MobLand theory: Frankie wants Harry, not the Harrigans

Frankie is stealing the spotlight in MobLand right now, far more than Richie ever did. After episode 6, I'm doubting his true intentions. I think his real plan goes beyond the Harrigans: he wants Harry, and he might be as dangerous to his allies, Tattersall included, as he is to his enemies.

MobLand (2025) stars Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan. Frankie is almost like Harry, because he's calm even when he's preparing to strike, and that makes him very unpredictable. Unpredictability is what makes Harry dangerous, and it's what I'm seeing in Frankie.

Frankie is more dangerous than Richie, and Tattersall may be learning that

This time Tattersall chose right. But did he? It now looks as though Frankie hired Tattersall, when in fact Tattersall hired him. It looks as though Tattersall is working for Frankie. I don't know if Tattersall knows the man well enough to have seen this coming. The fact that Frankie can point a gun at him and threaten him shows Frankie has something up his sleeve.

So the best question Tattersall should be asking is what Frankie's real plan is. Is he in it for the money, or does he have a bigger game of his own? The Harrigans know by now that they're dealing with someone far more dangerous and canny than Richie ever was. If Richie was cheap meat, Frankie is the bone. The question is whether they'll be able to crack him.

Before Tattersall gave Frankie the job, Frankie didn't have a good understanding of what Tattersall wanted. Now he seems to have figured out what's going on in that head of his. That's where Frankie's real plan begins.

My first theory: Frankie wants Harry to come to him

My first theory is that Frankie wants more than the Harrigans dead. Harry is the big piece on the board. Just like the woman Frankie answers to, Frankie wants Harry. He wants Harry to come to him, and if he pulls that off, he'll have succeeded where she failed.

As for Tattersall, Frankie wants to own him, helping on Frankie's own terms. Frankie sees himself as the man. Tattersall sees himself as the puppet master, and that's how he convinces himself he's an important piece on the board. Frankie is throwing that supposed importance back at him. Tattersall brought the connections and supplied the clever ideas, but Frankie is the one facing the consequences.

Because of Tattersall's idea, Frankie's men were gunned down, and his best man was taken and later killed. Meanwhile, Tattersall hasn't lost anything yet. Frankie now sees him in a different light. If Tattersall wants him to keep going, what's in it for Frankie after all this? Is it worth losing his men?

I think Harry will stop helping the Harrigans with Frankie

The Harrigans haven't even started, because they haven't started striking back. I think Harry will stop helping the Harrigans with the Frankie crisis, and he won't need to, because Frankie is bringing the war straight to his doorstep. I see a Frankie versus Harry situation more than Frankie versus the Harrigans.

Then there's the funny part. Tattersall admits money isn't his main reason for doing this. According to him, dangerous criminals excite him. This is a man under threat. Because of what he said, Frankie learns that the situation he intends as punishment is giving Tattersall something he enjoys. That doesn't mean Tattersall can't feel fear. But from where I stand, Frankie needs another way to make himself valuable to him.

Frankie and Tattersall want to break Harry through Jan

Meanwhile, these two are planning to have fun with Jan. I mean her suffering is what will make them have fun. One thing they want is for Harry to lose control. His calm, composed nature is what gives him leverage over his enemies, and that's what they want to set fire to. When Harry becomes unstable, they win over the Harrigans.

For now, Frankie will keep Tattersall because he's useful for relaying instructions, connecting people and getting things moving. But at the end of it all, Frankie is going to turn on him, because Tattersall can also take Frankie down. What Frankie did was absolute humiliation. Whether Tattersall can forgive it is yet to be seen, but I doubt he'll take any action now.

So we have two men, each thinking he can handle the other. This isn't new. We've seen it before, especially with Richie, and we all saw how that ended. One mistake anybody will make with Tattersall is finding him funny, and I think that's what Frankie sees in him.

Why Frankie shot Conrad's dogs

What motivation did Frankie have to shoot Conrad's dogs? The crazy part is that he feeds them first and then kills them. Why feed them if you're going to kill them? And why kill them if you care enough to feed them? This is Frankie saying the hand that feeds you is the same hand that kills you.

He came for the Harrigans, but they escaped, so he destroyed what they love. I don't know if Frankie knows how much those dogs mean to Conrad, but what he did is a message: even if they escape, he will destroy all they hold dear. Conrad won't let the killing of his dogs rest, so this could also be a way to draw him out. If we know anything about Conrad, it's that he easily loses control, which we now know is a medical condition.

Frankie's ego and his move on Jan could be his downfall

Frankie and Harry are opposite sides of the same coin. Frankie has already ordered Jan's abduction. He wants her harmed to force a response from her husband, thinking that would bring Harry within reach. Why is Frankie so invested in Harry responding personally? That may be his biggest mistake and his downfall, because he's letting the job get mixed up with his ego.

That doesn't mean he's forgotten the Harrigans. Not at all. Harry remains an obvious obstacle to target. Frankie assumes that knowing Harry cares tells him how Harry will act. But Harry always sees things from afar. Before the plan is in motion, he anticipates the danger to Jan and sends someone to protect her. Harry doesn't need anybody sending him a picture of Jan in pain before he moves. That's the key thing here.

Frankie sees Harry's attachment to Jan as a leash, a way to make him easier to control. Harry is already using what he knows to put someone between Jan and the trap before it can close. The problem is that Jan refuses the protection.

Donnie is caught between Frankie and the woman they both answer to

For this to go to plan, Frankie needs more than Harry's love. First, he needs access to Jan. Second, he needs someone capable of delivering. Third, he needs enough control to tie Harry's hands so he can't negotiate. That's where Donnie comes in.

When the job was given to Donnie, he was frightened of failing Frankie and scared of being exposed. When it all goes wrong, he calls Frankie's boss. So Donnie is in the middle of two people, with her to answer to as well. That shows Frankie doesn't have total control over him, and Donnie's relationship with her is also an obstacle to Frankie's plans.

Is Frankie secretly planning to overthrow her? Only a crazy and highly ambitious person would make such a plot, and so far we don't have evidence that Frankie is ready to double cross her or add that to his plans. For now, I'd say Frankie wants to give her the results she wants, but he wants the process to be his, however dirty or clean. He keeps Tattersall close because he enjoys it, and he makes Harry come running because he enjoys that too. This fallout doesn't need to start with a big betrayal. It could start small, with her wanting the thing finished and Frankie refusing to do it any way but his own.

The failed assault still cost the Harrigans the Cotswolds estate

When Frankie blames Tattersall after the failed assault, it shows how badly he tolerates the gap between what he expects and what happens. Even so, the assault wasn't a total failure. Frankie did real damage, especially to the Harrigans' security. They lost the Cotswolds estate. And, as was said, Frankie's boss knows every one of their other safe houses, which means Frankie does too. Now they're forced to find shelter elsewhere. Bravo, Frankie.

So although he failed to kill his targets, he improved his position. But from the way he reacted, this clearly wasn't the result he expected. To him it was a failure, and the blame went straight to Tattersall.

Once the family is hiding out in Mallorca, Seraphina proposes an alliance, and of course we all knew Conrad would reject it. Conrad doesn't want anyone to see him in a vulnerable position. He prefers being the one pitching a deal, not having one pitched to him, even by his own daughter.

If Frankie learns of Harry's threat to Maeve, he'll have something to use

For once, Harry says enough is enough and threatens Maeve, and I don't think he was joking. He made it clear there's a limit to what he'll accept when it comes to his daughter's security. It has taken a long time for him to send threats their way, and just as he did with Eddie, Maeve is next. If Frankie learns of this, he will absolutely see it as something to use against them.

Maeve and Harry haven't seen eye to eye since this season began. Maeve wants to get rid of him, but Conrad can't take that chance. Jan has also done what was expected of her: she killed Donnie, and that creates a problem for Harry. I see Frankie exploiting that later on.

My verdict: Frankie and Tattersall are winning, but not for long

Frankie is going to keep Tattersall entertained. But what happens once they've both had their fun with each other? For now, somehow, they're winning the fight. Very soon the tables will turn. When they end up on the losing side because they took the fight to Harry and he's striking hard, we'll see what becomes of their partnership.

The Harrigans are still alive, and when they strike, it will land hard. Conrad can get out of control, but he has shown he can do real damage. If Jan gets captured later, Frankie will force strikes from both Harry's camp and the Harrigans, and then we'll see what becomes of his plan. Frankie is clever, and I don't know if Tattersall is that clever, but I think his boss putting her fate in these two is a mistake. Time will tell.