Warning: This post contains spoilers for MobLand Episode 1
From the bowels of the London underworld swarms up the gangs, fixers, murderers, and innocent bystanders ofMobLand, the new series from Paramount+ starring a stalwart core including Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and Paddy Considine. An American production that has the soul ofclassic British crime dramas,MobLandmuscles past a pilot that treads water with its goofy sense of humor and a motivated ensemble.
MobLandfollows the Harrigan crime family, a group of London gun runners and drug pushers. They’re rich enough to live in rolling estates and modern apartments that overlook the London Eye, but are not powerful enough that they can afford for the police to get wind of their involvement in a late-night stabbing between two club-goers. The Harrigans are called complacent, or even arrogant, andit does seem they’re the biggest of the bullies, but inMobLand, the bullies don’t seem so tough.
Tom Hardy Leads An Excellent Ensemble
Everyone Has A Story In MobLand Episode 1
WhileMobLandfeels like a true ensemble with multiple stories running parallel, fixer Harry Da Souza (Hardy) is the focal point in episode 1, “Stick or Twist”. Trusted with matters of the utmost importance, Harry feels like a member of the family, with patriarch Conrad “Governor” Harrigan (Brosnan) referring to him as “my son” from the get-go. Of course, he does so while asking Harry to coldly murder a room of rival gangsters who are hoping the Harrigans can act as a mediator in their brushfire war. The Governor’s solution is to kill everyone.
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It’s a simple answer and Conrad’s go-to, it seems, in most of his business dealings. That’s Harry’s role. He does Conrad’s dirty work, though the Governor is not afraid to blood his own hands. As important as he is, Harry’s not family.The other Harrigans consist of a handful of scions, but most important of the relations are Conrad’s son, Kevin (Paddy Considine), Conrad’s public number two; his wife, Maeve (Mirren), his private number two, who decides on the fate of at least two people in the pilot; and Kevin’s rebellious son, Eddie (Anson Boon).
MobLand Is Funny, Mundane & Violent In Equal Measure
Season 1’s Main Plot Is Still Unclear In MobLand Episode 1
By rebellious, I don’t mean Eddie is against the criminal lifestyle. If anything, he’s as dangerous as any Harrigan since his grandfather. His sin is far worse — he’s fraternizing with the son of Richie Stevenson (Geoff Bell), the head of the only gang the Harrigans seem to consider a minor threat.After a night of partying, Tommy Stevenson (Felix Edwards) goes missing, and Harry and the Harrigans are given a day to find himor Richie is starting a war.
That might not be enough of a hook on its face, butMobLandwisely fills up the rest of its hour runtime with some surprisingly funny scenes, most thanks to Hardy’s beleaguered performance.
With Eddie mum on the subject, Harry sets off on the only real plot thread to come out of episode 1. Whether it will be season 1’s arc or the first domino of many remains to be seen. That might not be enough of a hook on its face, butMobLandwisely fills up the rest of its hour’s runtime with some surprisingly funny scenes,most thanks to Hardy’s beleaguered performance.As you might expect, Hardy is hard to look away from. Whether he’s running lines with a stabbing victim or arguing with his wife about going to therapy, Harry’s humanity shines through.
This isn’t a world beholden to gangsters, this is one where underground crime operates where it says: underground. Characters are called away from playing soccer with their kids to train a rifle on a mob boss. They wait for their daughters to finish preparing for a philosophy exam before they take a phone call about a sit-down. They go fishing and sulk over one measly trout for their day’s work. These aren’t supergeniuses, and the stakes aren’t out of this world. Far from feeling slight,MobLandfeels real, and episode 1 deftly balances the fun and the violence.
MobLandreleases new episodes weekly each Monday on Paramount+.
MobLand Season 1, Episode 1
MobLand is a crime drama set in London, releasing on June 26, 2025. It depicts the brutal conflict between the Harrigans and Stevensons, two rival crime families. Amidst the chaos, Harry Da Souza, a cunning fixer, navigates the treacherous landscape where loyalty and survival are paramount.
