Warning: Major spoilers for episode 9 of MobLand ahead

This article contains a discussion of sexual assault.

One of the more noteworthy subplots in Paramount+’s the end of episode 9. At several points in the series, the audience has seen flashbacks to Kevin's time as a young man in jail, a key time for both Kevin personally and the Harrigan crime organization. Kevin met Harry Da Souza in prison, making Harry's involvement with the Harrigans an indirect result of Kevin's prison time.

Harry first recognized Rusby in the nursing home of his cleaner's mother, and while he ed him as an abusive prison guard, Kevin denied even ing him at first. He did so to cover up the fact that he had successfully blocked out his real experiences with Rusby decades earlier, which included periodic rape in addition to beatings and verbal abuse. While Harry, Conrad, and Seraphina were at the sit-down with Jaime Lopez, Kevin's plot to track down Rusby for his own sit-down finally bore fruit, and he had the confrontation that had been building for many years.

Why Kevin Originally Spared Rusby

Kevin Appeared To Have Gotten The Catharsis He Needed

After learning when Rusby visited his wife at the nursing home and posing as a ride-share driver outside, Kevin lied his way into Rusby's home so that he could confront him about the abuse he suffered many years earlier. The jovial older man had no memory of Kevin, claiming that he had blocked out most of his time as a prison guard, and had since experienced a spiritual reawakening. He even went as far as suggesting that Kevin might have imagined the rape, insisting that he always disciplined with a firm hand but had no memory of sexually assaulting anyone.

The final episode of season 1 of MobLand will be available for streaming on Paramount+ on Sunday, June 1st, 2025.

Kevin pulled his gun out and began attaching a silencer, making it clear his original intention was to kill Rusby after confronting him. However, he broke down in tears and told Rusby to simply leave him alone as opposed to pulling the trigger on him. It's evidence that Kevin is not the ruthless, unhinged killer that his father is. Rather, Kevin knew that killing Rusby would do nothing to assuage the anguish he still felt over his experience. The confrontation with Rusby was enough catharsis for him to at least acknowledge his pain and attempt to move on.

Kevin Only Killed Rusby After He Mentioned His Child

Kevin's Demeanor Changed On A Dime

However, Rusby didn't actually leave when Kevin granted him the opportunity. He came back to the kitchen and sat down to continue the conversation and possibly begin to help the broken, sobbing Kevin heal. However, when he began speaking about children, Kevin's demeanor changed right away. After asking him to repeat himself, Kevin immediately stopped crying, and his face almost went dead, as if he dissociated from his body while swinging the gun up and shooting Rusby. The specific mention of Kevin's child made him snap and turn from forgiveness (or at least dismissal) to cold-blooded murder in an instant.

Does Kevin Killing Rusby Further Eddie Being Conrad's Son?

Kevin's Now Had Two Sudden And Extreme Reactions

Kevin's snap at the mention of his child is the second sudden outburst of the only remaining trueborn Harrigan son. He had a similar reaction in Kevin or his "other brother". That mention was enough to make him immediately hurl a horrific curse at his mother, and while he was interrupted shortly thereafter, the reaction was clear.

With Rusby's mention of Kevin's child also prompting a rage-filled response, there is more reason to believe that Kevin's presumed son Eddie Harrigan is in fact Conrad's illegitimate child with Bella. We already know that Conrad was involved with a much younger Bella before she married Kevin, and Bella's private pursuit of Harry lends further credence to the notion that Kevin may have married her simply to cover up Eddie's true parentage. Kevin's anger with Rusby's mention of his child hints that the Harrigan family at the center of MobLand is much more complicated than it seems on the surface.