MobLand (1×08) Helter Skelter Review

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

As the walls closed in on the Harrigans, at least they got Seraphina back thanks to Harry’s deal with Kat McAllister. When it comes to McAllister, she was far from an unknown commodity as far as everyone else was concerned, nor was her reputation to the point of having to owe her a favor would be a dangerous proposition. Harry revealed that she had offered him a job years prior but refused out of loyalty to Conrad and the Harrigans. What he did in getting Seraphina back left him in Conrad’s debt. Seeing him as a son to make up for the one he just lost, he seemed to give him the go-ahead if he ever were to have lost his touch. Meanwhile, recounting her experience, Seraphina was free from blame for her excursion while Maeve laid it on strong to try to publicly deflect from her previous mixed feelings about her.

Going back to the Kat McAllister well once again to get her to broker a deal with the Mexicans to get into the fentanyl business, this was yet another dicey proposition from Conrad as it was revealed that someone in the Harrigan family was already participating. Learning about Eddie’s relationship with Gina, Harry was sure to give the latter the talk. But from Gina’s perspective, it makes sense and very little was going to stop them. Additionally, Conrad, learning about Jan’s relationship with Alice looked to set up a trap.

On the police side, to help Fisk and Mukaska, former Deputy Chief Inspector Colin Tattersall (Toby Jones), now a freelance consultant, was brought in to offer his experience and insight to the matter of the Harrigans and the Stevensons. As an old school versus new school conflict ensued, Tattersall let the other inspectors lead the way but he appeared to have plans of his own. Setting up Alice for dinner with the Harrigans and then setting up a meeting with Richie Stevenson, for whom Tattersall had a past relationship with, Fisk and Mukaska fumbled the negotiating around their particular relationship as it related to taking down the Harrigans, specifically who would be working for who. For their trouble, they were eliminated by Richie.

Ultimately, it would be Tattersall who would broker the agreement, one that saw the police working for him instead of the other way around. An arrangement that he was not unfamiliar with, this may set a dangerous precedent for what may be to come. Boasting decades of experience in breaking up crime families, perhaps that meant having to do some unsavory things to get the job done and that will undoubtedly have viewers questioning which side is he really on.

Plus, now owing Kat two favors, who knows what she will have Harry do? With he and Kevin coming to terms that Conrad was losing his grip on power and that Maeve was the one who was truly in charge, something that will not end well for anyone, they vowed to take the power back but will they? Only time will tell. In what has been a series of smaller moves waged against one another, it is about time that one side strikes with the kind of impact that will force some real change. With only two episodes left, they will certainly be treacherous.

Score: 78/100

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.