MobLand Season 2 Episode 3 Misses Yet Another Chance at Becoming Elevated — Review

At some point in every business or family, the old guard has to let the younger generation take the reins.

It’s easier in some businesses, but in mob nation, nothing is free; you have to take it.

Everyone has wanted to take the Harrigan family business from Conrad and Maeve, and Frankie seems perfectly positioned to do it.

Mobland Season 2 Episode 3 “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg” takes place almost immediately after the explosive events of the Mobland Season 2 Episode 2.

Frankie’s assault leaves several men dead, among them young Fergus.

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But inasmuch as I liked Fergus for the two short episodes he’s been present, his death is not as consequential, and this is where MobLand never rises to the level of other gangster dramas.

When someone aims in mob nation, they neither miss nor go for the low-hanging fruit. The goal is to totally decimate or harm their opponent in unrecoverable ways.

Frankie’s assault would have been more impactful if he had taken out a Harrigan, but the show sacrifices pawns, many whom we had no connection with.

So instead of being explosive, the assault just happens.

Could Fergus’ death become consequential later on if his uncle had a strong connection with him and simply can’t let that death go unanswered? Yes.

But given how loyal he is to the Harrigans, it seems like young Fergus’ death will be forgotten like all the young men who have been caught in the Harrigan crossfire before.

MobLand wants to position itself as gritty drama, but it can’t keep saving most of the main characters for its own sake.

We still don’t know how Conrad and Maeve left prison in Mobland Season 2 Episode 1.

I don’t know what actor contracts usually entail, but if it’s a guaranteed number of episodes, that’s affecting the story.

If Frankie’s assault were serious, he would have taken Zosia and Bella Harrigan out.

And if it wasn’t, then there was no need to kill anyone.

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Instead, he comes across as cartoonish. When he leaves the meeting, he out of nowhere leaves a bomb and blows the place up, killing yet another incosequentail character.

But for all his lack of planning and precise execution, Frankie has something going for him with his pitch to Harry, Sera, and Kevin.

Everyone has seen how crazy Conrad and Maeve can be; hell, they’ve experienced it.

Kevin will never move on from Conrad’s betrayal with his wife, and Sera has all the reasons to hate the stepmother who keeps wanting to kill her.

And Harry, he’s just tired of cleaning up messes made by geriatric children.

If there ever was an easy pitch to make, Frankie’s idea to take them both out is almost welcomed by all three parties, but some details still need ironing out.

Sera wants Maeve gone, not Dad.

Kevin wants Dad gone, not Maeve.

And Harry wants them both gone, but he’s not sure about it because he thinks there is a mole in the family, and that takes some control out of his hands.

Frankie could have walked out of that meeting with a yes if they were all on the same page.

This could make or break the whole thing.

In matters like these, people need allies, and I think the next step will be for everyone to find some.

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Maeve is losing Eddie quickly because he’s not into the whole kill Gina Da Souza thing, yet she keeps pressuring him, and if he doesn’t do it, she could very well kill them both.

So Sera might have an ally in Eddie.

Conrad is already losing his marbles, and I foresee someone else jumping ship, maybe Fergus’ uncle Paul.

But there is a case to be made against jumping from the hot pan to the fire because Frankie is also crazy in his own ways.

It’s ironic that he reads the Harrigans for filth for their behavior while doing almost the exact same thing.

Even worse, he’s not in control as he would like people to believe. He has a boss and the boss has a boss.

Perhaps Harry, Kevin, and Sera will see that reality instead of becoming seduced by pipe dreams.

Gut Check

“Bonzo Goes to Bitburg” is a letdown because it takes shortcuts to preserve the main characters instead of letting chaos reign.

Good gangster shows understand that no one is above the consequences of this life, and it still looks like the Harrigans are immortal.

That’s not good.

But otherwise, it’s a fun episode that introduces a complicated idea of an alliance with Frankie. Will it happen?

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Intrusive Thoughts

• Wouldn’t it be fun if Donnie actually fell for Jan? That would be the plot twist of the century.

• Frankie calling out the insane things Maeve and Conrad keep doing sold me on his pitch. I’m team Frankie now! Take them out!

• There is something uncomfortable with Maeve and Eddie’s relationship, and I’m not talking about casual ease with murder.

Over to you, MobLand fanatics. What did you think of the story this hour? Was Zosia turned, and is she working for Frankie now? If so, she’s to be the worst. 

Why were Maeve and Conrad meeting with lawyers? I feel like I missed something, or is this the beginning of a new plot?

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.

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