a cliché of the cold, practical businesswoman. As much as she gives her brothers a hard time, she only takes the deal in Antwerp to help Brendan. She’s also easily persuaded to take on a bit of a challenge in the process. It’s the one trait she seems to have inherited from her father. WhenConradspeaks of his glory days,the command and competence he reminisces about are best seen in Seraphina. It’s certainly not visible in Brendan or the easily manipulated Eddie. It’s not even visible in Kevin, who seems like he could take or leave the lifestyle entirely.
Wives Are More Than a Plot Device on ‘MobLand’
While there are still expectations around homemaking and motherhood,MobLandtakes no shots at women who choose another path, try to do it all, or find themselves isolated and miserable in domesticity.Harry’s wife, Jan (Joanne Froggatt), functions almost as a redemption for so many poorly written mob wives. A homemaker and mother to their daughter, Gina (Teddie Allen), Jan isn’t painted as a nag.She’s fully in the mix of the Harrington’s mess, finding herself coddled, disrespected, and even subtly threatened by Conrad for going to a therapist. Grounding the domestic strife from Jan’s perspective offers a clear picture of the isolation she feels in her marriage and her by-proxy in-laws.
Jan is as self-aware as she is exhausted. With the help of her therapist, she identifies as demisexual – meaning she only feels attraction from a strong emotional bond – and knows that her growing disinterest in Harry is becausehis dedication to Conradalways outweighs his dedication to her.Without making Harry violenttowards his wife and child,MobLandexplores how neglectful he is as a partner by the nature of his position. So while it’s somewhat foolish for Jan to open up to a new friend she’s known for a very short time, Alice (Emily Barber), it’s clear that she’s being exploited through little fault of her own.
Married into the Harrigans more directly, Kevin’s wife Bella (Lara Pulver) seems to havea romantic past with Harry, causing additional tension for Jan. Largely absent as a wife and mother, she is Jan’s foil, and her motivations and past are still unclear save for a rather complicated introduction to the family as a wholeas Conrad’s mistress. WhatMobLandmakes clear is thatBella is a force entirely on her own. With an implied powerful family lineage and an ongoing deal involving government favors, Bella seems interested in grabbing more power — and taking more risks — than Kevin. Given Jan’s situation, it’s hard to blame her for wanting to make her name away from the Harrigans. She’s putting herself in danger, but as Conrad and Maeve continue to melt down, risk is unavoidable.
With only a few episodes remaining inits first season, it’s clear thatMobLandhas many stories left to tell, and even more women to help tell them. Harry and Jan’s daughter, Gina, is both academically gifted and blessed with her father’s perception and instincts. Her time in the Cotswolds with the Harrigans has opened her up to new dynamics withConradand Eddie. To save Seraphina’s life, Harry calls in a favor from Kat McAllister (Janet McTeer), who is evidently powerful enough to stop the cartel, and she didn’t hesitate to tell Harry he owes her. All the way down to supporting characters like Harrigan family attorney O’Hara (Lisa Dwan) and Harry’s right-hand, Zosia (Jasmine Jobson),MobLandhas plenty of opportunities to make us love these women — or hate them — beyond the wonderfully wide scope we already have.
