Is Brendan Dead? Did Daniel Betts Leave MobLand?

The seventh episode of Paramount+’s ‘MobLand’ officially starts the war between the Harrigans and the Stevensons. The declaration for the same came in the previous episode when Conrad Harrigan claimed responsibility for killing Richie Stevenson’s wife, Vron, while also openly mocking him for the death of Tommy at the hands of Eddie. By now, Richie has lost almost everything, which kind of puts him at an advantage as he doesn’t have anything left to lose now. The Harrigans, however, have too much at stake now, and Richie reminds them of this with a brutal act of revenge. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Brendan Pays for His Mother’s Mistakes

While the family prepares for war in London, Brendan and Seraphina are entirely unaware of the developments and go to Antwerp to finalise a deal of their own. Even when Harry Da Souza tries to reach them, Brendan refuses to listen to him, which turns out to be a huge mistake in hindsight. As if this wasn’t dangerous enough, Maeve throws fuel in the fire by telling Richie about Brendan and Seraphina’s location. In return for this information, she wants him to leave Brendan and kill Seraphina. She believes that Richie will keep his end of the deal, somehow forgetting that her husband and grandson have already killed the people Richie loved the most.

Maeve’s overconfidence is put to rest when it turns out that both Brendan and Serpahina have been held captive by Richie’s Mexican associates. When Maeve chides him for breaking the rules of their deal, he cuts off the conversation, showing her that he has power over her and her family. Meanwhile, Harry tries to figure out where they are and how to save them. Being alone on the mission, he has quite a task ahead of him, but he manages to figure out where the Harrigan siblings have been taken. However, by the time he can do something about it, it is already too late, at least for Brendan.

Seeing that he has two of Conrad’s children in his captivity, Richie wastes no time in making a show out of their deaths. Instead of killing them and sending their body parts to his rival, Richie decides to livestream the whole thing to the family. The Harrigans get a link for the show, which begins shortly, and Brendan is the first on the roster. He is cut up by a chainsaw while his horrified parents and brother are forced to watch his painful demise. The same would have happened to Seraphina, but Harry’s contact, Kat, intervenes just in time to save him. Considering her influence, it seems that Conrad’s daughter might get to go home after all. On the other hand, Brendan does not have the same good fortune.

Daniel Betts’ Return to MobLand is Highly Unlikely

While a lot of people have died on ‘MobLand,’ Brendan’s death is shocking not just for its sheer brutality and the spectacle created out of it, but also because he is the first Harrigan to fall. Considering that he was the weakest link in the film, it’s not surprising that he is the first to go, but that doesn’t make it any less shocking because his death was not his own fault, but his mother’s. Had Maeve controlled her impulses and set aside her hatred for Seraphina to ensure Brendan’s safety, her son would still be alive. However, her desire to get rid of her husband’s illegitimate daughter was stronger than the concern for her son, and poor Brendan had to pay the price for his mother’s ill-informed belief that she could control Richie.

With the way he is killed, Brendan’s death is confirmed. There is no doubt that he has been chopped off from the show, and from the plot’s point of view, his execution serves as a great motivator for the Harrigans to go on a deep offense against an already inflamed Richie. This also means that this is the last we have seen of actor Daniel Betts on ‘MobLand.’ Since his character is dead beyond doubt and the show rarely, if ever, indulges in flashbacks, the possibility of Betts’ return is slim to none.