MobLand theory: could Conrad name Harry heir to the Harrigans?

Harry Da Souza has spent so much time cleaning up the Harrigans' mess that I think we should start asking whether Conrad has been preparing him for something much bigger. My theory is that Conrad's plan for the future of the Harrigan empire might have nothing to do with Eddie, Seraphina or even Kevin, and that the person he intends to leave everything to could be Harry.

I know that sounds like a big leap in MobLand (2025), starring Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. Harry isn't officially part of the Harrigan family, and there are people much closer to Conrad who would naturally expect to inherit his position. But whenever the family finds itself in trouble, Harry is usually the person they call. He knows how the business works, understands the people involved and knows how to get things done. What if all those years of loyalty are about to lead somewhere nobody, including Harry himself, expects? And as I'll get to at the end, there's a twist: if Harry turns the job down, that's where it gets dangerous, because the chair doesn't stay empty.

Kevin's episode 8 verdict on Eddie and Seraphina leaves Conrad without an obvious heir

The possibility is worth exploring because of a conversation in episode 8, We Don't Talk Anymore. Conrad summons Kevin to his home in the Cotswolds, and their conversation soon moves beyond his health. Conrad is getting older, his health is becoming a concern, and he knows the empire he has built can't disappear when he does. Somebody has to take over. So he asks Kevin who should run things when he dies.

You'd expect Kevin to have a ready answer. This is his family, and he's one of the people who could reasonably expect to be considered. But Conrad wants an honest opinion, and Kevin gives him exactly that. Eddie, according to Kevin, is a disaster. He doesn't believe his brother has the judgment or temperament to run an organization as dangerous as theirs. Seraphina is a different matter. She understands business, but Kevin questions whether she has the cunning needed to control the criminal side of the operation.

What makes this so revealing is that Kevin isn't only criticizing his siblings. He's helping his father see that the obvious choices may not be the right ones. Before we can find out whether Kevin considers himself suitable, everything takes an unexpected turn. Conrad begins experiencing disturbing visions of the dead, his behavior becomes increasingly erratic and he eventually breaks down. Kevin goes to get brandy and returns to find his father pointing a shotgun at him. Conrad demands silence, making Kevin promise not to tell Maeve or Bella about his condition.

It's an uncomfortable scene, but by then Kevin has essentially told his father that the people he might naturally choose aren't ready. So if Eddie and Seraphina are questionable choices and Kevin's own position remains uncertain, who else does Conrad have? This is where I think Harry deserves our attention. Something about Conrad's question makes me wonder whether he's looking for advice or testing an idea he has already been considering.

Why Conrad might keep a Harry succession plan secret in a private will

We haven't seen Conrad make any official announcement about his successor, and we haven't seen a will naming Harry as the person who should inherit the empire. But what if Conrad has decided to keep his real intentions away from the rest of the family? In my view, a private will would give him that opportunity.

Think about the problems he would create by announcing Harry as his successor while he's still alive. Maeve would certainly have something to say about it. Eddie would probably take it personally, and Seraphina might not appreciate being overlooked. Even Kevin could struggle with the decision. Keeping his intentions private would let Conrad make his choice without immediately starting another family war.

His health also makes the possibility harder to dismiss. The antifreeze Conrad found among Maeve's things has already raised serious questions about his vulnerability. Maeve talks her way out of it, but it's a reminder that Conrad isn't invincible. He may have understood that he can't keep running the family forever, and if so, he needs to think beyond his own survival. A will is only one possible explanation, but it would be an interesting way for MobLand to reveal that Conrad has been thinking about Harry as a successor all along.

The Harrigan name was something Conrad took, not something he inherited

There's another detail from episode 8, and it has to do with the Harrigan name itself. In a conversation with Eddie, Conrad explains that he wasn't born a Harrigan. He tells him how he killed Liam, fled, and eventually took the name from a slaughterhouse truck belonging to Harrigan slaughterers.

That piece of history changes how we look at the family name. Conrad didn't inherit the Harrigan identity in the traditional sense. He took it, built something around it and turned it into a legacy, and the name became associated with the empire he created. So why should the next person to carry that legacy necessarily be someone born into the family? Harry may not have the surname, but he knows their operations, understands their enemies and has repeatedly put himself in danger to protect them.

I've also been paying close attention to the name Harry itself, and I've always wondered whether it has something to do with Harrigan. Harry's first name is the first half of the family name, and I don't think this is a coincidence. What if his name suggests he's the future of the empire? When a show spends time revealing that its most powerful character chose his own family name, it's fair to ask whether an outsider inheriting that legacy is as far-fetched as it first appears.

The fan theory that Harry could be Conrad's illegitimate son

That brings us to another possibility surrounding Harry's identity. One fan theory that has been circulating suggests Harry could be Conrad's illegitimate son, and some versions of the speculation bring Kat into the picture as his possible biological mother. We need to be careful here. The show hasn't confirmed Harry's parentage, and we shouldn't build the entire inheritance theory around something that remains speculation.

Still, some details make the idea worth mentioning. In season 1, episode 8, Conrad questions Harry about his previous connection with Kat. Their exchange leaves room for questions about how much history exists between them and whether Harry has been keeping something to himself. Kat has also shown an interest in recruiting Harry, and given the people she deals with and the influence she holds, it's possible she knows more about his background than we do.

If Harry really is connected to Conrad by blood, the inheritance theory would take on a completely different meaning. Conrad wouldn't be choosing an outsider over his children. He could be recognizing a son who has spent years standing beside him without the same position or recognition as the rest of the family. But even if this theory turns out to be completely wrong, I don't think it weakens the argument for Harry. He has already given Conrad reasons to trust him, and in a family like the Harrigans, loyalty and competence can sometimes mean more than sharing a surname.

Harry Da Souza already does the job Conrad needs a successor to do

This is where the theory starts to convince me. What does Conrad need in a successor? Someone who understands the business, knows how to deal with dangerous people and can make difficult decisions when the family is under pressure. Harry has spent years doing precisely that. He's the fixer. When something goes wrong, he's usually the person expected to make it right.

He handles the problems other people create, negotiates with dangerous individuals and takes responsibility for situations that could easily destroy the Harrigans. Consider the lengths he has gone to, including paying £200,000 to arrange a prison hit and warning Frankie's son so he would be moved to solitary, where the hit could happen. These aren't ordinary responsibilities, and Harry has become so deeply involved in the family's operations that it's difficult to imagine how the Harrigans would function without him.

We've already heard Kevin's verdict on Eddie and Seraphina, and Kevin's own place in the line is still unclear. Harry, meanwhile, has been doing the work without officially holding the position. Maybe Conrad has noticed something the others have failed to recognize. The person who should inherit an empire isn't necessarily the person who wants it most. It might be the person who already knows how to keep it running.

Choosing Harry could undermine Maeve's plans for Eddie

If Conrad does choose Harry, I suspect Maeve will be one of the first people to take it personally. She has been working toward securing Eddie's position in the family, and we've already seen how far she's willing to go. Remember the sauna conversation, when Maeve tells Eddie that sending him after Medusa was a lesson in becoming a real gangster? That wasn't a stepmother encouraging her stepson to prove himself. She was actively trying to position him for the succession.

So imagine how she would react if Conrad decided Harry was the better choice. All the effort she has put into preparing Eddie could suddenly become meaningless. Eddie could do everything she asks and still find himself overlooked in favor of the family's fixer. And Harry isn't someone Maeve can necessarily control. He has his own priorities, his own family and his own understanding of what needs to be done, and he doesn't appear particularly interested in the power games that keep dividing the Harrigans.

I also wonder whether Conrad understands just how much Maeve wants Eddie to inherit the empire. If he does, choosing Harry could have consequences beyond identifying a capable successor. It could completely undermine the future Maeve has been trying to build. Even if punishing his wife isn't the point, the consequences for Maeve could be just as significant as the decision itself.

Naming Harry could turn the Harrigans against each other

There's another way to look at this. What if Conrad's succession plans aren't only about finding an heir? Maybe he also wants to see how the rest of the family behaves when they realize they aren't getting what they expected. Maeve wants Eddie to lead. Seraphina has her own ambitions. Kevin is trying to find his place. And Eddie wants to prove he deserves the family name.

Naming Harry could force everyone to reveal their true feelings. Kevin might understand the decision because he has already questioned the other candidates, though he might also wonder whether his own honesty handed the job to someone else. Seraphina could see it as an insult to her achievements. Eddie might struggle with being passed over, Maeve could view Harry's appointment as a direct attack on her plans, and Harry would be caught right in the middle.

Conrad may believe Harry can hold the family together, but that doesn't mean the family will make it easy for him. The biggest challenge might not be running the empire. It could be convincing the Harrigans to accept that someone outside their immediate family has been chosen to lead them. For once, the war wouldn't be with an outside enemy like Frankie. It would be the Harrigans fighting each other over who deserves the chair.

Harry might not want to inherit the Harrigan empire

Here's the part of the theory I find most compelling. We've spent so much time on why Conrad might choose Harry that we haven't considered whether Harry would accept. Harry has never struck me as someone whose greatest ambition is to head a criminal empire. He's good at what he does, but that doesn't mean he wants to spend the rest of his life doing it.

There's already a clue in the episode 9 trailer. Kevin tells Harry he wants Conrad and Maeve dead, and that Harry is either with him or against him. Harry doesn't jump at it. Kevin sees an opportunity to take power, but Harry doesn't appear willing to follow him down that road. Harry has other things to think about. Jan and Gina have already been affected by his relationship with the Harrigans. His work has brought danger into their lives, and the more involved he becomes, the harder it is to keep them away from the consequences.

Taking over would only make matters worse. Instead of cleaning up the family's problems, Harry would be responsible for the entire operation, and every rival, every enemy and every disgruntled family member would have a reason to come after him. What would that mean for Jan and Gina, the people he loves and is doing everything to protect? Harry might be capable of running the Harrigans, but he could also recognize that accepting would cost him the very things he's trying to protect. That's why I think his possible rejection could become just as important as Conrad's decision to name him.

What to watch for in Nervous Breakdown and The Queen Is Dead

If this theory is correct, the remaining episodes could give us some important clues. Episode 9, Nervous Breakdown, could be where Conrad's health and his worries about the future become even more serious. We might see him taking steps to secure the family's future, particularly if he believes he doesn't have much time left. The season finale, The Queen Is Dead, would also be an interesting place for such a revelation. Imagine the family discovering Conrad's final instructions through a lawyer or a will, after spending the season fighting over the succession.

I'd be looking for any sign that Conrad has started making private arrangements, especially if he begins discussing his estate or the future of the business with someone outside the family. I'd also pay attention to how he treats Harry. If Conrad starts involving him in decisions normally reserved for the family, that could tell us how much trust he has placed in him. At the same time, a clear declaration that Seraphina or Kevin will inherit the business would weaken the theory considerably. For now, we have clues, conversations and character motivations, and whether they lead to Harry remains to be seen.

Why Harry saying no could hand Maeve everything

Looking back, I can understand why Conrad might consider Harry. The conversation with Kevin exposes the weaknesses of the obvious candidates, Conrad's own history shows the Harrigan name is something he chose rather than inherited, and Harry has spent years proving he understands the family and knows how to keep its business running. Harry's background may also hold a secret we haven't discovered, but I don't think the show needs to reveal he's Conrad's son for this to work. What matters is that Harry has become indispensable.

Still, Conrad might see Harry as the perfect heir while Harry sees the inheritance very differently. He has a wife and daughter to think about, and accepting could mean sacrificing the little separation he still has between his work and his family. Maybe that's the irony: Conrad could spend his final days searching for someone to protect everything he has built, only to discover that the person he trusts most has no desire to own it.

And that's where it gets dangerous. If Harry turns it down, the chair doesn't stay empty. It drops back to Eddie by default, and Maeve gets the heir she has been grooming without ever having to fight Conrad for him. So if Conrad really does name Harry as his heir, saying no might be the one move that hands Maeve everything.