Warning: Major spoilers ahead for MobLand episode 7

Richie Stevenson had every opportunity to expose Maeve Harrigan as a rat and a double-crosser in episode 7 of The ending of episode 7 of Paramount+'s bloody crime drama saw Richie strike a major retaliatory blow against the Harrigans after the murders of both his son and wife. With the help of some well-placed business associates, Richie is able to get two Harrigan children in his clutches, providing an opportunity for him to exact gruesome vengeance.

Richie pays blood for blood by having a proxy take a chainsaw to Conrad and Maeve's oldest son, Brendan, with the Harrigan family watching via a live stream. He intends to kill Seraphina Harrigan in a similar manner before his plans are derailed by Janet McTeer's mysterious new character, Kat McAllister, with just a phone call. However, with Maeve having told Richie point-blank where he could find Brendan and Seraphina, it seems fairly strange that he wouldn't let that information slip to Conrad while the Harrigans pay for her treachery.

Richie Not Telling Conrad About Maeve Is Initially Confusing

It's The Perfect Way To Sow Discord Within The Harrigan Crime Empire

At first glance, it seems baffling that Richie wouldn't blow the whistle on Maeve right there on the live stream before Brendan and Seraphina are killed. Exposing Maeve as a traitor to her husband and the entire Harrigan family moments before taking his vengeance with her help seems like it would be the ideal way to create internal strife within the Harrigan household. With the matriarch acting essentially as a double-agent, it's totally feasible that the family turns on one another, creating chaos and sowing discord on an unthinkable scale.

That holds especially true with Conrad, who Richie knows is not stable to begin with (as does the rest of London). Maeve betraying him seems like the perfect nail in the coffin of Conrad's grip on reality and common sense. It seems like the obvious move to not only expose Maeve while he has the chance with Conrad and Kevin right there on the line, but to do that and then immediately provide a grisly example of the consequences of her actions.

Richie Not Telling Conrad Could Be Smart In The Long Run

Maeve Has Ironically Proved Useful For Richie's Takedown Of The Harrigans

Richie may actually be better off in the long run by not exposing Maeve, simply because she's actually furthered his cause just about every step of the way. It seems all but certain now that the reason Maeve pushed Conrad to kill Archie is to cover her own tracks, and she likely is the one who made the anonymous call to the police about Archie's body (which she blamed Harry for, to again, cover her own tracks). The cherry on top was Maeve actually telling Richie where he could find her son and Conrad's daughter.

So far, Maeve has done nothing but help destabilize Conrad and put cracks in the Harrigan crime empire's armor. She is completely unhinged and foolish at this point, and it makes far more sense for Richie to keep her cover intact and allow her to keep making horrendous decisions. Conrad still trusts her to some degree, although it seems like he can't possibly be this ignorant of her treachery at this point. For now, Richie's smarter play is to let both Maeve and Conrad continue to act as loose cannons to his own benefit.

Conrad Has To Learn The Truth About Maeve Eventually

Her Deception Has Been Building The Entire Season

Whether he finally calls her out on it or she confesses somehow, Conrad will come to find out about Maeve's betrayal in short order. Richie could still blow her in at any moment, and Eddie, who is also wise to her schemes, could be a weak link as well. It could be a moment that's being saved for the finale of season 1 of MobLand, but no matter how it comes to , an explosive confrontation between Conrad and Maeve Harrigan seems to be a certainty, and there's no guarantee both will walk out of it alive.