It’s been days since I watched MobLand episode 5, “Maeve Strikes,” and I’m still reeling with surprise and excitement over its boldly impressive ending. The power plays in motion create tension so acute and thick, it’s suffocating. It’s delicious, and we can’t turn away. In this episode 5 recap, we see a Harrigan war council, Brendan (Daniel Betts) and Seraphina (Mandeep Dhillon) join forces, and the Harrigans attend funeral services for Tommy (Felix Edwards). While Richie (George Bell) and Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) come to an agreement, Maeve strikes out and shows us what happens when you disrespect the White Queen. Let's take a look at what happens in the Paramount+ series' latest episode.
Conrad calls a war council
In light of Richie’s request that the Harrigans attend his son’s funeral, Conrad calls a war council with Maeve, Kevin (Paddy Considine), Harry (Tom Hardy), and Eddie (Anson Boon), who explore Richie’s potential strategy and devise an exit plan, should it be necessary. Is Richie’s invitation just an opportunity to get them all under one roof so he can take them out? Harry doesn’t think so.
“If Richie wanted a war,” Harry notes, “he would’ve killed me when we met at Moody’s.”
Plus, the fact that Tommy’s funeral will be such a public display involving both press and police tells him the stage is set for theatrics, not a massacre. It’s a show of power from Richie, who wants Conrad to know that he knows something he isn’t supposed to and will use it to humiliate Conrad. If they go, they can’t walk into enemy territory unarmed and vulnerable, so they devise a plan: No getting sh*tfaced (everyone eyes Maeve and Eddie), and they need weapons. Translation: brazen power play.
Armed with the insurance he needs to ensure the Harrigan’s safety, Harry meets with Freddie (Bradley Turner), who works for the Stevensons. Word on the crime family grapevine is that he isn’t too happy with them. Knowing this, Harry wants him to hide a bag full of guns and grenades somewhere in the Stevenson house. Freddie says no, but his tune quickly changes after Harry produces evidence of him in bed with Richie’s wife, Vron (Annie Cooper). With that, Harry secures the exit strategy the Harrigans will need should an ambush happen.
Brendan and Seraphina join forces
Bothered by their exclusion from the war council, Brendan goes to see Seraphina with a business proposition. He shows her a large, uncut ruby from Mozambique, which should be impossible to get because there’s a monopoly on them.
Brendan says he has a contact with a contact who has a contact with 20 more uncut stones, all between 2 and 8 carats. He has a buyer and a seller. “It’s a wallet in the street. We just have to pick it up,” he says. Since she works in fine jewelry and knows the industry, he needs her to broker the deal.
Knowing he acquired the stone illegally, and that his proposition is illegal, Seraphina balks at his request for her help. He tries to change her mind: "We've both been insulted and left out in the cold” by the family. They have something to prove. This could be a whole new revenue stream that would produce millions for them to deliver to Conrad. Upon hearing that, Seraphina changes her mind: She’s in.
The funeral
The day of Tommy’s funeral is bleak, overcast and heavy in tone and atmosphere. In their limo, Maeve and Conrad look quite regal. She likes funerals, specifically "the pomp and security. It makes me feel like a First Lady,” she says as sips from her flask. Conrad reminds her to be nice and “lay off the lady petrol!”
In Kevin’s limo, he tries to make a plan with Bella (Lara Pulver) should things go south, who undermines him when she says if Harry assured safety, she trusts him. Naturally, Kevin interprets this as her trusting another man over him, and we can see his wheels turning, trying to put together what, exactly, is going on between the two.
In Harry’s limo, he and Jan (Joanne Froggat) ride in silence. Like Bella, she's also unhappy about attending the funeral of someone she didn't know, risking her life to do so.
Their arrival is full of tension and emotion as the Harrigans offer their condolences. While Richie is receptive, Vron is not, and she makes no effort to hold back her disgust with them, especially Maeve. Eddie is in full form with his displays of arrogance, even moving in to kiss Vron on the cheek, embarrassing the family. Harry tells him if he ever does anything like that again, “I will strangle you myself.” This is why I love Harry. He perhaps holds the most power in this story.
During the funeral, Richie gives the eulogy and stares Conrad down, sending a clear message: He’ll take him down in whatever manner is required. This only ups the tension felt during the wake at the Stevenson estate, where Harry locates the artillery and arms the Harrigans.
It's also where Maeve takes the opportunity to speak to Vron, who responds rudely, calls Maeve a c***, then humiliates her in front of everyone. “How in God’s name does Conrad f*** that?” she asks aloud before laughing. Maeve downs a glass of champagne and nods to Eddie, giving him the “go ahead” to start something. He tries by shoulder-checking a Stevenson security guard, but the situation is de-escalated, and Kevin roofies his own mother to prevent any further drama. Richie then requests to speak to Conrad alone.
You’ll be breathless in this moment as the crime lords lock eyes and talk it out without even blinking. Richie doesn’t want a war, and he knows who killed Tommy. He then glares at Harry: “You must think I’m an idiot to try to pass off a patsy to me.”
Though Richie knows the truth, he doesn’t want vengeance; he knows what he does and doesn’t have left, and he isn’t willing to risk it. He hates Conrad and wishes him and the Harrigan family “nothing but ill.” He also respects Conrad’s decision to honor his request and attend Tommy’s funeral, so, “There will be no war.” He continues, “But if I see Eddie out anywhere, in a pub, on a park bench, he’s fair game… but he gets to live, unlike my boy. Now do we have a deal?”
At home, Maeve awakens and knows she’s been roofied. She questions Conrad and they argue before she storms off, calling Paul (Emmett J Scanlan) on the way. While we don’t hear what it is, Maeve asks for a favor. The White Queen strikes the next morning when Vron's car explodes with the Stevenson matriarch inside.
Maeve's message is loud and clear: She will not and does not tolerate disrespect. She holds the power.
MobLand episode 5 review
This is my favorite so far! Do not mess with Maeve Harrigan: one of MobLand's best messages. I honestly thought we were going to have a funeral shoot-out, Sons of Anarchy style. I’m glad we didn’t, though, because the effort for calm and control thickened the tension so much that, at times, it was hard to breathe through the anticipation.
Episode 5 highlighted some bold power plays as our characters approach their breaking points, specifically Kevin and Eddie. Kevin is still struggling with memories of his past sexual abuse, and the fact that his wife and son don’t respect him at all (or even seem to notice he’s there) only makes things worse. Out of everyone in MobLand, I worry the most about Kevin.
Eddie also takes a spotlight in this episode. His pompous attitude and arrogance are on full display, and everyone has had enough of it. They all make him feel insignificant, except for Maeve, and we really start to see in this episode just how insignificant he feels except when she's around. I think it's why he acts the way he does: He's overcompensating for his own insecurity.
So, now that Richie knows the truth and an understanding between the families has been reached, what happens now that the queen has struck and cast a serious blow against their efforts at peace? Will Brendan’s jewel-smuggling proposition blow up in his face? Tune in next week for the aftermath of Maeve!
MobLand releases new episodes on Sundays on Paramount+.