Warning: Major spoilers ahead for episode 1 of MobLand
The first episode of Paramount+’s new crime dramaMobLandended with a shocking public murder that set the stage for the rest of the series. The series from executive producer Guy Ritchie follows the exploits of theHarrigan crime family, the leaders of a criminal organization that moves guns and drugs across modern-day London. Over the course of thefirst episode ofMobLand, each of the family members is introduced along with their close circle of associates, including Alex Jennings' Archie, a close childhood friend of the Harrigan patriarch and active member of the organization.
Archie is shown to be a confidant of the sometimes erratic Conrad Harrigan (played by Pierce Brosnan), given their friendship which goes back decades. Conrad even trusts Archie enough to send him to negotiate with a new partner in London, referred to as the Maltese, to take over a recently-vacated void in the organization’s drug trade. However, Archie doesn’t manage to make it out of the show’s first episode ofMobLand, and his death comes at the hands of his childhood friend.
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At the family meeting at the end of episode 1, Conrad winds up shooting Archie in the chest in plain view of his entire family after confronting him as a traitor.He suspects that Archie is secretly associated with Richie Stevenson, the Harrigan family’s primary rival in the London drug scene. While the Harrigans control the heroin trade, the Stevensons manage the sale of fentanyl out of their territory in the southern part of London. Suspicions that Archie may have Richie’s best interests at heart are first raised by Conrad’s wife Maeve, and are subsequently confirmed.
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“Stick and Twist”
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“The Beast In Me”
Sunday, June 1st
Maeve told Conrad that she believed Archie to be a traitor who was secretly working for the Stevensons, and as a result was attempting to manipulate Conrad away from any business that might harm the Stevensons. WhenArchie argues against the Harrigan family moving into the fentanyl trade, Maeve and Conrad’s suspicions are seemingly confirmed. Conrad wastes no time in taking care of what he believes to be a traitor, despite the suspect being one of his oldest and closest friends, and shoots Archie point-blank in the chest.
Maeve Acted Suspiciously When Archie First Arrived
While she didn’t reveal her suspicions to Conrad until the end of the episode,Maeve had a very peculiar run-in with Archie that, in retrospect, made it clear she was toying with himthanks to her belief that he was a traitor. When Archie first arrives at the Harrigan house to see Conrad, Maeve makes a grand show about being surprised to see Archie, as she believed he had died recently. Archie notes that it was in fact his brother who passed away recently, which she must be referring to, but her behavior was strikingly odd when they spoke one-on-one.
Alex Jennings, who plays Archie, starred opposite Helen Mirren as Prince Charles in the acclaimed 2006 docudramaThe Queen, which saw Mirren win an Academy Award for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II.
Conrad may never have suspected that Archie was a traitor if not for Maeve’s insistence, so it’s fair to wonder if she was correct at all. In fact, Archie seems downright shocked when Conrad confronts him, believing the gun in his chest to be a joke at first. It seems, at first glance, thatMaeve may have manipulated Conrad into killing Archie for her own benefit. Her actions are even more suspicious considering that she stayed Conrad’s hand when Harry and his associates had a rifle trained on Richie with the opportunity to kill him earlier in the episode.
He Angrily Snapped At Her
After leaving the living room where he had killed Archie, a clearly distraught Conrad attempts to go upstairs before Maeve touches his arm, seemingly in comfort.He snaps at her with a wild look in his eye, which is an odd reaction considering that she may have saved his organization by identifying a traitor. While it’s possible his reaction was simply due to the shock of killing a close friend, there seems to be more to it; that marked the second time that Maeve had influenced Conrad with his hand on the proverbial (or literal) trigger in the episode.
The first episode ofMobLandcertainly raises suspicions that it could be Maeve whose loyalty can not be trusted.
It’s clear that Conrad may not actually be the one in charge in the Harrigan crime organization. While he has the final say in most matters,Maeve has revealed herself to be a puppet master, who influenced his decisions in two “stick or twist” situations. It’s suspicious that both decisions she goaded Conrad into making seem to benefit the Stevenson gang, and it’s clear that the conflict in the Harrigan household will only worsen. While there is no proof yet, the first episode ofMobLandcertainly raises suspicions that it could be Maeve whose loyalty can not be trusted.
