MobLand (1×04) Rat Trap Review

For our review of the last episode of MobLand, click here.

Using now the first three episodes to set up a story about two rivaling London crime families and then lighting the match as the threat of war loomed just over the horizon. As the season approaches its middle stages, merely buying time until the real hostilities truly begin, it looks to fill the space between the discovery of Tommy Stevenson’s chopped up body and the inevitable ramifications that will come from it. Fleshing out the characters, and untangling the complicated dynamics between them, has been a decently fulfilling journey but it begs the question, how can it keep it up until the end of the season? Who really knows? As the skeletons in their respective closets start to emerge, and the police being hot on their tail, maybe it won’t come to what viewers have perhaps may expect.

At the end of the last episode, Harry promised to help Bella with her troubles with Antoine (Grégoire Colin) and this latest episodes picks up from there. Using his particular set of skills, he got what was he looking for, being a potentially compromising memory card. Seemingly getting him off her back, but also killing he and Bella’s deal in the process, Harry also proved that he is unflappable when it comes to his loyalty. Back at home, his marriage still held some tension, but he tried to do his best to maintain the line between the personal and the professional. Absent for therapy, Jan was very self-aware of Harry’s relationship with Kevin and by association, the Harrigan family. Meanwhile, Harry and Kevin sat on pins and needles, awaiting the outcome of their plan and the fate of Valjon (Peter Ferdinando). Diving deeper into their backstory, flashbacks honed in on time they spend together as juvenile offenders and the abuse inflicted on them.

The discovery of Archie’s body left the Harrigans reeling. The only people who knew about where he was buried were only Conrad and Harry, so their focus shifted to the latter. Conrad was well aware of Harry and Jan’s marital issues and out of concern for the former, he had a vested interest in mending their relationship. Showing up unexpectedly to their home, revelations that painted him in a different light added yet another dimension to their encounter but in spite of this, Jan remained strong. Now whether or not she shows her husband the same transparency remains to be seen.

Always the puppetmaster, Maeve made it clear to Eddie what she felt about her husband and their family, as well as the direction it was going, compared to the Stevensons. Proud of her grandson and what he did, she had a different plan moving forward and he would appear to play a big part of it.

In the end, when it came to Richie Stevenson, in his eyes, the final test for Harry was to kill Valjon, which he did without hesitation. However, the biggest revelation, and one that can make the next episode a bit awkward to say the least, is that Richie requested that the Harrigans attend Tommy Stevenson’s funeral. Either way, it is not going to end well.

Score: 72/100

*still courtesy of Paramount+*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.