Mobland Season 2 ☆☆☆☆

Starring: Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, Johnny Flynn, Paddy Considine and Pierce Brosnan

Created by: Ronan Bennett,
Guy Ritchie

here’s something rather Shakespearean about the evolution of MobLand this season. With their crown claimed at last, London’s top crime family now contend with discord from within, a generational clash between Conrad, the “king” (Pierce Brosnan) and Kevin (Paddy Considine), his successor, who’s making his father look like “a sad, obsolete clown.” Or at least, that’s what one guy says right before Conrad shoots him in the face. It’s in this chaotic juxtaposition where MobLand continues to thrive, throwing out an endless barrage of bullets in what’s shaping up to be a rather epic (if not exactly original) spin on the British gangster genre.

Season 1 hinted at such promise when events turned increasingly unhinged near the end, leaning more and more into the cartoonish absurdity of the characters at its heart. That season two reaffirms this from the get-go instantly cements MobLand’s appeal, wasting no time in reminding us why the Harrigans are a force to be reckoned with. Not just the Harrigans, in fact, but the legends who play them too including Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren.

“There’s something rather Shakespearean about the evolution of MobLand this season. With their crown claimed at last, London’s top crime family now contend with discord from within, a generational clash between Conrad, the “king” (Pierce Brosnan) and Kevin (Paddy Considine), his successor, who’s making his father look like “a sad, obsolete clown.” Or at least, that’s what one guy says right before Conrad shoots him in the face. It’s in this chaotic juxtaposition where MobLand continues to thrive, throwing out an endless barrage of bullets in what’s shaping up to be a rather epic (if not exactly original) spin on the British gangster genre.”

Generic plotting aside, it’s characters like these and new star Johnny Flynn’s new fixer, Frankie, who continue to set this show apart. Deceptively clownish one minute and terrifying the next, this new baddie who glides in on an e-scooter is just as baffling as he is unnerving. In moments like this, MobLand is rip-roaring fun, and even when it feels like a little too much is going on, Tom Hardy expertly pulls it all together, the anchor to this maelstrom. It’s a very good thing Hardy’s set to return following those alleged clashes with production. If things keep going the way they are, we could be looking at further Bard-like grandeur in the already-confirmed third season and beyond.

– Courtesy: Empireonline.com

Rating system: *Not on your life * ½ If you really must waste your time ** Hardly worth the bother ** ½ Okay for a slow afternoon only *** Good enough for a look see *** ½ Recommended viewing **** Don’t miss it **** ½ Almost perfect ***** Perfection