Tom Hardy plays Harry Da Souza, a stoic fixer for the wild Harrigan crime family, which is led by Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and Maeve (Helen Mirren). Their son Kevin (Paddy Considine) is Harry's best friend; Kevin's son Eddie (Anson Boon) is a raging psychopath. Kevin's wife Bella is played by Lara Pulver, who I know best as Irene Adler from Sherlock. She has such an amazing face.
The Harrigans are an Irish mob family living in England, which gives Helen Mirren the opportunity to attempt an Irish accent. I wish her more future success! Pierce Brosnan, who is actually Irish, seems to have misplaced his actual accent and picked up a dupe from Temu. Fortunately, Tom Hardy’s character (not Irish) just sounds like Tom Hardy.
The Harrigans are locked in a rivalry with the Stephenson family; the capo of that famiglia is played by Geoff Bell. That rivalry provokes a variety of plot events: double crosses and deaths and moles and rats and snitches and backstabbing and two different revenges for childhood sexual abuse and a guy with a machete or an axe (I don’t remember which) and a diamond heist gone wrong and car chases and motorcycle chases and a bunch of shoot-outs and did I mention that the cops are onto them, too?
Yes, the cops are onto them, too! I think they mostly exist to create plot, which is not actually something this show needs more of. Then again, Toby Jones is the Main Police Antagonist with a Twist, and Toby Jones is always a delight.
And that’s the appeal of the show. Not just Toby Jones, although he certainly is appealing. This cast is amazing, filled with charismatic people who are just fun to watch, even when they’re chewing the scenery so much that I start to worry about whether the British National Health Service can fund all the inevitable dental work.
Even the secondary characters–or the actors that play them–are really impressive. Mandeep Dhillon plays Seraphina Hardigan, one of Conrad’s other children. Joanne Froggatt plays Tom Hardy's wife; Teddie Allen plays their daughter—both hold their own, which is impressive. Emmett Scanlan (who you may recognize from Peaky Blinders) plays Paul "Nine Inches" O'Donnell as a hapless thug with too much confidence. Jasmine Jobson (who you may recognize if you've seen Top Boy) is amazing; the camaraderie between her and Antonio Gonzalez Guerrero as Kiko is one of those little background narratives that I love: we don't get details or backstory, but we understand there's a connection that is more powerful for not being overexplained.
The behind-the-scenes pedigrees are impressive, too. Guy Ritchie is a producer; he also directed two episodes. Anthony Byrne, who has also worked on Peaky Blinders and Say Nothing, directed four episodes. The set designs (by Mahad Ahmad and Clare Keyte) are great, too. Harry’s beautiful flat is as minimalist as Tom Hardy’s character. The Hardigans’ house in the Cotswolds is all faux old-money vibes, while Richie Steveson’s house looks like the set of a Real Housewives of South London reality show. Every locale feels lived in and real.
In other words, Mobland has all the ingredients of a great show. But it isn’t. I binged the first eight episodes, then had to wait a few days for the ninth (and then, wait again for the tenth) episode, and I kept forgetting to watch it. I’ve started to think that there are shows that actually draw me in—Poker Face is an example of one I’m currently watching—and there are shows that trick me into being drawn in. If proximity is the determining factor in interest, then I’m not really interested. I’m just in a groove.
But Mobland is not a bad show, either. It is, as I said above, a gangster soap opera. Watching this amazing cast ham it up is the main appeal. At one point, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren sing an Irish folk song together as they’re being arrested. It’s so silly that it’s beautiful, because sometimes I want something silly.
So, should you watch it? Only if you want to be mildly entertained. I gave it a try expecting Tom Hardy to do his Tom Hardying, but he seems to be moving into a different phase in his career: his character’s dominant trait is impassivity. He’s resourceful and speaks quietly and doesn’t show much emotion. That means Tom Hardy doesn’t get to ham it up or steal a scene or just be absolutely wild. He’s just... effective. Which, I suppose, has its own appeal.
Would I watch it again? No. Would I watch a second season? Sure.
For that reason:
Three out of four Johnny Cash songs, which is fewer, I think, than the show uses.
Josie Kafka is a full-time cat servant and part-time rogue demon hunter. (What's a rogue demon?)
A lot of people like the criminal family Godfather sort of drama, but it's usually not for me. If Tom Hardy isn't being wild and crazy... hmm.
ReplyDeleteWe ought to have a Tom Hardy-specific tag of some sort. Just "Tom Hardy" probably isn't enough to convey Tom Hardy-ness, though.