Episode 1: The Bloodshed Begins and the Mediator’s Dilemma
1924, South Side Chicago. Four years into Prohibition, gang wars fueled by the underground alcohol trade have grown increasingly brutal. Harry Thompson (played by Tom Hardy), the "cleaner" for the Harrigan family, is ordered to mediate a dispute between two rival gangs—the Irish mob and the Italian-American "Chicago Outfit"—whose smuggling routes have overlapped, sparking violent clashes. During negotiations at the Garrison Tavern, Harry presses a razor to the Italian gang leader’s throat and says calmly, "Prohibition isn’t an excuse for war—it’s a chance to make money." He forces the two sides to reach an agreement: the Irish will control the Michigan Lake shipping routes, the Italians will take over land smuggling, and the Harrigan family will collect a 20% cut of the profits.
Beneath this seemingly successful mediation, danger lurks: Eddie Harrigan (played by Finn Cole), the third generation of the Harrigan family, gets into a brawl at a nightclub and slashes a man’s carotid artery with a razor. The next day, the victim’s body is dumped in the Chicago River, and the police trace the wound to Eddie. Conrad Harrigan (played by Pierce Brosnan), the family’s leader, orders Harry to destroy the nightclub’s surveillance footage to cover up the crime. Disguised as an electrician, Harry sneaks into the surveillance room—only to discover the club owner has already sent a backup copy to the Chicago Tribune. He is forced to kidnap the owner’s wife and daughters, threatening, "If you leak that footage, your son will be at the bottom of the river with them tomorrow."
Meanwhile, John Malone (played by Joel Kinnaman), an agent with the Federal Prohibition Bureau (FPB), sets his sights on the Harrigan family. During a raid at the docks, he seizes a shipment of smuggled whiskey—and uncovers cocaine hidden in the barrels’ linings, irrefutable evidence planted by a rival gang. In his report, Malone writes, "The Harrigan family is decaying. They’re no longer satisfied with alcohol—they’ve moved into far more dangerous business."
The episode ends with Harry receiving an anonymous letter: "Eddie’s knife has my blood on it." Enclosed is a bloodstained half-piece of a gang tattoo—completely different from the Harrigan family’s mark. Outside, a Chicago blizzard begins to rage, symbolizing the greater crisis about to unfold.
Episode 2: Gang Infiltration and Family Rifts
Harry’s investigation leads to a shocking truth: the man Eddie attacked was an FPB informant. To make matters worse, Vito Moretti (played by Alessandro Nivola), the Italian gang leader, leaks the smuggling route agreement to the media—provoking the Irish mob to retaliate by bombing three of the Harrigan family’s warehouses. Conrad erupts in fury: "We’ve been betrayed, and the traitor is within the family."
Maeve Harrigan (played by Helen Mirren) shows her iron fist at a family meeting: "We need a scapegoat." She accuses Henry Hawk (played by Bill Nighy), the family accountant, of being the mole—his ledgers reveal unusual losses in smuggling profits. Harry is ordered to execute Henry, but while searching Henry’s office, he finds an FPB wiretap. As he dies, Henry sneers: "You think you’re in control? The real player is Agent Malone."
At the same time, Eddie’s violent tendencies spiral out of control. He kidnaps Vito’s mistress, cuts off her finger, and sends it to Vito with a note: "Your daughter is next." Harry tries to stop him, but Eddie presses a gun to his head: "You’re just Father’s dog. I’m the future of this family."
The episode’s climax occurs when Harry confronts Agent Malone at the docks. Malone presents evidence linking the Harrigan family’s cocaine smuggling network to Al Capone. "Either help take down Capone, or go down with him," Malone threatens. Harry’s hand creeps toward the razor at his waist—a gesture that is both a threat and a question of his own identity. Outside, the blizzard intensifies, and the sound of cargo ships’ horns is drowned out by the howling wind.
Episode 3: The Deadly Trap and Identity Awakening
Conrad decides to ally with Al Capone to fight the FPB together. He sends Harry to Capone’s secret headquarters, the Green Mill Tavern, with $200,000 in cash. But it is a trap: Capone’s men suddenly attack, steal the cash, and kidnap Harry. Capone (played by Giovanni Ribisi) meets Harry in the basement: "Conrad thinks he can buy me with this pocket change? He underestimates the value of Prohibition."
Meanwhile, Maeve uncovers evidence of Eddie’s secret meetings with Vito Moretti. She leads the family’s guards in a raid on the Italian gang’s hideout—only to walk into a trap set by Vito. During the chaos, Maeve’s personal bodyguard is shot and killed while protecting her; with his last breath, he hands her a gang tattooed dagger: "This is a token from Eddie to Vito."
Harry refuses to reveal the family’s secrets under Capone’s torture—until Capone shows him a document: a cocaine distribution agreement signed by Eddie. "Your family is rotting, and you’re still dying for them," Capone sneers. Harry suddenly bursts into action, using a blade hidden in his dentures to cut his bonds, then seizes a gun and kills two guards. As he escapes, he finds a photo of Capone and Agent Malone together—revealing they had been in cahoots even before the FPB was founded.
The episode ends with Harry returning to Harrigan Manor, slamming evidence of Capone and Malone’s collusion down in front of Conrad. Maeve steps out of the shadows: "We knew all along—but we needed you to uncover the truth yourself." She announces that Eddie is stripped of his inheritance and exiled to New Orleans. Harry looks out at the dying blizzard, brushing his fingers over the family tattoo on his wrist—a symbol that once represented loyalty, now feels like an unhealable scar.
Core Conflicts and Historical Metaphors
1.Power Struggles During the Prohibition Era (1924)
Harry’s mediation between gangs, Conrad’s alliance with Capone, and Malone’s infiltration all mirror the real-world dynamics of Chicago’s gangland during Prohibition: the complex game of smuggling networks, gray-area deals between the government and gangsters, and bloody gang consolidations. For example, Al Capone rose to power by controlling smuggling routes, while corrupt FPB agents often colluded with gangsters.
The exposure of the cocaine smuggling network hints at the 1920s shift of Chicago’s gangs from alcohol trade to drug trafficking—a transition that escalated gang violence.
2.The Fatal Threat of Family Moles
Henry Hawk’s betrayal and Eddie’s double-dealing reflect the crisis of trust within gang families during Prohibition. Gang tattoos, once symbols of loyalty, become markers of treachery—a contradiction that echoes the brutal reality of 1920s Chicago gangs, where "blood oaths" and "betrayal" coexisted.
Maeve’s iron-fisted tactics (e.g., sacrificing Henry, exiling Eddie) draw from the real tradition of "purge of internal dissent" in gang families, embodying the survival rule that family interests outweigh blood ties.
3.Harry’s Moral Dilemma and Identity Awakening
Harry’s transformation from "family cleaner" to "truth-seeker" reflects the identity struggles of gang members during Prohibition. His razor is both a tool of violence and a symbol of self-redemption, ultimately leading him to resist the family’s corruption.
Harry’s confrontation with Agent Malone metaphorizes the complex relationship between the government and gangsters during Prohibition: federal agencies used gangsters to take down rivals, while secretly condoning crime to maintain power balance.
