In MobLand season 2 episode 8, Conrad threatens Kevin with a shotgun to stop him from telling anyone about his visions of dead people. Kevin must keep the secret even from Bella, or Conrad will kill them both. Conrad lets his son leave alive after Kevin walks forward until the barrels are against his forehead.

It’s a horrible reward for the way Kevin has treated him in “We Don’t Talk Anymore.” His father admits he is scared, and Kevin holds him. Paddy Considine makes that response feel instinctive despite all the resentment Kevin has accumulated. For a little while, he can put the arguments aside and help his dad. Then Conrad gets the shotgun.

Conrad Has Already Started Discussing His Replacement

The confession follows a conversation about who should take over the family business. Conrad asks for Kevin’s opinion and gets a fairly bleak account of the available candidates. Kevin criticizes Eddie and thinks Seraphina has the ability but doubts her honesty. Those are his judgments, though Conrad can hardly have found them encouraging.

Soon he is admitting that he sees the dead, including during daylight. The earlier scenes of him in the woods become easier to understand once he describes what has been happening. His history of killing gives those visions an obvious association with guilt, although episode 8 leaves their cause open.

Having that admission follow the succession discussion puts Conrad in an awkward position. He has been asking his son to assess possible leaders. Now Kevin knows something that could make the rest of the family question whether Conrad can carry on leading them himself. Being frightened in front of Kevin seems bearable while Kevin is comforting him. Afterward, Conrad starts worrying about who else might hear.

Pierce Brosnan gives the confession enough distress that I believe Conrad wants the comfort. That makes his decision to fetch a gun especially unpleasant. Kevin has answered him kindly without being ordered to, and Conrad still decides he needs a threat to secure his cooperation.

Bella Becomes Part Of A Threat She Never Hears

The mention of Bella is where Conrad loses any sympathy I have for him. Kevin could reasonably want to talk to his wife about a frightening encounter with his father. Conrad forbids it and makes her a potential victim simply for being someone Kevin might confide in.

He has pulled this sort of loyalty test before. During his interrogation of Harry over Kevin, Conrad demands that Harry choose between them while the family has much more urgent trouble to deal with. He keeps requiring reassurance from people who are already doing things for him. A private conversation with his son apparently needs the same enforcement, even after the hug.

Bella’s inclusion also leaves Kevin with more to think about than his own safety. He might decide he can tolerate Conrad’s outbursts, as he has tolerated so much else. His wife being threatened gives him a separate reason to act. Conrad has made a dangerous assumption that Kevin will accept the threat as another order and keep serving him afterward.

Kevin Refuses To Back Away

Kevin walks toward the double-barreled shotgun until it touches his forehead. He brings his face right up to the weapon Conrad is using to threaten him, forcing his father to hold it there with his son looking back at him.

Considine’s anger here feels tired as much as furious. Kevin has listened to the succession complaints, taken the confession seriously, and comforted his father. Now he is expected to swear an oath at gunpoint. I like that his response has so little patience left for Conrad’s demands.

He may expect his father to back down. Even so, walking toward the gun takes a frightening chance on Conrad’s restraint on an evening when he has already behaved so erratically. Kevin seems angry enough to insist that Conrad either carry out the threat or let him leave.

Conrad allows him to go, and Kevin leaves with a bottle. The ordinary detail feels almost absurd after the barrels against his head. Kevin is still able to walk out of the room and carry something away from the evening, although his father has given him plenty to be angry about.

The episode 8 ending gives the Harrigans other reasons to worry, with a body hidden beneath Conrad’s pond. If the police come looking, he may need Kevin’s help again very soon. Asking for it after threatening Bella would be quite something, even for Conrad.

Episode 9 Trailer Spoilers Show Kevin Asking Harry To Act

In the episode 9 trailer, Kevin asks Harry to kill Conrad and Maeve. The preview leaves Harry’s decision and the outcome unresolved. Kevin’s request concerns both parents, so it draws on more of his family history than this one confrontation.

Still, the shotgun scene gives him a fresh grievance that involves Bella as well as himself. Conrad may expect Kevin to keep the confession to himself after such a threat. Expecting his son to go on protecting him is asking considerably more.

Daniel Wilson

Daniel has loved movies since he was four, when he started exploring a chest of drawers filled with VHS tapes. He writes about film with a particular interest in sci-fi, drama, and action. His favorites include the work of Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, and David Fincher, along with Terminator, Predator, Alien, and Blade Runner.