Warning: Major spoilers for episode 6 of MobLand ahead

Pierce Brosnan's volatile crime boss Conrad Harrigan took credit for the murder of his archrival's wife in episode 6 of the end of episode 5.

Surprisingly, when making the decision to kill Vron Stevenson. While he and Maeve had discussed killing Vron together, it seemed clear that it was Maeve who finally pulled the metaphorical trigger. Maeve's visible shock at Conrad's ission along with Paul quietly refuting the details about the hit as Conrad described it both pointed to him not being the one who actually made the decision. The question then became why he would take the credit instead of Maeve, who everyone assumed made the final call on Vron.

Conrad Wants To Be Seen As More Powerful & In Control

There Are Signs The Crime Empire Is Crumbling On His Watch

Every major move that Conrad Harrigan has made in MobLand has been influenced in some way by his wife, Maeve. While he has often been the one to officially make the final call to do things like kill Archie or forgive Eddie, it's been Maeve in his ear and at his side egging him on, or straight up calling him out as a coward or weakling if he doesn't. It's become increasingly clear that Conrad can feel Maeve's influence growing well beyond where he wants it to be, and by claiming credit for Vron's murder, Conrad is taking back control.

Episode 6 sees Conrad hearken back to his days as a feared crime lord, recalling his nicknames "Conrad the Dread" and "100 Guns Harrigan", and it's clear that he wishes to regain that level of prestige. It initially seemed like Maeve's manipulations were angling Conrad back in that direction, as if she sought to make him (and, by extension, the Harrigan crime family) seem like the most feared gangster in London. Killing the son and wife of his rival certainly makes him look fearsome and deadly, but it certainly doesn't make him look smart.

Conrad's Control Is Slipping Away In MobLand

His Wife's Machinations May Be At His Expense

Right from episode 1 of MobLand, it's been made clear that while Conrad Harrigan may be the head of a successful crime organization, he is no longer "Conrad the Dread" in any way. In place of a fearsome and lethal gangster is a volatile old man who's not only lost control of his crime empire, but his family as well. Maeve and Eddie plotted behind Conrad's back to kill Tommy Stevenson, and while Conrad has since gone with it and blustered about disrespect, he had no actual hand in planning a war and strong-arming the Stevensons out of London.

Kevin Harrigan claimed in episode 6 that the actions Conrad has taken are symptomatic of what he calls a "dying empire", which is not the first mention of the noose tightening around the Harrigan crime organization.

It's been Maeve moving the chess pieces all along, sometimes using Conrad's own hand to do so. It seems more and more likely that she isn't actually acting in the best interest of Conrad, as every move she has pushed him towards has loosened his control of his family, his criminal organization, and his freedom; it seems likely that Maeve made the anonymous call to the police about Archie's body. Through six episodes of MobLand, Conrad has become more vulnerable to a power move by his own jilted wife to depose him as the head of the Harrigan crime family.