Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for MobLand season 1, episode 10, “The Beast in Me”!While the war with the Stevensons may have come to a brutal end, the Harrigans still have a tense road ahead of them after theMobLandseason 1 finale. Created and showrun by Ronan Bennett, the Paramount+ crime drama has followed the latter London crime family as tension with the former quickly brewed into something bigger with the disappearance of crime boss son, Tommy Stevenson. Caught in the middle is Harry Da Souza, fixer for the Harrigan family who tries to keep the peace while also dealing with domestic problems with his wife, Joanne Froggatt’s Jan, and teenage daughter, Teddie Allen’s Gina.
Throughout the season,MobLandhas shown Janbecoming increasingly frustrated with Harry’s disconnect from his family, even as she recognizes it stemming from his job as the Harrigans' fixer, for which she prefers to remain in the dark regarding specifics. However, while staying with the crime family at their estate in the Cotswalds amid the war with the Stevensons, Jan finds herself forced to properly confront how comfortable she is with Harry’s career and its impact on her family’s safety. Things become even more exacerbated when Pierce Brosnan’s Conrad and Helen Mirren’s Maeve are arrested, leaving everyone in a state of arrested development.
In the wake of the season finale,ScreenRantinterviewed Joanne Froggatt to discussMobLandseason 1. The star reflected on the glowing reception she’s heard from fans for the show, how Jan feels after the explosive dinner scene that led to Conrad and Maeve’s arrest, her incidental stabbing of Harry and how it will impact their relationship in the future, as well as why she feels the need to be more in the know about Harry’s job. Froggatt also talkedDownton Abbey: The Grand Finale, how it will be a satisfying close to the franchise, and her thoughts on the newBob the Buildermovie.
Jan Learning More About Harry’s Job Is Her Look For Her Purpose
“She’s A Tough Cookie.”
Despite much of the season seeing her and Harry’s issues coming from her ignorance of what’s going on with the job,theMobLandseason 1 endingsees Jan definitively tell Tom Hardy’s protagonist that she wants to be in the know of everything going forward, being overwhelmed and frustrated by the recent events. In looking at the sudden change of heart, Froggatt pointed to the wider arc for her character in the season, in which “Gina is going to be leaving home in a few years”, whichhas left her wondering “What does her life look like?” and “What is her purpose?”.
She doesn’t work, she’s spent her days looking after Gina, and she and Harry have become disconnected, and he’s more and more involved in his work, not less so.
Acknowledging that she doesn’t “think things have ever been quite as dangerous as they have been” between the Harrigans and Stevensons in the season, Froggatt expressed her feeling that this “makes Jan even more vulnerable”, and thus left her with two options, in which she could “hide away and care away” or to “fight”. The latter option, in her mind,means becoming more familiar with Harry’s work, and feeling “it’s definitely in Jan to be a fighter”, describing the character as being “a tough cookie”.
“She’s certainly not a submissive woman,” Froggatt opined. “So, I think she’s someone that will always come out fighting, and I think that’s the life she’s always lived, through one way or another. That’s her way of protecting herself, as well.”
The Penultimate Episode’s Explosive Dinner Scene Was “So Much Fun” To Film
One Element Of The Scene Was Important For Jan’s Character
Just prior to the explosive end to the two crime families' war, Jan finds herself caught up in a very tense dinner when a suspicious Conrad invites Alice over for dinner at the Harrigan family home. When Maeve’s conniving actions finally come to light during the dinner, she and Conrad prepare to fight to the death in front of the rest of the family,only for the police to arrive and arrest the two, all while Jan remains seated at the table as Harry goes to comfort Gina and Eddie follows Conrad and Maeve outside.
As Froggatt shared, Jan remaining at the table even as the police leave was “actually scripted” for the episode, with director Anthony Byrne having shared, “I love that she’s just sat there at the end”, while also feeling that it’s due to her being “a little bit in shock”. “This isn’t her house, she’s in this house that she’s never stayed [in] with the Harrigans before,” Froggatt explained. “They’re staying with Conrad and Maeve, because it’s their safe house, because of the war between the Harrigans and the Stevensons that’s developed. So, she’s out of her comfort zone anyway, and Jan’s always been a step removed from Harry’s work.”
Explaining that Jan “sleeps at night by not knowing too many details” about Harry’s job, the dinner scene hasproperly put Jan “in the thick of” the action, as she’s “just witnessed this huge blazing round between Conrad and Maeve” and “the bonkers nature of their relationship”, but also watched SWAT take them away and left her “rooted to the spot in fear/shock”.
It’s just one of those “nothing to say” moments. There is no previous experience that is going to help me here, right now. But yeah, that was really fun to film. We all really enjoyed filming that dinner party scene. It’s one of my favorite couple of days from set, actually watching Helen and Pierce go at each other all day. And they had so much fun filming it, we had a real giggle.
Jan Stabbing Harry Was Not Intentional, But Might Impact Their Future
“How Do You Get A Man Like Harry’s Attention?”
One of the biggest moments intheMobLandseason 1 finalecame towards its end in which, during an argument between the two,Jan stabs Harry in the chest after accidentally cutting her finger and tried to push him away when he tried to comfort her. When asked whether it was an accident or intentional, Froggatt felt that it “was not intentional in a pre-mediated way”, though did think it was possible she “subconsciously” wanted to do so.
“She’s become more and more and more frustrated, and Harry keeps batting her off and ignoring her, and she feels more and more ignored,” Froggatt explained. “I suppose, subconsciously, ‘How do you get a man like Harry’s attention? You speak to him in his own language.’ So, I would say it was not a conscious act, but actually comes from something deeper than just an accident, if that makes sense.”
Despite being stabbed, the scene does see Hardy’s character maintain a peaceful disposition, simply walking away and trying to assure Jan it’s okay,while also giving her a sly smile and joking “You now have my undivided attention”. When asked what’s going through Jan’s mind when he gives the smile, Froggatt felt that her character is just as uncertain as audiences are, largely thinking “Oh, f–k, oh, f–k, oh, f—k”, namely as she’s unsure “how Harry’s gonna react”. However, her own interpretation of his reaction is that he “lets her off the hook”.
To me, it’s him kind of going, “It’s alright, we’re okay, even though you may have stabbed me.” [Laughs] Let’s clarify, they don’t have a normal relationship, or one I would advise entering into. But, to me, it’s a smile of acceptance. It’s a smile of, “Okay, you beat me at my own game.”
MobLand’s Strong Audience Reception Has Been “So Fun” For Froggatt
As For How This Influences A Season 2 Renewal, “We’ll Keep Our Fingers Crossed”
Since the show’s premiere on Paramount+ at the end of March,MobLandhas garnered largely positive reviewsfrom both critics and audiences alike, who have praised the show’s twisty storytelling and cast’s performances. Froggatt has called the reception to the show “so fun”, particularly as she recalled the cast were just as keen to read the next script as audiences to see the next episode,given “the show was still being written as we were filming it”.
“Every time a new ending of an episode came in, I’d be like, ‘Oh my goodness, if I was watching this, I would be so surprised. I want to know what happens next’,” Froggatt recalled. “So, when we were filming, I was already looking forward to hearing and seeing the reaction from viewers, and hoping that people would be as excited and on board with it as we all were, and are. It seems that people have been so, it’s been really joyous to speak to people.”
She went on to recall hearing “lots of lovely comments from people” who have watched the show, particularly with “how excited they’ve been to see the next week’s episode”, feeling it’s served as a “real watercooler show” during its first season run. As to whether this is translating intoaMobLandseason 2 renewal, Froggatt doesn’t have a concrete answer just yet, saying the team are “very hopeful to be able to carry on the story”, butthat “nothing’s official yet” and they’ll “keep our fingers crossed”.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Will Be Very Satisfying For Longtime Fans
Maggie Smith’s Absence Also Left “A Big Hole” For The Cast
Looking beyondMobLand, Froggatt also hasthe release ofDownton Abbey: The Grand Finaleon September 12, with the third film set to bring a close to the period drama franchise. When asked whether she felt it to be a fitting end to the series,Froggatt found she was “really satisfied” with the movie’s ending, recalling she “really properly wept for about 10 minutes”, vaguely pointing to “lots of reasons” for leaving her emotional.
“Obviously, it’s the end of these characters, but also, for us, it’s the end of playing these characters, and it’s the end of this incredible experience we’ve all lived together for 15 years on and off,” Froggatt explained. “So, for lots of reasons, it was a real full-circle moment, and it was very emotional, sentimental. I think the movie’s lovely, I think it’s really lovely. I think it’s exactly what people will want and hope from the finale.”
It was really sad, but we also felt proud to be flying the flag for her one last time, and she was spoken about very fondly on so many occasions, probably every day.
One of the biggest changes to come from the final film isDownton Abbey: The Grand Finalewill bewithout Dame Maggie Smithfollowing the two-time Oscar winner’s death. Though acknowledging that Smith’s character, Violet Crawley, and her own, Anna Bates, didn’t really share one-on-one scenes together, Froggatt did share that Smith “was greatly missed” during the movie’s production, describing there being"a strange and sort of warm feeling, and also a sad feeling" without her presence.
She leaves a big hole, she really does leave a big hole in the ensemble cast. Maggie was such a huge part of, not only on screen, but off-screen, our group. And, as I say, although Maggie and I didn’t really have one-on-one scenes together, for any group scenes, we’d all be together, and there was this huge personality and this huge talent missing from that.
Froggatt Is Excited To See How The Bob The Builder Movie Brings The Series To A New Audience
“…Good Characters Should Surpass Times, And Should Be Rebooted…”
Situated amid her celebrated live-action work is Froggatt’s ten-year tenure as Wendy in theBob the Builderfranchise, having taken over the role in the 2015 reboot series. While her show may no longer be on the air, the franchise isabout to return with the Jennifer Lopez-produced and Anthony Ramos-ledBob the Buildermovie, which the actor had not heard about prior to our interview.
When asked her thoughts on who would be a good candidate to take over the role of Wendy if introduced in the film, Froggatt first laughed as she said “I need to be Wendy” before going on to admit “who knows?”. However, turning to a more sincere note, the star shared that the movie “sounds incredible” and wished good luck to the new cast and creative team, feeling that “good characters should surpass times, and should be rebooted and remade”, and hoped that the film will “bring [the franchise] to a completely new generation”.
Check out our previousMobLandinterviews with:
All 10 episodes ofMobLandseason 1 are available to stream on Paramount+ now!
MobLand
Cast
MobLand is a crime drama set in London, releasing on June 22, 2025. It depicts the brutal conflict between the Harrigans and Stevensons, two rival crime families. Amidst the chaos, Harry Da Souza, a cunning fixer, navigates the treacherous landscape where loyalty and survival are paramount.
