Compare How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, Season 1 vs MobLand, Season 2

The Belfast and Donegal speech is part of the fun, with slang, wisecracks, and Derry-accented digs adding a strong sense of place. One reviewer even recommends subtitles so none of the craic slips by.

Irish-accent work is a recurring weak spot. Multiple critics call the accents unconvincing or comical, even when they still enjoy the performances around them.

The closing hook creates interest in another season, but it also frustrated one reviewer because renewal was uncertain. The tease works as a continuation device more than as a fully comforting stopping point.

Frankie’s late reveal in the premiere is praised as an effective warning that the threat board is getting more crowded.

Ireland is photographed with real atmosphere, from lovely scenery and striking locations to vibrant or ominous visual shifts. Even mixed reviews often acknowledged how good the series looks.

One review specifically misses the stylized camerawork normally associated with this kind of kinetic crime action, making the visual shooting style a relative weakness there.

The 40- to 50-minute format gives the mystery room to expand, but one reviewer found that length less inviting for casual comedy rewatches. Shorter episodes would have made it easier to throw on again.

Hour-long chapters are explicitly praised as worth the investment because the tension and danger stay high.

The friendship does more than trade insults: the women are pushed to own their choices and repair damaged trust. Reviewers found that reckoning genuine, especially when the story connects present behavior to older wounds.

One critic objects that the crime family never meaningfully reckons with the human consequences of its drug business, making the moral fallout feel underexamined.

The leads stay recognizably themselves even while making disastrous choices. Reviewers appreciated that later scenes tend to explain apparent contradictions through history, personality, and the long habits of friendship.

Familiar personality traits sometimes edge toward repetition, and Gina’s rapid shift into criminality is called whiplash by one critic. The returning characters otherwise remain recognizably themselves.

The foul-mouthed slang and dense local wisecracks are treated as part of the show's comic identity rather than a drawback. One reviewer recommends subtitles simply to catch every fast-moving line.

Profanity is polarizing: one critic thinks the relentless cursing enhances the heightened style, while another argues the show depends on swearing so heavily that it becomes grating.

The dramatic material can be intimate and emotionally sharp, especially when grief, memory, and friendship take precedence over spectacle. The main criticism is that the serious mystery sometimes sits awkwardly beside the show's zany default mode.

The premiere works best when the power struggle becomes personal, tightening the conflict around damaged family relationships rather than only gangland mechanics.

One reviewer specifically praised the thriller for avoiding gratuitous spectacle, with emotional consequences carrying more weight than violence. The darker material stays secondary to character rather than becoming an endurance test.

Violence is intentionally extreme and very polarizing. Fans of the style praise the gore-flecked spectacle and upgraded impact, while detractors find the carnage excessive and unsupported by enough wit or charm.

McGee's rapid-fire dialogue is a major strength: sharp, profane, layered, and often devastatingly funny in the same breath. Its speed can demand concentration, but reviewers repeatedly say the banter crackles.

Dialogue reactions are sharply divided: some critics call it devilishly funny or almost Elizabethan, while others find it crass, less punchy, or effortful.

Quick cuts are used deliberately for comic effect and were praised as part of the show's energetic technique. The editing helps reinforce the frantic rhythm rather than simply documenting it.

Editing draws split reactions. One critic misses the rapid-fire cutting associated with Ritchie’s action style, while another praises dynamically rhythmic edits that make action scenes sing.

The show often moves at a breathless clip, which many reviewers found electric and addictive. Others reported a sluggish middle, overstimulation, or moments that needed more room to land.

Season 2’s opening episodes usually move quickly, with critics praising how fast the premiere reestablishes stakes and throws viewers back into the conflict.

Having all eight episodes available at once suits the bingeable story, but one reviewer worried that the drop-everything release could also make the series easy to miss. The concern is discoverability, not the viewing flow itself.

The weekly rollout is viewed positively as a way to sustain tension and make the season feel like an ongoing must-watch event.

The tonal juggling is the season's biggest fault line. Some reviewers admired how comedy, dread, grief, and absurdity flow together; others felt the series became stressful, inconsistent, or like two different shows by the finale.

The darker, more serious mood is generally viewed as a coherent evolution, and the directing team is praised for keeping the style and tone consistent across episodes.

The script draws emphatic praise for its wit, character conflict, and ability to make chaos feel natural. Even when the plot is criticized, the actual scene writing and comic construction are often treated as first-rate.

The writing is praised at its best as whip-smart and tightly constructed, though one review criticizes moments when supposedly savvy characters make implausibly poor decisions.

Opinion splits sharply here. One critic saw familiar shows being reworked and rehashed, while another argued that McGee turns the genre mash-up into an exception through meta storytelling and a distinctive comic voice.

Originality is one of the most consistent reservations: reviewers repeatedly call the gangster framework familiar or clichéd. Strong execution, eccentric characters, and energy often compensate for that familiarity.

The leads' messy flaws are part of the design, and many reviewers found their chaos endearing or outright lovable. Others found the bickering trio difficult to believe as best friends or not likable enough to sustain another season.

Harry’s competence and insight make him unusually easy to root for, while the broader cast is praised as compelling even when the characters are morally awful.

The crime plot is often proudly absurd, yet reviewers found the friendship, arguments, and emotional reactions surprisingly authentic. Even improbable situations can feel grounded when the women start talking like people who have known one another for decades.

Some critics find the family power struggle more credible and appreciate Hardy’s grounding influence, while others call the Harrigans ludicrous or emphasize the show’s deliberately stylized unreality.

Friendship, memory, guilt, identity, trauma, midlife disappointment, Catholic inheritance, and the stories people tell about themselves all give the caper extra weight. Reviewers often found the emotional and cultural ideas richer than the literal whodunit mechanics.

Reviews split on depth: some praise the stronger focus on marriage, family damage, motivation, and humanism, while others see fireworks and criminal posturing crowding out substance.

The larger action set pieces add momentum without having to carry the series. One reviewer specifically liked that the comedy and character clashes remain the main attraction even when the show gets bigger.

Most reviewers find the action explosive, stylish, and high-impact, especially the dog-track opener. A notable dissenting review says the once-propulsive action stalls during the first four episodes.

A sizeable group finished wanting more time with the trio and explicitly hoped for another season. That enthusiasm is tempered by a few reviewers who either disliked the characters or worried that the final tease could become frustrating if the story stopped there.

Enthusiasm for continuing is high, with multiple reviewers explicitly eager for more and relieved that a third season is already confirmed.

The humor is frequently described as laugh-out-loud, quick-witted, dark, and unmistakably Irish, with the trio's insults doing much of the work. A smaller group felt the laughs thinned out as the series became busier and darker.

Dark humor is a major draw for many reviewers, especially when brutality and absurdity collide. Detractors find the jokes, banter, and profanity strained rather than funny.

The adult friends are given meaningful midlife frustrations, old wounds, and evolving self-understanding, with Saoirse especially well developed. Some reviewers wanted more depth for Dara, Greta, and a few supporting figures.

Many reviewers see richer motivations, stronger arcs, and more depth across the family, especially Harry. Critics on the other side argue some quieter episodes stall rather than develop the characters.

The central friendship and buried-secret mystery give the season a strong narrative engine, and most reviewers stayed invested. The recurring caveat is sprawl: side plots, identities, and escalating conspiracy can become more complicated than the emotional core needs.

The dominant view is that Season 2 is gripping, more ambitious, and improved over the first season. Dissenters see stalled momentum, thin substance, or squandered potential beneath the spectacle.

The early run is commonly described as propulsive and addictive, while the later stretch divides opinion. Some liked the escalating road-trip energy; others felt the mystery stretched, repeated itself, or lost momentum near the end.

Pacing is the most divided area. Some reviews call the season faster, relentless, or breakneck, while others say it is overbusy, slow to build, or outright stalled.

Booker stands out as an enjoyably vivid threat within the oddball ensemble. Her menace, visual presence, and blunt attitude make the antagonist side of the caper memorable without losing the show's comic flavor.

Frankie is the breakout threat for most reviewers—strange, menacing, funny, and unpredictable—while Kat adds strategic pressure. One major dissent calls Frankie a temporary stopgap whose early menace lacks consequences.

For many reviewers, the comedy-mystery-thriller blend is exactly the appeal: strange, dark, funny, and unpredictable. The dissenters found the same mixture overstuffed, uncertain of its identity, or weaker when the crime mechanics took over.

For viewers who want a modern gangster thriller, the season is widely described as a strong or even top-tier genre entry, despite familiar genre DNA.

The best twists repeatedly overturn expectations without feeling arbitrary, and several reviewers praised how earlier assumptions are reframed. Their sheer frequency can create whiplash, but unpredictability is a major part of the fun.

The season’s shocking developments and expanding complications are repeatedly framed as a strength that keeps the story lively.

Lisa McGee's writing is praised across the set for wit, specificity, fast dialogue, character insight, and the ability to find humor in darkness. The main knock is overreach: the plot sometimes grows so elaborate that the machinery starts to show.

The writing earns strong praise for sharp scripts, added subtlety, and the ability to deepen the family dynamics without abandoning the show’s chaotic identity.

Rather than recreating the Troubles directly, the series brings their cultural aftereffects into the present through memory, language, borders, Catholicism, and inherited caution. Reviewers praised that contemporary framing for being both specific and understated.

The season expands from street-level gang conflict into a more sophisticated political drama with international implications, a shift one review strongly praises.

The mystery is engaging but often asks a lot of the viewer. Some found the knots involving, while others needed notes or complained about identities, side plots, false leads, and late-season complications becoming confusing.

Clarity varies by reviewer. Some praise how quickly the season establishes players and stakes, while others find the many feuds and schemes hard to follow without close attention.

Flashbacks, road-trip detours, and overlapping clues often keep the mystery lively and reveal character along the way. Repeated scenes and a recurring trouble-clue-escape pattern made the structure feel formulaic to some binge viewers.

The premiere’s recap and reintroduction work well, and its personal stakes sharpen the setup. One critic pushes back that quieter episodes can feel like filler rather than purposeful progression.

Performance quality is one of the safest bets here. Reviewers repeatedly call the ensemble excellent or brilliant, with the actors selling both the manic comedy and the heavier emotional turns.

The ensemble is one of the clearest strengths, with repeated praise for the leads and newcomers even from reviews that dislike the plotting. Several critics call the cast fantastic, top-form, or the main reason the show works.

This is widely described as a hard show to stop watching, and several reviewers tore through all eight episodes quickly. The main drag on the binge is repetition and a season some felt could have been shorter.

The premiere quickly rekindled one reviewer’s desire to binge the entire season in one sitting.

The central trio's chemistry is the clearest point of agreement. Their bickering, affection, old grudges, and effortless rhythm make the decades-long friendship feel lived in and often carry the show when the mystery wobbles.

Maeve and Conrad’s combustible pairing earns strong praise, while the Harry-Maeve-Conrad triangle is also seen as an entertaining core dynamic.

At least one small continuity choice earned explicit praise: damage to the women's car remains visible instead of magically disappearing after the mishap. That kind of follow-through helped the chaotic road trip feel coherent.

The darker, more damaging direction is described as a natural evolution of what the first season had already been building toward rather than a shock-for-shock’s-sake pivot.

Direction drew direct praise for keeping the chaos visually lively and emotionally legible. Michael Lennox is singled out as captivating, while another review applauds the fish-eye choices and comic quick-cut technique.

Guy Ritchie’s premiere direction is praised for combining menace, swagger, violence, and darkly funny understatement with confidence.

Beneath the jokes, reviewers found a meaningful emotional current about grief, regret, friendship, and the lives the women did not end up living. Small lines and exchanges often linger after their immediate punch line.

Harry and Jan’s marriage material lands as both heartbreaking and funny, giving the season emotional weight beneath the criminal chaos.

The show scatters enough danger, clues, eerie imagery, and withheld information to keep most reviewers curious. Suspense is strongest when tied to the women's past; the more labyrinthine conspiracy material can blur that focus.

Most reviewers find the season tense, unpredictable, and hard to look away from, especially as characters become less safe. One critic thinks Frankie’s early danger is asserted more than earned.

The pubs, roads, villages, police stations, cultural references, and eccentric locals create a vivid Irish world. Some reviewers wished the increasingly large conspiracy and supporting cast had been explored as deeply as the setting itself.

The broader criminal and political world is praised for feeling more developed, with added layers around both the Harrigans and the forces moving against them.

The visual package is bold, atmospheric, and often beautiful, shifting from Irish landscapes to neon and ominous imagery. That stylization is also divisive: some found it cartoonish or a case of style overwhelming substance.

The show is often called stylish, especially in the opener, but several reviewers find it less visually distinctive than The Gentlemen or more formulaic once the premiere settles down.

Costuming gets its biggest boost from Saoirse-Monica Jackson's escalating comic looks. Her wardrobe is singled out as part of what makes the character's appearances so memorably funny.

Maeve’s power-dressing wardrobe receives explicit praise as a standout visual detail this season.

Roisin Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan, and Caoilfhionn Dunne are repeatedly identified as the engine of the series. Their timing, emotional range, and ability to play off one another keep the story afloat through its messier stretches.

The leads remain a major asset, especially Tom Hardy’s calm, menacing presence. Even reviews focused on story problems often acknowledge the strength of the central performances.

The music is a standout for many reviewers, with early-2000s pop and Irish-flavored selections called exquisite, perfectly timed, or tremendous. One critic did tire of repeated needle drops, so the enthusiasm is strong rather than unanimous.

The soundtrack gets enthusiastic praise for its defiant choices and the way music energizes major action sequences.

The bench is unusually strong, with several tiny roles earning specific cheers and guest performers making vivid impressions quickly. A few mystery figures are underwritten, but the performers themselves are rarely the problem.

The supporting players are described by the principal cast as top-tier British actors who add substantial quality around the leads.

The dominant response is that the show is enormously entertaining, with reviewers calling it a belter, a rush of joy, great craic, and one of the year's best. Even several mixed reviews concede that the trio makes it very watchable.

Most reviews find the season highly watchable, fun, addictive, or outright excellent. A smaller but forceful group finds the chaos tedious, stalled, or a waste of the cast and audience’s time.

Most reviewers found the series highly enjoyable and easy to recommend, with several calling it a must-watch or hoping it finds a larger audience. A minority saw its sensory overload and tonal excess as likely to make it a love-it-or-hate-it watch.

The season wins over at least one self-described gangster-genre skeptic and earns a direct recommendation from another writer, suggesting broad appeal beyond committed mob-drama fans.

One roundup highlighted a wave of four- and five-star notices and a very high critic aggregate, matching the generally enthusiastic tenor across much of the coverage. Critical dissent centers more on plotting and tone than on the cast.

Early critical reception is presented as exceptionally strong, with writers emphasizing the initial perfect aggregator score while also noting the small early sample.

Johnny Flynn’s arrival is widely viewed as inspired casting, though one harsh review argues Helen Mirren is badly miscast. Overall casting sentiment is positive but not unanimous.

Several reviews like the wider focus and say the larger cast avoids feeling forced, but others find the number of active players daunting. Harry’s reduced centrality is generally seen as manageable.

The series is repeatedly praised for feeling unmistakably Northern Irish and Irish, from Catholicism and language to pop culture, geography, humor, and the lingering aftereffects of the Troubles. Several reviewers saw that specificity as one of its richest qualities.

The central mystery reaches a real resolution, and several reviewers found the ending effective or satisfying enough. Others thought it was tepid, anticlimactic, overly perplexing, or too eager to leave certain characters available for more.

Derry Girls echoes, cameos, mural nods, and Easter eggs delighted many fans without preventing this series from developing its own identity. A few critics thought the callbacks lingered too long or made the follow-up feel derivative.

The expanded world gives viewers more meaningful insight into both major and secondary players, adding texture beyond the central Harrigan power struggle.

The opening is an immediate hook: reviewers call it a doozy, sharply funny, and fascinating. It establishes danger, friendship, and mystery quickly enough to make several viewers want to keep going almost at once.

Eddie and Gina’s relationship adds a softer note to the violence, with reviewers praising their chemistry and the small touch of sweetness their bond brings.

The finale earns credit for a clever turn and for resolving major questions, but the reaction is far from unanimous. Other reviewers found it perplexing, tonally split, or less satisfying than the stronger start.

Eight episodes is the most repeated structural complaint. Multiple reviewers independently suggest the story could lose one or two installments—or simply be six episodes—without sacrificing its core mystery or character work.

One critic sees sex as part of an overreliance on sensational jolts, arguing that the spectacle can crowd out deeper exploration of the family.

Action effects such as muzzle flashes and bloody impacts are praised for making the upgraded violence feel vivid and hard-hitting.

The show gets strong marks for polished, detail-rich environments, especially the early-2000s material and the money visibly put on screen. Period touches and Irish locations make the world feel textured rather than generic.

One review says the punchy sound design associated with the show’s kinetic action style is largely missing this season.

Rewatch appeal is mixed. One reviewer thought a second viewing could reward the dense plotting, while another would not revisit it because the long comedy-thriller episodes are less casual than a short sitcom.