The Paramount+ gang dramaMobLandeliminated its primary antagonist, Richie Stevenson, after just one season, but what’s replacing him is far worse for the Harrigans and their fixer, Harry Da Souza. The rivalry between the Harrigans and the Stevensons in the London criminal underworld evolved into a full-scale war thanks to the murderous actions of the elder (and youngest) Harrigans, and Richie Stevenson appeared to have an edge thanks to his patience, calm under pressure, and intel fromthe rat in the Harrigans' organization, O’Hara Delaney.
However, Harry was able to leverage Richie’s own informant against him to turn the tide. In a matter of minutes, Harry, Kevin, Paul, Zosia, and Kiko had eliminated not only Richie’s soldiers, but Richie himself. That brought the Harrigan/Stevenson war to a swift and decisive end, leaving everyone a moment to breathe and take stock of the precarious situations that they found themselves in. However, the end of one conflict immediately yielded the beginning of another, and now Harry and the Harrigans
will be forced to deal with an enemy far more terrifying and dangerous than Richie ever was.
Why MobLand Killed Off Richie After Just One Season
Geoff Bell was phenomenal as the South London mob boss Richie Stevenson inMobLand, and he even gained viewer sympathy after his wife and son were both taken from him in violent fashion. It seems surprising that Ronan Bennett, Guy Ritchie, and the other minds behindMobLandwould take him out of the picture so soon, especially since he never got the full measure of revenge after his family’s murder. However,Richie exiting the action permanently makes a lot of sense to the overarching narrative ofMobLand, and for overall interest in the show.
As entertaining as the dynamite cast was, there was very little going on that hadn’t been seen before.The concept of a London gang war based around drugs, money, power, and vengeance has been done time and time again; there is a laundrylist of shows exactly likeMobLandin that regard. Eliminating Richie and instead leaning into both the family drama surrounding the Harrigans and the international element that the show is headed for (and already gave us a taste of) takesMobLandto less-explored ground, and offers far more possibilities than a mere family-on-family conflict.
Kat McAllister Looks Like Being MobLand Season 2’s Big Villain For The Harrigans
The Mysterious And Powerful Kingpin Is A Huge Threat
After establishing a debt to the mysterious kingpin Kat McAllister by saving Seraphina Harrigan from Jaime Lopez/Richie Stevenson, Harry sat down with Kat at theend of episode 10. After some brief bandying of words,Kat informed Harry that she’d be calling in his debt by having him help her eliminate the remaining Harrigansand take over the drug and gun trade in London, which the Harrigans now control with Richie gone.Harry turned Kat down outright, making it clear that his loyalty to the Harrigans in general, but specifically to his best friend Kevin, disallowed him from helping her.
Kat’s intimidating reputation precedes her, and now she’s angry and poised to follow through on her malevolent aura.
Unfortunately, that sets Kat up to be the main villain inseason 2 ofMobLandshould it come to pass.She emphasizes that Harry denying her wishes is a “big mistake”, and, based on context, that certainly seems to be the case. Both Kevin and Conrad Harrigan seemed mortified that Harry called Kat at all, even with Seraphina and Brendan Harrigan’s lives on the line. Kevin specifically mentioned to Harry that him owing Kat is, “how we all get ****ed.” Kat’s intimidating reputation precedes her, and now she’s angry and poised to follow through on her malevolent aura.
Kat Is Far More Powerful & Dangerous Than Richie Ever Was
Richie Is A Local Gangster, Kat Has The Cartel Under Her Thumb
What’s perhaps most vexing about Kat McAllister is that we, the audience, still don’t know anything about her.It was popularly theorized that she could be an operative for the CIA, MI6, or some other shadowy government agencythat keeps its hands in the criminal underworld for the sake of maintaining control, but Kat’s demand of the London drug trade makes that seem unlikely. She’s some sort of next-level international kingpin, although who she’s associated with (if anyone) remains a mystery.
However, we know she is powerful enough to have Jaime Lopez, a cartel boss, ruin his business relationship with Richie and set his captives free with a snap of her fingers. Based on the extreme wealth she’s surrounded by in each of her appearances,it’s clear she has nearly unlimited resources at her disposal, or at least far more than the Harrigans have. With an enemy of that caliber out to end their lives, even the ever-resourceful Harry Da Souza will be hard-pressed to keep all the Harrigans alive in the second season ofMobLand.
