MobLand Episode 8 Recap: The biggest Harrigan secret is almost revealed

MobLand Episode 8 sees the aftermath of the loss of Brendan and the push to get into the fentanyl game. Behind the shadows, greater powers are trying their best to take down the Harrigan crime family when Conrad is losing his touch. Seraphina rests at home after her traumatic events and Kevin Harrigan is dealing with trauma of his own. So much is happening at the Cotswolds. Who will come out on top? 

Brendan Rory Francis Ciaran Harrigan

After the mess in Antwerp, Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and Maeve (Helen Mirren) take some time together to deal with their loss and reminisce over a fire a fireside chat. Conrad had such high hopes for Brendan (Daniel Betts). Brendan, the Navigator, as he was called. They reflect on the night he was born and the joy it brought to their lives in that moment. So much has changed since that fateful evening, but they embark on a moment of embrace after loss.

Speaking of embracing the Mexicans, drive Seraphina(Mandeep Dhillon) down to Harry(Tom Hardy). All she can do is wrap her arms around him. I do like the sibling type of relationship Harry has with most of the Harrigan family. It’s most likely why he feels so loyal to the family. As Seraphina returns home, Maeve stares down at her from a superior window. I love this part of filming where a scene represents more than the physical nature. 

The Calm Before The Storm

What happened next truly scares me. My guess going into this was that Maeve would put the hammer down on Seraphina. Maeve is the type of person who would take out her faults on someone else. And she hates Seraphina, why wouldn’t she? In a twist, she doesn’t do that. She’s eerily calm and downright sympathetic to her trauma. Maeve holds no blame or spiteful will towards her stepdaughter. I can only predict it’s the calm before the storm. During this war with Richie Stevenson(Geoff Bell), if she has the chance to cut Seraphina’s feet out from under her, you can bet she will take it.

How Do You Know Kat McAllister?

Conrad Harrigan is highly inquisitive about Kat McAllister (Janet McTeer). Harry has no choice but to admit he was confronted by a third-party member and offered a job to work for Kat. Of course, he couldn’t take it, even if he didn’t have loyalty, and even if he gave up on the broken crime family he’d be murdered for what he knew. It’s not even personal, it’s the way things are in the life of a syndicate crime family. If you’re not family, you are disposable.

As far as the patriarch of the family is concerned, he gained a son the night he lost one. The man may not be happy with his fixer receiving job opportunities. The fact he’s getting them only reveals one thing: he’s losing his touch. Everyone with power is seeing Conrad slip from the throne. Regardless, Harry put his neck on the line to save his daughter. If that doesn’t prove his loyalty, nothing else will. 

Mr. Tattersall (Toby Jones) meets DC Mukasa (Gemma Knight Jones) and Detective Fisk(Luke Mably) to go over a game plan on how to take the Harrigan family down. Tattersall spent more than 30 years in serious and organized crime takedowns. He’s not there to take the lead, but there to give pointers when needed. There’s something very peculiar about this man. I wouldn’t be so quick to trust, however, in desperate times and all.

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend

Conrad issues a meeting with Jamie Lopez (Jordi Mollà) to get in on the fentanyl game. It remains a mystery what kind of favor Kat is going to cash in on. And it’s entirely possible Kat could be behind the entire takedown of the Harrigan family just to get Harry under her wing. McAllister may not be the smartest enemy to have, but she’s a good temporary ally for Harry Da Souza.

Maeve isn’t the only character letting someone off the hook. When Harry finds out Eddie(Anson Boon) is shagging his daughter he visits him. Instead of fists flying and threats made, he, too, is eerily calm. It’s a tactic that makes the future of the crime syndicate uneasy.

Harry is an outsider in the family, no matter how much praise Conrad gives him. He knows he can’t bash the little prick’s face in, and Eddie knows he can say whatever he wants without much accountability. He tests Harry to see the extent he can take him. Harry even goes as far as to give his blessing if he treats Gina (Teddie Allen) with kindness and respect.

He vows to stay by his side step by step as he ascends the throne. And one day, when he’s ready, he’s going to push him off. It gives him a warning while still being able to issue a threat. There are a lot of similarities between Harry and Maeve. Though I’m sure if you told Harry that he would punch you in the face without warning. However, they are each quite meticulous about how they make their moves. It’s always about seeing the bigger picture.

Colin Tallersall advises the detective team that the best way to take down the Harrigans is not to infiltrate but to make friends with the enemy. He instructs them to offer Richie Stevenson an immunity deal in exchange for the information to put the Harrigans behind bars.

Conrad still has some kind of elite power over both Jan(Joanne Froggatt) and Bella(Lara Pulver). There is a more in-depth backstory here that I doubt we will get to in season 1. The series can be frustrating with all the mysteries with twists and turns. I genuinely hope some of these unanswered questions will be shown before the finale’s end, or fans may grow too frustrated by season 2(if there is one).

“Don’t forget who you belong to, ever.”

The hold Conrad has on Bella is immense. Whatever it is. He urges her to talk to Kevin(Paddy Considine) and lift his spirits. He’s out of sorts, and none of them know why. For Conrad, it’s more of an order. He’s lost one son and can’t have his other slipping away. I don’t think it’s out of concern, it strikes me as more to keep soldiers in line and ready to fight. P.S. Maeve does overhear this conversation. You can tell she isn’t keen on their closeness. In Bella’s defense, it’s one-sided.

Another Harrigan Heir?

Just what the world needs, another Harrigan? Or is he already there? After giving Seraphina a sleeping pill, she mumbled that she was Conrad’s number one. It lit a fire under Maeve, but Kevin, the good son, assured her it was a joke between her and their dad. And that she has no interest in making a power play. Still, Maeve doesn’t release the anger and threatens Kevin that only he or his brother would be the heir to the throne. And she didn’t mean Brendan. Kevin is not happy at all with the remark and calls her a f*cking bitch.

This is where you pay attention to filming. After Kevin utters those words, Eddie walks across the room. Could Conrad be the father of Bella’s child and not Kevin? This would explain Kevin’s anger and why Conrad has such a vice grip on Bella. If that’s the case, I don’t think Eddie has a single idea. It could also be why Maeve doesn’t take much issue with using the boy.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Harry meets with Freddie (Bradley Turner), wanting to know everything about the fentanyl. Freddie claims to be getting out of the mob but then jumps at the chance to take his former boss down. Harry does get the fentanyl information he needs, along with finding out who the rat is. By then, Harry couldn’t allow Freddie to carry on with the information he had. Freddie could have become an asset but the risk of liability was too strong. 

Fisk and DC Mukasa meet with Richie Stevenson to lay out the law, so to speak. Tallersall is in the background somewhere. They put the offer on the table, but anyone can see Richie Stevenson is no rat. Nor is he about to be owned by any crime fighters. Fisk and Mukasa were made to be set up by Tallersall and were both murdered by Richie. The relationship between the two is quite an interesting one. He put Richie behind bars for decades, so what’s in it for him? One can assume he has crossed the Harrigans before, and it didn’t go so well. Much more will be learned in the penultimate episode next week!

What we have learned

• Gina sees traits of her father in Eddie.
• Tallersall put Richie away not once by twice. He put him away for a total of 25 years.
• Eddie is apprehensive about Gina after the talk with Harry, but it takes no time for them to get back in the sheets.
• Conrad orders Jan to call her friend Alice and invites her for dinner. He is very adamant about it. Conrad is either on to her, or it’s what’s in his pants that’s doing the talking.
• Conrad persists in having a strong hold over Bella. One Maeve doesn’t like.
• Maeve is freaking out about Seraphina mumbling in her sleep that she is Conra’d number one. She believes Seraphina is making a play to be the heir.
• Kevin hates the private talks between Bella and his father. She never has anything to report back, so there may be some unimaginable secrets over the years.
• There is another Harrigan brother besides Brendan and Kevin.
• Harry kills Freddie to keep the information about the Harrigan rat confined.
• Kevin is about to seek his revenge for his past trauma.
• Harry takes a conference call with Kat McAllister and asks her for another favor. A sit-down with Jamie Lopez to get in on this fentanyl business.
• Now it’s not one by two favors Harry owes Kat. She was not interested in cashing in any favors for Conrad.
• Richie murders the detectives who are after the Harrigan family.

You can catch brand-new episodes of MobLand every Sunday on Paramount Plus.

FOLLOW LORETTE ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER & BLUESKY

About the author: Shay has been writing as a journalist professionally for years. Her most common topics to cover are drama and horror but she looks forward to getting her feet wet with new and exciting genres and projects. @ShaySleighs