Maeve's Ireland Plan: What Eddie's Mission Might Really Be About

Eddie is sitting on a plane to Kerry and Maeve is on the phone reciting poetry to him: "Bring back the sword our fell foes keep and I'll watch for your sails while the children sleep." When he asks her when she's going to tell him what this is about, all he gets back is "all in good time," and then she calls him fair knight. That's the whole briefing. No reason, no name of who he's meeting, just a poem.

Maeve has always been on a secret mission one way or the other, and now her new mission is in motion, with Eddie doing the traveling and Gina sitting right beside him. Why Maeve is suddenly happy to have Gina on this trip after fighting so hard to keep her out is a question I already took apart in my previous breakdown. The question here is a different one. What is this mission really about?

Maeve's phone call to Eddie sounded fishy to me

Let's go back to the phone call between Maeve and Eddie, because honestly, it sounded very fishy to me. The Kia confusion and the plain clothes already got their moment in my episode 4 breakdown, so here's the short version. Maeve didn't really explain anything and told Eddie that when he reaches Ireland, he'll understand everything. It was like a plan that had some secret tidings in it. Eddie didn't bother second guessing, as he has always trusted Maeve since she has been with him for ages.

But imagine Eddie dressing like a broke man. He has always worn luxurious clothes, and now Maeve wants no watches, no designer clothes, no trainers. I'm yet to see the look on Eddie when he wears those clothes. And if anyone asks, his name is Powell and he's on holiday. The way I read it, Maeve's message underneath all of it was this: in public, be nobody, but in private, remember how special you are to me.

Ireland could be Maeve's backup plan, and Eddie could be expendable

This whole mission from Maeve seems like one that could have Eddie disposed of later. Disguising yourself in public, hiding behind a fake surname, and adding Gina to the trip: to me, Maeve proves that. My theory is that Maeve wants Eddie to go to Ireland to bring back something valuable like money, a person, or something else, since the Harrigan family has already become a mess in London.

Back in my Antifreeze breakdown, I argued that Eddie is Maeve's backup plan, and Ireland looks like that backup plan finally getting an address. If Maeve can establish her own business with Eddie outside London, she can still survive even after the Harrigan family loses everything. My prayer is for her not to dispose of Eddie after their business is successful. Because if Maeve can actually betray Conrad, what makes you think she can't betray Eddie as well? And now that Gina is also part of her mission, either Maeve will force Eddie to cut out Gina, or she'll cut both of them together.

The room at Dan Murphy's doesn't match Eddie's disguise

Maeve's other instruction was about where Eddie is supposed to stay: go to Dan Murphy's and ask for the double room at the top of the stairs. I thought the place Eddie would stay in would match the disguised personality Maeve wanted him to have, but it changed the whole narrative. Someone who wants a person to stay lowkey and not flashy should also give them a place that matches that.

If someone follows Eddie to that house, they might start to doubt him, and that would be very bad for Maeve's business. In business, the one thing you can't do away with is trust, and if that's broken, so is the business. But in some way, I understand why Maeve would choose a place like that for Eddie, since she has always felt special about him.

Maeve's affection for Eddie is why a betrayal would hurt

I'd be ungrateful if I didn't talk about how special Eddie is to Maeve and how caring she is toward him. In the old episodes, the one person Maeve treats so well is Eddie, and that's why she chose a special place for him. That was somehow emotional to me, because I never knew Maeve could be this sweet and darling grandmother.

Remember the moment Maeve visited Eddie at the house she asked him to stay inside after his men were killed outside his old place? The way she was staring right into his eyes with love and strong emotions made me understand the kind of emotional connection she has with him. If Maeve and Eddie were age mates, I wouldn't be surprised if they dated, but because she's much older, she needs to maintain her grandmother relationship. What will hurt me is if Eddie is cut off by Maeve after all this affection, care and support. That would also show me how soulless and emotionless Maeve is.

"Bring back the sword" sounds like taking something back

Back to that poem, because the sword line is the oddest thing Maeve says on that call. It sounded like the whole trip was about Eddie going to Ireland and retrieving something for her. Look at the wording: the sword is something their enemies are holding. So this isn't a shopping trip. This is taking something back.

Whether the other things are phones, money or drugs, we don't know yet. And yes, it's a poem, so the sword could just be Maeve's fancy way of saying the prize.

Calling Eddie fair knight looks like emotional leverage

Maeve calling Eddie fair knight right after he asks what this is all about sounds like she wants him to believe he has already won his medal among the successful fighters in the family. Make him feel big by giving him special qualities, and you get to exploit him later for your own use, because he doesn't have anyone in the family giving him that kind of validation. If you're the only one giving him these credits, I bet he'd do almost anything for you.

So Maeve is rewarding Eddie as a successful fighter before the mission even starts, without revealing its real cost. That's the kind of emotional leverage she has on him, and she knows how to turn it on and off just like a switch. I think I've already met a Maeve personality in my own family, and she's much more than Maeve.

Harry should have been the one sent, not Eddie

The main question is this: why send Eddie on this business trip? Even the car question makes him the worst person for it. Is it because Maeve finds Eddie easy to use? Or does she actually see him as a fair knight, as in smart, intelligent, and a brilliant fighter who'd go the extra length to carry out any job for her?

Looking at their relationship, I don't think Maeve sees Eddie as a fair knight or a strong and mature fighter who can carry out specific jobs. Even in Eddie's business with Maeve that included Gina, it's Gina who goes out and meets the influencers to connect the business to greater heights. But maybe Eddie is the type of guy who can't say no to Maeve, and she has emotional leverage on him and sees him as easy to use. Compared to Harry, Harry should have been the qualified person for this job. And this is the first time Maeve has sent Eddie on a long trip for an operation, so why would she choose him in the first place?

Conrad's parting line was a warning Eddie may ignore

Look at what Conrad said to Eddie: "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." It sounds like a joke, but coming from Conrad, that was a slow warning and a very big one. Conrad had noticed that Maeve is sending Eddie off somewhere and understood the depth she'd go to in order to get what she wants from him.

For Eddie, proving his loyalty to Maeve has been important, and I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to do something even if it's very hard for him. His loyalty is to Maeve, not Conrad, which explains how little Conrad's advice means to him. Eddie would listen to that advice but decide to move with his emotions. Advice could be the truth of something, but emotions always win.

Taking Gina away from Harry may suit Maeve

This trip separates Gina from Harry, and Maeve might have wanted that, because keeping Gina close to Harry makes any move against her easily exposed. If someone like Harry finds out you want to harm his daughter, you're already a dead person. Harry doesn't care about the reputation you have within your family. Just don't hurt his family if he isn't hurting yours. So Maeve might want Gina away from Harry so her plan can be done without any suspicion from him.

Maeve could also be sending Gina because she has proved her usefulness in the little business she has with Eddie in London, negotiating deals with the influencers instead of Eddie being at the front. That usefulness could be something Maeve can't throw away. It shows Maeve is willing to let go of her ego and accept someone who irritates her for a few days to serve a specific purpose, and later she might try to discard that person once they're no longer useful. And as I pointed out in my episode 4 breakdown, Gina sitting next to Eddie keeps him calm, and a calm Eddie asks Maeve fewer questions.

Eddie's childhood in Kerry, and who might know his real name

But why Ireland? Eddie tells Gina he used to go to the little place in Kerry they're heading to as a kid, and that some of his earliest memories are there. He didn't really explain the reason behind the trip. In Gina's mind, they're trying to escape the danger coming for them after the family was being hunted down, and hearing that Eddie knows the place makes her feel safe and sound. Eddie needs to tell her the truth early, because if she finds out on her own, it could make things worse for both of them. And maybe that's exactly what Maeve wants: for the two to separate so she can gain control over Eddie.

I also wonder whether Eddie's name can be hidden from everyone in Ireland. I guess there's someone in Ireland who is specifically supposed to know his true name. Maeve tells him to conceal it publicly, but I'm not sure everyone there won't get to know his real name. The person he's meeting for Maeve's business could know who Eddie really is, and I can't wait to see how that person greets him.

Conrad doesn't even know where they're going

There's another thing, from the conversation Conrad had with Gina at the flat before Eddie came to pick her up. Gina is the one who tells Conrad that Maeve gave Eddie a key and that they have a flight to catch. Conrad's answer is, "You have a safe flight wherever it is you're going." Wherever it is you're going. I keep thinking about that. Conrad doesn't even know where they're going. That sounds like someone hurt deep inside, knowing his wife has been planning things behind his back. And the most shocking part is that he had to find out from someone else, from Gina of all people.

This shows the kind of leverage Maeve now has over the family. Even after Eddie obtains the money or whatever he's going to get from this trip, who gets to tell Conrad about it? Maeve now has the power to save the family with her side business deals, since the Harrigans are in a deep hole with no guarantee of getting out. She can watch them struggle and later come in to offer her help. That won't come easily. It will come with a heavy price, and Conrad must be willing to pay it.

Maeve might have an army waiting in Ireland

One theory, too, is that Maeve could have an army of gangs in Ireland meant to help the family in the war. Conrad and Harry can't fight the war alone, because the army they're up against is way bigger than the one the family has, and now that the family is divided, the numbers are even worse.

So maybe Maeve has a rescue plan, with her own army of gangs waiting for Eddie to arrive, secure some trust and start their operation. May God help these poor souls after they arrive in Ireland.

A London bounty and Gina's influence could put the trip at risk

Maeve might have sent Eddie out because of how dangerous London is, but that doesn't stop people in London from monitoring the moves she's making. You can send Eddie on a quiet trip, but in London, because people are willing to do anything for money, even a quiet trip could be seen as the world's most important ceremony. Everybody will know about it. And now there's a bounty on members of the family, so somebody could be tracking Eddie wherever he goes. That's why I feel a little tense for these two. Maeve can ensure their safety in Ireland, but when they come back to London, an army of gangs could be waiting to ambush him and Gina.

This trip could also be a danger to Maeve. She can influence Eddie while Gina doesn't know the real reason behind the trip, but once Gina knows the truth, she might be able to influence him to refuse some of Maeve's requests, and that could throw Maeve's plan in the mud. That's something she might not like. Eddie is the one with the power here, because he can choose to follow directives from both sides, Gina and Maeve. Please, Eddie, before you knock on any door in Kerry, find out who you're doing this business with, and know what you're introducing your own girlfriend to.

What do you think Maeve is really sending Eddie to Ireland to bring back?