MobLand Series Recap & Review - Episode 104: Rat Trap

“Blood makes you related, but it’s loyalty that makes you family.” - L.A. Cotton

Guy Ritchie has a very unique style but it’s undeniably entertaining. He creates electric dialogue, morally ambiguous characters and seems to really thrive in seedy underworlds where violence is as much of a currency as cash and in that sense his characters are always either rich or hopelessly poor and trying to remedy it through questionable means. These characters can range from drug addicts to bare knuckle brawlers to a member of an English crime syndicate.

Much in the same way American mafia stories explore themes of loyalty and betrayal and the consequences of violating these unwritten rules, a UK crime story such as MobLand addresses these same concepts, just with more worldly accents.

*I will post a recap and small review of each episode just like this every Sunday on release day. At the end of the season I will post a full review of the entire season. If spoilers are ever used, I will make sure it is obvious ahead of time to avoid any mishaps. Until the season ends, I can promise zero spoilers for the time being.*

MobLand is on Paramount +, new episodes, Sundays at 9pm PT

Starring: Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Hellen Mirren, Mandeep Dhillon

Episode 104 - Rat Trap

It is now a waiting game. What will Richie do?

After leaving Richie’s place, Harry, Kevin and the rest of the Harrigan clan wait for Richie’s word on whether he’s accepting the story of who killed (blank). If he buys it, crisis averted… maybe. If he doesn’t, as Harry puts it, “Then it’s all bets are off isn’t it?”

As everyone languishes in limbo, Harry’s wife Jan is beginning to wonder where Harry’s loyalties lie, with his first family, the adoptive Harrigans or with her and their daughter. Disappearing for days isn’t helping his case much.

Maeve continues to plant theories in Conrad’s mind that maybe Harry isn’t the loyal soldier he’s perceived to be as news reaches them that (blank’s) body has been discovered almost immediately after its secretive disposal. In a move I believe to possibly be protective, Conrad pays an impromptu visit to Jan. He presses her for information on what Harry has been up to and who she may have been talking to that could compromise their safety and current freedom. He is rather invasive during their double-talk. It’s a stark reminder that Maeve may be unhinged but he is no angel. You can see the criminal in him that most likely first attracted Maeve to Conrad. Also learning of what Conrad did to Bella when she was younger is disconcerting at best.

Uneasy, Harry picks up on Jan’s discomfort and coaxes out of her that Conrad just visited and this immediately worries Harry. He understands it to mean the Harrigans are doubting him or are worried about what she has been told or may tell others.

By the end of the night, Harry returns to Richie’s to learn what the future holds for both families. Unexpectedly Richie asks one last thing of Harry to prove his story is legitimate and it’s brutal.

Out of 10

Story: 8.5/ Acting: 8/ Directing: 8/ Visuals: 9

OVERALL: 9/10

Overall thoughts on Episode 104: Rat Trap -

Even if things magically smooth out between Richie and the Harrigans, there’s enough internal turmoil to make me think things are far from being over. Conrad seems more puppet than puppeteer as each new episode showcases Maeve’s tendencies toward wild, half-cocked theories and a serious propensity for violence. I believe Harry has carried on blindly loyal to the Harrigans up until the very moment he learned of Conrad’s inappropriate visit to his wife, Jan. I’m not sure how this will play out.

And at some point it may come down to keeping Harry on or leaning toward a more Eddie centric future which isn’t good for Harry. At the moment that’s just a feeling. I don’t see a future where Eddie has any kind of control and Harry is content and safe. I fear his loyalties will be forgotten when Conrad perishes, whenever that may be. It seems like so much history is beginning to rear its ugly little head and things are feeling more uncertain than ever. Plan B also makes me very nervous about needless escalation brought to you by none other than Maeve. Of course.

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