MobLand’s Season 2 Premiere Does a Soft Reset — Review

The two-year wait between seasons is a total series killer because if you asked me what I’d like from MobLand a year from now, I couldn’t tell you.

In fact, I would have forgotten all about it as more good and bad shows keep premiering.

But then the show returns right on time, and this episode reminds me of why I could binge the entire season if it were available.

It is the unhinged characters, Pierce Brosnan nailing an old man losing his marbles, Tom Hardy being funny without trying, and Helen Mirren having fun as Maeve.

MobLand Season 2 Episode 1, “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” feels like a reset, even though it continues the arcs from the previous season.

• Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Love, Loss, and the Fight to Reunite
  by Paul Dailly
• MobLand’s Season 2 Premiere Does a Soft Reset — Review
  by Denis Kimathi
• Dark Matter Season 2 Episode 4 Finds Everyone at a Turning Point. Where Will They Go from Here?
  by Carissa Pavlica

Everyone has finally stopped orbiting Conrad and Maeve as they seek to make a name for themselves. Some go as far as they can, while others stay in the same circles.

The premiere includes a slight time jump, finding Maeve and Conrad out of prison where we left them last season.

How they got out is anyone’s guess, but maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to keep them there.

Not only because they have done some really depraved things, but also because the world is objectively a safer place with them locked up.

No one knows what a nightmare they can be more than Harry Da Souza.

In MobLand Season 1, he seemed tired of cleaning up this family’s mess, even if that’s part of his job description. 

I mean, these people don’t learn.

They commit some of the stupidest crimes without a care in the world, and the latest: Conrad and Maeve shoot allies in public in full view of witnesses and cameras.

When Harry meets them, you can see how worn out he is, and if they were his children, they would be getting an ass-whooping that would remain embedded in their psyche forever.

But alas, the reality is much different, and he must walk a tightrope.

A lot has changed since the finale, but much still remains the same. Characters are scattered all over, but they are doing pretty predictable things for their lifestyle.

Kevin is bent on ruling London, and Harry might just get him there.

They are tired of Conrad and Maeve and want to slowly pull the rug out from under them.

And while Harry can maintain control of the criminals, his family life is on its last legs.

His daughter is gone, and despite trying to keep things together, Jan is also done.

Apart from celebrities, we now know fixers shouldn’t get married either, because it ends the same way.

Even Ray Donovan‘s wife used to complain about the same things, but cancer got to her before she could leave.

Jan decides enough is enough and ends it. In many ways, the world as they knew it is coming to an end for many characters.

Maeve can almost feel it coming, so she diversifies her revenue stream using her grandson stepson.

Eddie now has a new thing offering “protection” to YouTubers with Gina, but he is still under Maeve’s thumb.

He will be Maeve’s end because once he realizes how she uses him, there is no telling what he will do.

Elsewhere, Seraphina is casting a wider net with Kat McAllister, hoping to take over the family business.

But in all honesty, she is way over her head. She is selling hot air, and Kat doesn’t dismiss her just yet, because she can be useful as a bargaining chip against Conrad.

The move I never saw coming was Tatersall’s.

If you can’t beat them, join them. He decides to use the very thing that keeps the Harrigans afloat to bring them down.

Now, we might think that’s his only motive, but no one in MobLand does anything without a secondary motivation. It is usually part of a larger plan.

A new crime protege seems like a good idea, but a lot can go wrong here. And this new guy doesn’t seem like someone who gets pushed around.

How everything ends is anyone’s guess, but we’ll be here to witness it all.

Gut Check

“I Wanna Be Your Dog” is ambitious because it follows so many storylines and characters.

But since it builds on the previous season, it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

It successfully sets up the rest of the season, delivering on the unhingedness while teasing an even bigger war.

Intrusive Thoughts

• I’m taking bets now about how long we expect Fergus to last. I say give it two or three episodes.

• I know “cunt” is a very British way of speaking, but this episode is loaded with the term; it feels unnatural. What about “are you mad?” or some other British banger?

• Fire Country Still Hasn’t Learned Its Lesson, and the Season 5 Promo Proves It
  by Denis Kimathi
• The Story of Her Becomes the Story of Them: NCIS: Origins Season 3 Brings Gibbs Out of Retirement
  by Jasmine Blu
• Less Bailey on The Rookie Is a Blessing — But DWTS’ Stacked Cast Tipping the Scales? That’s a Curse!
  by Jasmine Blu

• That opening theme song remains unskippable.

• TV has desensitized us to death, but imagine the parents who had to raise all those people killed in this episode? Years of work rendered useless in seconds.

Alright, over to you, MobLand fanatics. What did you think of the season premiere? Is it everything you hoped it would be?

How did Conrad and Maeve leave prison with a murder charge hanging over their individual heads?

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.

Say something in the comments, share if you like, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.