Peaky Blinders – The Consequences of Limitless Ambition

The Story of Shelby Company Limited - Welcome to the PeakyVerse

Peaky Blinders – The Consequences of Limitless Ambition

Intro

Anchored in the smoky shadows of post-World War I Birmingham, ‘Peaky Blinders’ is a thrilling descent into the labyrinth of the volatile British underworld. Let it be known – our cinematic connoisseurs have combed through the annals of television history, and ‘Peaky Blinders’ emerges as a dark horse, galloping through a field of brilliance. The Shelby family, with their razor-brimmed caps and an insatiable thirst for power, are here to seize not just the streets but also your imagination. In our Peaky Blinders feature, we shall embark on a heart-pounding, suit-clad journey through each season, where the cobblestones whisper secrets and the gin-soaked air thickens with intrigue. We’ll tip our caps to the most iconic characters, dissect the lines that still echo in our ears, and rank the pulse-quickening episodes and seasons. What's more, we'll guide you to the most electric scenes and tip you off on where to get your hands on that peaky merchandise. So, fix your flat cap, light your cigar, and march in step with the Shelbys through the rain-drenched streets of Peaky Blinders' Birmingham.

Season 1

The narrative of season one is drenched in the after-effects of conflict and how the echoes of a war shape the psyche and ambitions of individuals. We're introduced to the Shelby family, led by the dark and enigmatic Thomas, who've built their business on post-WWI Birmingham's black market. Cillian Murphy AKA Tommy MF Shelby is the King of Small Heath, and he’s a man on a mission. He's haunted yet driven, and his ambition knows no bounds. His main counterparts include his older brother Arthur, the mad dog of the family, and his younger brother John. They are both fiery in their own right, but the two constantly battle their respective internal demons, often stumbling under the weight of their own unpredictability. Aunt Polly is an emblem of matriarchal power, resiliency, and wisdom. She exhibits the sheer depth of female strength in an era dominated by men as the audience finds the embodiment of the family’s soul in her character. While the gang's operations are cloaked in illegal bookmaking and the dark trade, Thomas is eyeing a legitimized empire. His vision is clear, but the path is as foggy as the Birmingham streets.

The first major plot-driving moment occurs when Tommy ‘accidentally’ acquires a shipment of guns destined for Libya, placing the Peaky Blinders on the radar of the British government. The gang deliberates on whether to play it safe and dispose of the paraphernalia or to capitalize on the early Christmas gift. Ultimately T Shel decides to go against the advice of the always-steady Aunt Polly as he knows in order to advance in this world, you don’t fold a pair of aces pre-flop. The misplaced shipment causes Chief Inspector Chester Campbell, a no-nonsense Ulster Protestant from Belfast, to arrive with the intent to clean up the city, locate the guns and dismantle the Blinders. Inevitably, these coveted weapons become a bargaining chip for everyone from the IRA to communists and gypsies. Thomas proves himself to be a strategic mastermind, managing to keep one step ahead of his adversaries, and we realize that the "accident" may not have been so accidental after all.

Meanwhile, the romantic subplots blossom. Ada Shelby, the only female sibling in the family, falls for Freddie Thorne, a Marxist who's on Inspector Campbell's wanted list. On the other hand, Thomas finds himself drawn to Grace, a beautiful and seemingly innocent barmaid, who is secretly an undercover spy for Inspector Campbell. She’s a chameleon, adapting and shifting, her enigmatic presence mirroring the loyalties she juggles. Grace and Thomas, both fractured souls, find solace in each other, but trust in the world of Peaky Blinders is as slippery as the whiskey downed in The Garrison. The tangled web of loyalty, love, and betrayal adds another dimension to the gritty and grimy landscape of Birmingham.

Tommy’s ambition feeds on the acquisition of the gang’s new assets; he begins to form alliances with other gangs, namely the Romani gypsy Lee family, to support his bid to take control of the race tracks which are currently under the power of notorious gangster Billy Kimber. He plans an audacious gambit to take over Kimber’s territory and manages to orchestrate a raid on the Birmingham Boys, Kimber’s main ally. After weakening Kimber’s forces, Tommy arranges a meeting with Kimber for a supposed alliance, but this was just a ruse. While the Blinders and Kimber’s crew are destined for a conflict to decide who Birmingham’s top-dog truly is, the police recover the guns (all but one), but Tommy is able to make it appear as though the police found them by their own means, maintaining his leverage over Campbell. Right before the Blinders and the Lees are set to seize control of the races in Worcester, Tommy learns that Grace wasn’t who she claimed to be and Kimber’s hounds are en route to the Garrison for a surprise attack. Billy Boy’s squad has the Peakys outnumbered but Freddie Thorne pulls out the one unrecovered Lewis Machine Gun and seemingly equalizes the fire power. The two tribes gear up for survival of the fittest, but Ada walks in the middle with her baby on some “don’t kill each other” propaganda. She leaves her baby in between the two teams hoping it would act as an antidote to the chaos, but big dogs gotta eat; Billy fires the first bullet into Tommy’s chest but he eats it and spits one back out in between Billy’s eyes. He defuses the shootout from erupting into an all out blood bath by reminding the troops that this was a 1v1 battle between him and Kimber and that it’s time for them to “go home to their families”. The Blinders cap off week one with a crucial victory over an established juggernaut in Kimber. They now control the races in some of the biggest racetracks in the country, and are set to make some serious coin as Birmingham’s new alpha, but the victory is bittersweet as Tommy learns that Grace’s sudden arrival was too good to be true. Cillian Murphy quickly establishes Tommy Shelby as an iconic television character, commanding the screen with not only his icy stare & stoic demeanor, but with his multidimensional layers that peel back throughout the season, revealing the complexities of a man who is far more than a mere gangster.

Season 2

The second act picks right back up in the realm of destruction as we watch Tommy’s beloved Garrison get blown to smithereens two years after the events in season one. With a newfound vengeance, the Shelby brothers have a thirst that transcends Birmingham… London is in the crosshairs. The Blinders look to expand their operations to the nation’s capital but the criminal underworld is already controlled by two major gangs – Darby Sabini leads the Italians while Alfie Solomons is the captain of the Jews. Tommy knows Sabini is not keen on sharing his turf, so his calculated ambition naturally leads him to form an alliance with Alfie in the pursuit of challenging Sabini’s control of the city. The Blinders acquire Sabini’s old stomping grounds – The Eden Club – directly threatening the Italian mafia’s power. Sabini senses the threat and his gang retaliates by storming the club – an all out brawl ensues, escalating the strife between the Peaky Blinders and their newest and fiercest rival. The fight scene epitomizes the raised stakes amidst the highly competitive and dangerous London criminal scene.

Another major character is introduced: Polly’s long lost son Michael is back on the scene after he (and her other daughter) were taken from her by the police who were cracking down on illegal activities during World War I. The Shelby bro’s first cousin is torn between the lawful life that his mom wants for him and being a Peaky MF Blinder. The reunion with Michael opens unhealed wounds for Polly who’s season 2 journey is filled with anguish and internal demons. The mother-son duo initially struggle to find their new roles within the Shelby Company Ltd as the emotional turmoil shows a more vulnerable side to her unlike the strong and shrewd depiction we have been used to. As season two progresses, Michael transforms from an innocent country-side boy to ‘one of the boys’. He obviously immerses himself into the Peaky way of life, creating a tension between Tommy and Polly, who wishes her little boy wasn’t doing hoodrat stuff with his friends.

Tommy continues his quest to legitimize parts of the business, getting involved in property and working to secure a government contract for the Shelby Company Limited. During one of the dealings, he meets the beautiful and affluent May Carleton. Upon his victory in the horse auction, he seeks May’s expertise in training his horse, Grace’s Secret, and the two find a connection in each other as lonely souls with troubled pasts. The situation becomes two birds one stone-esque as May is an established figure in the racing industry and a prime rebound option for the kid who’s heart is still bruised from Grace. His plan to expand the Shelby’s influential connections and give their business a veneer of respectability via mingling in the high society business of horse racing indeed comes to fruition but it’s served with a side of ‘aye yo who got you smiling like that’. Just as things start to blossom with May, Grace comes back into the picture… with Tommy’s unborn child in her stomach. Her failed attempt to murder Inspector Campbell shows the audience that she May have switched teams after falling into the hypnosis of Tommy’s charisma. She isn’t the only character to return as Campbell is back with the hunger of a starving lion in the North American wilderness, after Grace not only broke his naive heart but tried to kill him. His fury and lust for control is ever more apparent as he attempts to exact revenge on Grace and the Shelby family. The Lion makes his first predatory move by arresting Michael in a ploy to coerce Polly into having sex with him in exchange for his release, adding to her trauma.

Season Two culminates at the Epsom Derby, a prestigious horse race, where Grace and May are both vying to be the Queen of the King while Campy lurks about in the thick air. By the time the season finale kicks in, Polly has embraced the darkness within her and lets the North American Lion know that Woolly Mammoths still exist. She goes full on Zach Randolph (“from my hood, bullies get bullied”) and channels all of her built-up rage and pain in the form of executing Campbell and delivering one of the swaggiest lines of the show, “Don’t fuck with the Peaky Blinders”. The apex predator is extinct alas, but the main script revolves around Tommy’s plot to rob the treasury of the Lanchester factory during the derby. The heist is seemingly a success, until Tom realizes his audacious plan backfired because he was betrayed by Alfie who teamed up with Campbell to have him executed by the Ulster Volunteer Force. The hometown kid thought it was​​ Bleak Midwinter time as he smoked the last cig of his life, but his execution is postponed by the ever-ferda Winston Churchill who knows Tommy and the Blinders can be an asset for him. Tommy learns the hard way that London is not Birmingham and Alfie is not Billy Kimber. The deals, betrayals and dark plots converge into an explosive season finale and Tommy is left standing tall but not unscathed. As he walks away from the pandemonium, there is an enigmatic sense of victory tinged with melancholic fatigue. The viewers are left with a sense of awe at Thomas Shelby’s audacity and cunning, but also a poignant reminder of the toll it takes on his soul.

Season Two of Peaky Blinders demonstrates the maturation of the series as it delves deeper into the intricacies of ambition, power, and the human condition. The expansion of their operations into London symbolizes not just a territorial gain but also an escalation in the scale and complexity of their operations. Tom Hardy’s portrayal of the unpredictable and formidable Alfie Solomons adds a layer of unpredictability to the show. His alliance and subsequent betrayal of Thomas is a central plot device, which symbolizes the fickleness of power and alliances in the criminal underworld. Polly’s character arc is particularly striking. Her struggles with her past, identity, and morality are portrayed with a raw intensity. The addition of her son, Michael, to the mix, adds a layer of complexity as she grapples with maternal instincts against the backdrop of a violent and tumultuous environment. Another notable aspect is the evolution of The King. His ambition to expand and legitimize his operations showcases his strategic mind and relentless drive. However, his relationships with May and Grace also reveal a vulnerability and a yearning for something beyond power and wealth. This season solidifies Thomas as an anti-hero – one that the audience can’t help but root for despite his often morally ambiguous actions. Major Campbell’s descent into darkness is also a critical narrative. His character becomes synonymous with corruption and vengeance. His interaction with the Shelby family, especially with Thomas, exhibits the blurred lines between legality and criminality. Season Two of Peaky Blinders is a masterful continuation of the saga. It’s grander in scale, darker in tone, and more complex in its storytelling. The season builds upon the foundation laid in Season One and takes the audience on a riveting journey through the dark and gritty streets of post-war England, where ambition, treachery, and violence are just a day in the life of the Shelby family.

Season 3

Fast forward another two years and we learn that T Shel indeed chose love (Grace) over business (May). The King of Small Heath’s opulent wedding with the fraudulent barmaid sets the stage; The power couple has little Charles to show for and things are trending in the direction of mental stability for Tommy, until his queen is killed by a bullet intended for him during a lavish charity foundation in Birmingham. The lethal bullet was discharged as his Italian and Russian adversaries facilitated a plot against him because of his involvement in the arms deal and his connections with the Russians; An Italian assassin sent by a faction opposing the Shelbys kills Tommy’s mental health instead of his physical body as he watches the soul get sucked out of the love of his life all because he’s a gangster with enemies. The death marks a huge turning point; before, Tommy was en route to being a happy family man trying to fully legitimize his business but now he will inevitably lead the Peaky Blinders into the gloomy abyss via a ruthless path of vengeance. This is the moment that shapes Tommy into who we see the rest of the series; his past gets even grimmer and his worldview becomes even more pessimistic… All he’s left with is little Charles, a band of badass Blinders and a Hall of Fame Limitless Ambition Badge that has the potential to take Team Peaky either to the promised land or 6 feet under. I for one was pretty upset to see Grace killed off so quickly after being reintroduced. My good pal Tom was finally beginning to overcome the WWI trauma through his complete love for another human being, but we are gruesomely reminded that stability & wellness are hard to come by as a professional mobster. I would’ve enjoyed an uneventful seasons 3-6 as long as Uncle Tom was able to live happily ever after with his main bird, but the capitalist machine of show-biz demands action. Instead of the sunsets, roses and charcuterie boards that Grace had in mind, we get to see the pissed off conqueror dismantle his enemies with her death acting as the rocket fuel that sends the Peaky Machine into the cosmos at escape velocity.

The illegitimate tendrils of the Shelby operations see them dabbling in international arms dealing, economic manipulation, and playing a cat-and-mouse game with various factions, including the Economic League, the British Government, and especially the exiled Russian aristocracy. Tommy's shrewd machinations, though fruitful, have consequences; they plant the seeds of distrust within his family and create formidable enemies. The tentacles of the Shelby empire reach across the ocean as they flirt with the prestigious yet dangerous members of the Russian Nobility. Engaging in a perilous dance with the charming Duchess Tatiana Petrovna, and her kin, the Shelbys are commissioned to supply arms for the White Russians. Tommy is thrust into a world that's an antithesis to his Birmingham roots; full of eccentric aristocrats, mystic customs, and allure, it's a dark rabbit hole that plays havoc with his mind. Perhaps the most mystic custom appears in the fourth episode of the season when Tommy is forced into a game of Russian Roulette with Buss Down Tatiana, who is deep in the danger zone of the crazy-hot matrix.

On the home front, the indomitable Polly Gray embarks on her own road to redemption and self-discovery. Her dalliance with the painter, Ruben Oliver, showcases her vulnerabilities and desires that reach beyond the confines of the Shelby dynasty. Polly grapples with her sense of self, contrasting with Michael’s burgeoning brutality, as he seeks to carve out a space for himself within the family’s operations. Meanwhile Arthur finds the antidote to his violent tendencies and diseased mind – Linda the Quaker woman slowly begins a transformation within him. On one end Linda stands tall as a beacon of hope and salvation for his tormented soul but on the other, the family business coupled with his innate darkness is a weighted anchor that makes it hard for him to climb out of the depths of the ocean floor.

The Church and its shadowy sway within the government, represented by the enigmatic Father John Hughes, play a crucial role in season 3. The secret society called The Odd Fellows wields considerable power and influence within the British government and they aim to maintain the status quo and the power of the British elite by any means necessary;. Father Hughes manipulates T Shel multiple times; whether it was kidnapping Young Charles or drugging him at dinner with the Russians, Papa Hughes constantly demonstrates to the viewers that he’s a power-hungry & devious fiend for De Facto leverage. Hughes forcibly drags Tommy into the convoluted scheme of orchestrating an arms deal and robbery, which is intended to financially support the White Russian forces against the Bolsheviks. The Church is involved because of its interests in maintaining a Tsarist regime in Russia, which would be favorable to its cause and the British aristocracy. Once The Blinders figure out that Papa Hughes is toying with them, there is only one possible ending for the Father, who is eerily similar to Game of Thrones’ deceitful Littlefinger. The Shelbys model their game after the Starks as they realize and then actualize the fact: master manipulators need to die. As Tommy navigates his way through the treachery, he finds an unlikely ally in Alfie Solomons, whose cunning matches his own. Although Alfie has previously demonstrated that he’s a pure wild card, they now have a common enemy, and together they plot to overthrow the malignant grasp of the Economic League and the Crown’s cohorts. The pair of determined blokes stage a daring heist involving the Russian treasury… Their combined ingenuity proves formidable but shit gets cheeky down the stretch of season three.

Tommy and Alfie set up the heist with some initial misdirection as they venture into the Russian jewel cave and buy the Fabergé egg, establishing a faulty trust and gaining insider information. Things are moving according to the plan, until it’s later revealed that King Jew made a deal with the Odd Fellows and tipped off the Russians about Tommy’s plans to rob their treasury. After the heist still manages to be successful due to the Peaky craftiness and grit, Tommy confronts Alfie in the all-time ‘Line Crossing’ scene; T exposes Al and has him at gunpoint but Alfie reasons brilliantly with his back against the wall, talking about “your anger is un-fucking justified” because the game is the game. Michael domes Alfie’s boy but Mr. Solomon lives to see another day because he allows Tommy to understand the ‘fool me one time shame on you, fool me twice can’t put the blame on you’ philosophy. Although the train heist is technically successful in terms of the robbery (thanks to Tommy’s own insider trader, Tatiana) , it becomes a pyrrhic victory for the Shelby family as the wealth they gain is overshadowed by the treachery and the ensuing complications that arise. Alfie’s double dealing ultimately plays a major role in causing Polly, Michael, Arthur and John to face the jaws of imprisonment for their respective crimes; the final scene in the season evokes even more intrigue within the audience as Uncle T tells his family that they are about to be arrested but he has a plan to get them all out. The midway point of the series is resonant with echoes of Shakespearean tragedy: A desolate Tommy stands amidst his opulent estate, a king who gambled all, won, and yet lost.

Season 4

The Fourth Act is a return to roots and a fight for survival for the Shelby family. We are brought back to Small Heath and the series takes a more personal and intense turn, focusing on the themes of family bonds, revenge and redemption. The nooses are prepared for Polly, Michael, Arthur and Johnboy who are set to die for their crimes, but we all knew Uncle T would devise some plot to get them out just before the clock hit 0:00. The nooses tighten around the vulnerable necks of the once imposing gangsters and it’s looking like Bleak Midwinter time, until we learn that Tommy stole a letter written by King George himself during a robbery at Hampton court, proving his majesty was involved in these paramount crimes. T Shel displays Lebron-level clutchness and not only gets the rope off his family’s neck but they are released from prison and there’s a cherry on top: Tommy demands to be on the New Year’s Honor List and to be awarded an OBE by the King – a decisive move that furthers his ambitions for legitimizing his empire and gaining political recognition.

Fast forward a year: it’s Christmas time in Birmingham and Tom is rocking with the intellectual Harry Potter circular glasses look. The season centers around Luca Changretta (Adrien Brody): the team captain of the New York-Sicillian Mafia seeks vengeance for the deaths of his family who were killed by the marching Peaky Machine last season. Luca lets them know he’s not fucking around early and often with some ‘black hand’ warnings sent to each family member. With the grave threat looming, the Shelbys reunite in Small Heath and put aside their differences in the face of the dire situation. Polly is still shaken up from her near death experience and Arthur just wishes to live a more peaceful life but they are fiercely protective of their family and they know they are going to have to dig deep back into the violent world of the Peaky Blinders in order to survive. The scene is set for an instant classic between two aggressive and passionate squads determined to be crowned the victor and continue the survival of their family.

The Italian-Americans get out to an early lead as they pump Johnboy’s guts full of lead just as Michael tried warning him that these cats from New York are legit. We learn quickly that this game is a game of runs, and Tommy orchestrates a hit to equalize the score, using John’s funeral as a beacon. The Shelby’s know they need to add some of their own firepower in order to run with the big dogs in this heavyweight matchup – the hit was carried out by their newfound ally, professional assassin Aberama Gold. This isn’t Aberama’s only stint of the season as the mercenary ambushes Luca and Co later on; he rips through a few of Luca’s hounds but the main man slips away by the skin of his teeth. The Shelby’s know they have to stay on the offensive if they want to win this game: Tommy tries to manipulate Mussolini by sending Polly his way, claiming she will “give him Tommy Shelby” so long as she spares Finn and Arthur. The Shelby's bag of tricks seem infinite this season as this ploy was nothing compared to the ruse of Arthur’s fake death. The fake death is one of my favorite scenes and schemes of the show and it sets up an electrifying showdown.

While the Blinders certainly played their fair share of offense this season, there were also numerous attacks from Changretta’s men, highlighted by this brilliant game of cat and mouse by Luca and Tommy. The Season reaches its climax in a dramatic face-off between the two leaders in a backroom setting nod to classic gangster movies. Tommy arranges the meeting under the guise of negotiating a truce seemingly handing over all of Shelby Company Ltd’s businesses in America. In one of the most riveting scenes in television history, just as Changretta tells T to get on his knees, the King reveals his final concoction “Big fucks small, so I had to find someone bigger than you”. In a dramatic turn, we learn that Tommy allied with Changretta’s competition in New York and even Al Capone in Chicago with the help of Alfie. Finally, Tommy drags his nuts across Luca’s face and tells the Italian mobster he’s about to meet his maker, “If you were to die in a vendetta with some fucking bookmaker in Birmingham, they could take over your business without a war. All your blood relatives are dead and your men right here… well they work for the highest bidder and they now have new orders”. Just as Luca realizes he’s fucked, Arthur rises from the dead and delivers the final blow, ending the war and declaring one more time, “You don’t fuck with the Peaky Blinders”.

This isn’t quite the end of the season as Tommy’s relationship with Alfie is more than complex. Alfie plays both sides of the war as per usual and despite helping Tom take down the Italians, he initially betrays him again. The constant deception gives T the ambitions to put down the misbehaving dog at the beach, but before Tommy pulls the trigger Alfie reveals he has cancer and goads him into shooting him for an ‘honorable fucking reason’. Solomons keeps running his mouth as a means to distract Tom from realizing that he’s about to shoot him. The two exchange blows and the ally/adversary with a mercurial temperament is presumed dead while the wounded Tommy walks away. In the final scenes of the season, the story takes a three month leap in time to show Tommy’s political aspirations coming to fruition. He wins a seat as a member in Parliament in his newly formed ‘Labor Party’ in a landslide victory, dominating his fellow conservative, liberal and communist candidates. His newfound political power sets the stage for the next season which will undoubtedly bring new challenges and opportunities for the Shelby family. A season that started with the hopes of mere survival ends with amassed power in the form of dead rivals, allies across the pond and a coveted seat in Parliament.

Season 5

The stakes are raised once more in the fifth act as the Shelby’s are no longer just a backstreet razorblade gang from Birmingham: they are now an intentional force to be reckoned with. Chapter 5 opens with the 1929 Wall Street stock market crash jeopardizing the well-being of the Shelby Company Ltd which causes them to re-evaluate their operations and look for new avenues to sustain the wealth and power that they’ve worked so hard to accumulate. The market crash serves as a harsh reminder to Team Peaky that ‘it takes 10 years for a tree to grow, but just 10 minutes to chop it down’. The gang’s problems are not limited to economic woes as they find themselves dragged into the volatile political landscape of the time; fascism is on the rise in Europe and Tommy has a new friend (enemy), Hitler’s buddy, Oswald Mosely.

We quickly learn that Mosely is the guy that will fill the shoes of Adrien Brody as the ‘ruthless antagonist’ this season. The Wizard of Oz is a charismatic yet dangerous bloke but that doesn’t deter Uncle T from trying to dismantle his power from the inside. But conflict often exists both externally and internally as Michael returns back from America with a boosted ego fueled by his new sexy American wife Gina Gray. Peaky’s internal tensions begin to brew early on this season as Tommy is pissed off at Michael for not pulling out of the market when he told him to and Michael’s newfound ambition sets the stage for a grave power struggle. Polly is caught in the middle like a fly in a spider’s web as she is infinitely loyal to Tommy but has a deep maternal love for her son. Tom and Mike kiss and makeup for the time being but we see the tensions escalate exponentially towards the end of the season.

Jimmy McCavern and The Billy Boys, a notorious Scottish protestant razor gang full of fascist enthusiasts, serve as the side antagonist this season. Their natural partnership with Oswald Mosely strengthens their appetite for power; They extend their operations into areas controlled by the Shelbys and inevitably, heads get killed. Mosely uses the BB’s as his muscle and protection the same way Uncle T uses Aberama Gold’s crew – the dynamic sets up a nice little side matchup of Jimmy McCavern vs Aberama Gold, both respectable gangsters in their own right. In episode two, The Boys emerge from the woods with malicious intent toward the gypsies; they stick a non lethal bullet in Aberama while crucifying his son Bonnie in front of him, which sparks the secondary rivalry. After watching his son die a gruesome death in front of his eyes, Aberama strikes back at the Billy Boys in an ambush. The rivalry is of grand importance to the Blinders as Aberama is set to marry Polly Gray; the proposal scene takes place during a party in Tommy’s mansion that’s designed to celebrate Lizzie and Tommy’s wedding, but it takes a dark turn when Linda pulls a gun on Arthur. Linda has been depicted throughout the season as becoming increasingly estranged from Arthur’s internal darkness and the violent world of the Shelby family. Linda realizes Arthur’s soul is beyond saving and after being influenced by a Quaker meeting, she blames him for the demise of their marriage and her personal misery – she pulls out the gun with the intent to send Art into the afterlife just when Polly emerges and shoots her first. The stark juxtaposition of these two moments – one of potential marital bliss and the other of marital despair ending in blood – serves to emphasize the extreme dichotomy of the Peaky Blinders' world, one where love and violence coexist inextricably.

In the main arena, Tommy proposes a bold strategy to have Oswald Mosely assassinated by the perfect candidate – his comrade Barney. Tommy breaks the mental asylum patient (but excellent sniper) out of the psych ward and things are moving according to plan, but in this world we know that state is usually temporary. Aberama lays out Tommy’s scheme in plain english, “Let me get this straight - you're gonna be up on the stage while this coked up criminally insane gunman takes aim at a man just a yard away from you” to which Tommy responds clinically, “Welcome to the family Aberama”. The plan is multifaceted and specific as Uncle T tells his crew, “I’ll be down on one knee cradling his head while the life drains from him and I'll make a speech saying how the cause he died for must continue safely in my hands'' to which Aberama poses, “Tommy… does your ambition have no limits”? All of a sudden it’s gametime at Bingley Hall amidst the British Union of Fascists, and the plan does not go according to plan. Just before Barney is about to unleash a history-changing snipe, he gets domed by one of Mosley’s hounds and instead it's Aberama that gets gutted like a pig just before he’s able to finish off Jimmy McCavern. It was Finn who inadvertently fucked everything up as he naively revelaed the details of the planned assassination to a footballer-turned-bookie in the Shelby Company Ltd betting shop – this is never revealed as fact but any knowledgable viewer is able to realize that Finn’s loose lips likely changed the course of history. Although Tommy’s desire for power takes a major stumble, he’s mainly discouraged because he opposes Mosely’s dangerous ideology; he was hoping to act as the antidote to the rise of fascism in the UK but instead the movement seems like it will only pick up momentum after the failed plan. This situation, coupled with Michael's bold proposal to take over the family business and demote Tommy to go by the alias of a dead man “Mr. Jones”, is not keen to his mental health. Earlier in the season finale, Tommy responds to Michael’s inevitable proposition, facilitated by Gina Gray, by throwing the ‘papers of the future’ in the fire, but there’s blood is in the water and Aunt Polly knows it, “There will be a war and one of you will die”. After the botched assassination attempt and Michael’s attempt at the Iron Throne, (combined with his guilt, PTSD, increaed hallucinations and reliance on drugs and alcohol which all accumulate throughout the season), season 5 ends with Tommy on the brink of self destruction– a reminder of the personal cost of his ambitions and the World War that has left an incredible mark on his psyche. The season concludes with a distraught Tommy walking into the fog with a hallucination of Grace goading him towards suicide; as he screams and points a gun to his head, the screen cuts to black, leaving his fate uncertain and building the stakes for the ultimate season.

Season 6

In the immediate aftermath of the failed assassination attempt, we learn it was the IRA behind the debacle as they call up Tommy and inform him that he will depend on them and Oswald Mosley for a little longer. They also drop off the bodies of those that lost their lives as collateral for Tom’s backdoor attempt to take over the world – namely we see a deceased Aunt Polly (who’s killed off because the actual actress Helen McCrory tragically passed away from cancer). The Shelby family puts her to rest and Michael vows to kill Tommy once and for all because in the words of the IRA lady, “you consistently fail to understand your own limitations”.

4 years go by and we are thwarted into 1933 as the end of prohibition is nearing, which means that anyone who made their keep bootleging will be out of work. Sober Tommy goes out to Miquelon Island, a French island, to make a deal with Michael and his new connections in the Boston Mafia run by Gina’s uncle, Jack Nelson. He offers to sell them ‘the finest opium in the world’, handing them a little sample to confirm the quality; He then informs a contact at the Boston harbour that Michael will be carrying opium and succeeds in sending him to jail upon his return. Gina visits Michael in jail and tells him that her uncle is working on his release but he’ll have to hang tight for a bit as they speculate regarding T Shel’s true intentions behind doing business in Boston. Tommy then pays a visit to Gina at her Boston house to insist a deal needs to happen or else he’ll take his business elsewhere, maybe to the Jews of East Boston; as Gina tells him “no deal” before he even has a chance to begin the negotiations, he revelas that it was indeed him who tipped off the cops leading to Michael’s arrest, “I wanted to give your uncle a dilemma. His favorite niece’s husband banged up in Boston for smuggling opium… What does he do? If he intervenes and has him released how will the play in the Oval Office? And if he does nothing, how does that play in South Boston?” Tommy lands one verbal jab after another as he lets Gina know that he has all the leverage in this situation, “with that amount of opium, the balance of power between the Irish, the Jewish and the Italians will shift heavily in favor of the East. I have excellent contacts with the family that runs the East – the Solomons, maybe you’ve heard of them. Once you people have accepted that you must treat us as equals, then I think our families will work together very well”. The pissed off conqueror explodes onto the scene in South Boston and unloads the ultimatum that Jack Nelson will have to do business with Tommy or else chaos will ensue. Tommy concludes his brief journey to the states by paying Michael a visit in prison; he tells him that he’s stuck in prison until Jack Nelson concludes his business in London, and has the paperwork to prove it. This revelation incenses Michael who tells Tommy “You’re out of your fucking depth. Your dead already”. Tommy’s time in the Land of the Free ends with a sour flavor when Lizzie calls up Tommy and tells him that their daughter (Ruby was concieved during the four year gap) has come down with a fever and cannot travel like they planned to. When she describes the symptoms, Tommy gets spooked on some gypsy shit and tells her that he will be returning home on the next steamer. The backstreet Brit makes his presence felt early and often in the states, but the family man has an obligation to re-cross the pond.

Back in Birmingham, Arthur has given in to his addiction and is struggling to get by, leaving Ada to hold things together while the big man is out of town. T gets back home and has Ruby checked by the Gypsy doctors while Lizzie complains that he is not present and needs to take a break from the gangster life and spend time with his family. T counters, explaining that he has just one last plan to take care of and then he’s done… for good. After leading an electric socialist rally, we learn that Tommy is now openly politicizing against the fascist movement. He meets up with Laura McKee of the IRA (the woman who killed Aunt Polly) and tells her that Jack Nelson is coming to the UK and he appears to be a fascist sympathizer who would most likely support their cause. Tommy wittingly convinces her to join him in his internal resistance to the fascist movement and change the world for the better. He then meets Jack for the first time and offers him a full report on Chruchill’s socialist strategies in return for access in South Boston. He frames the symbiosis as a necessity because otherwise Jack would have to take on Churchill without his intelligence and he would sell his opium to the Jews in Boston, but Nelson ends the encounter with ambiguity, “I’ll think a great deal about what you’ve said”.

Meanwhile, Ruby gets sick once again and Tommy is forced to seek out his Esme because he truly believes that his daughter is the victim of a gypsy curse. The doctors confirm that Ruby is suffering from consumption but Tommy still goes out in search of Esme while Lizzie sits by her daughter’s side. A developed and sneaky tenacious Ada takes control of negotiations with the likes of Mosely and Uncle Jack while Tommy is gone and attempts to bring some order back into the business. Tommy finds Esme who gives him a lead on the curse but by the time he gets back to the hospital, Ruby has already passed and Lizzie is completely broken because her father was not by her side. After putting his daughter to rest, Tommy finds and kills the gypsy that he believed was responsible for the curse. The slaughter scene enlightens us that revenge is often the playground of the devil and likely does nothing to remedy Tommy of his pain. The emotion-filled King of Small Heath then gets to work on his master plan and hosts Jack Nelson, Laura McKee, Oswald Mosley and Diana Mitford at his home to discuss their next actions. We finally see all the main faces in the same room as the big shots discuss the potential New World Order of fascist Europe. The intuitive Uncle Jack sniffs out the fact that Shelby’s heart is not invested in the fascist movement prompting him to display his commitment to the cause by standing at Mosely’s command and striking the “Perish Judah” pose. The powerful crew appears to be ideologically homogeneous but T Shel continues to plot away from the inside.

The next majorly impactful scene comes in the form of learning that The Thomas Shelby has just one year to live as his daughter’s illness spread to him in the form of a tuberculoma. Tommy sets about getting his affairs in order; he brings his illegitimate son, Duke, into the fold and reaches out to Linda (who we learn survived the gunshot by Polly) to help get Arthur clean. All the feels come out when Arthur learns that Tommy is dying – the two joke about how none of the bullets fired at him could kill him but this bloody disease can. The laughter turns to anger and then somber love as the two old war dogs cry in each other's embrace – it’s a tough realization for Pippen that he’s no longer going to have Jordan by his side.

Meanwhile, Jack Nelson ‘meets’ with Billy Grade who we learn is the Black Cat within the Shelby family and comandingly tells him to provide information that will help him finish the Shelbys once and for all. The saga between Billy Grade and the true Peaky Blinders

culminates in shocking fashion, as we learn that Finn was in cahoots with the traitorous soul.

Still thick as thieves with treacherous Billy - the pair tipped up drunk (again) to Arrow House, ostensibly to recover vital documents and dig up bodies. Taken into Tommy and Arthur’s confidence, Duke and Isiah Jesus beat up Billy and order Finn to finish the job: If he didn’t, he could “walk away from this family for good”. Shaken Finn showed his true colors, not just by furiously insulting Duke’s mother but by turning the gun on Isiah and Duke. Rather than firing, though, it just dry-clicked. As advised by canny Charlie Strong, Duke had emptied the first two chambers - enabling them to witness Finn’s betrayal while remaining unscathed. His fate was sealed: Duke executed Billy, then told Finn he was excommunicated - by order of you-know-you. “I will fooking come for you,” spat Finn as he departed in disgrace. There is certainly some intentional ambiguity regarding the nature of Finn’s character, whether his betrayal to the Shelby family was intentional or naive and what his true motives were during the last couple of seasons – for more insights into that, this video is a solid watch.

One of the more fascinating storylines in the backhalf of season six is the sexual carousel that keeps going round and round. Diana made a conquest of Tommy, presenting sex as the final initiation stage of Mosely’s ‘Prove you’re a Nazi’ test. She and the Wizard of Oz also had another motive - to humiliate Lizzie out of her marriage and clear the path for a newer, more powerful, and more ideologically-compatible Mrs Shelby, with a less scandalous past. After ‘The Boiling Point Scene’ Lizzie leaves Tommy; he’s been increasingly closed off from her and him sleeping with Diana acts as the Boiling Point that causes the tea pot to scream and Lizzie to run off with Charles as Tommy tells her that he will set them up somewhere nice to live in peace. The carousel continues to turn counter clockwise as Tommy pieces together that Gina cheated on Michael with Sir Oswald, giving him another layer of leverage as he demands to know the contents of a future meeting with Mosely and the German government that Gina will attend. The twists and plots in season 6 are denser than the Amazon rain forest – you never know you may see a lurking cougar.

The still-member of Parliament representing the Labour Party plans to build housing for the working class and has been securing land around England to make that happen. Tommy meets with Diana and Oswald at the House of Commons, telling them about his housing plan and that he wants to buy off property from Diana’s connections who are struggling with their debts. Oswald dubiously invites him to their wedding in Germany but he says that he cannot attend because he’ll be in Canada collecting his payment. He later makes a deal with Alfie (who we learned at the end of season 5 survived his respective gunshot to the face) in exchange for gaining back control in Boston once he takes care of Jack Nelson. As Tommy gets ready to go to Canada and collect his payment for the opium that was shipped to Boston, Michael is finally released from prison and the stage for the ultimate conflict is set.

Once it’s evident that there will be no deal between the Shelbys and Uncle Jack, the two teams are at war alas. Jack’s plan is to take out the Shelbys once and for all but the backstreet gang only knows how to survive and advance in this predictably unpredictable world. In the undercard, Laura AKA Captain Swing (who we learn switches teams once more) and two others arrive at the Garrison to kill Arthur, but he’s been waiting for them. Along with Charlie and Jeremiah, they fight off their attackers and come out on top. In the main event, Tommy is supposed to meet Michael on Miquelon Island for the exchange, but the Great White Shark has always had an innate ability to smell blood in the water: Michael and his associates have a bomb planted in the car for Tommy, but he already knew that. Once he arrives, Michael gets him in the car but the wrong car blows up as Johnny Dogs shows up and pulled an old switcheroo. Aunt Polly told us the future last season and it is of course Tommy who is the predator and Michael who is the prey.

The 82 minute finale is an absolute doozy, and it doesn’t end quite yet. Despite winning yet another war, Tommy prepares for his ultimate fate as he takes one last look at his mansion before blowing it up. Time hops forward one month, where we meet him inside a caravan at an undisclosed location, filled with pictures of his loved ones and various trinkets. He loads his gun and holds it to his head, set to pull the trigger when Ruby appears to him. "You must live," she says. Visionized Ruby informs Tommy that he is not sick, contrary to what he believes, and as she points to a newspaper clipping reporting on Mosley and Diana’s wedding, he sees his doctor among the attendees and immediately a light turns on in his head. The tuberculoma was a total fabrication orchestrated by the Nazi regiment who decided that the only person who could kill Thomas Shelby was Thomas Shelby himself. The show ends poetically as the Prince of Darkness rides off on his white horse in the countryside, somehow escaping death once more. The series is over, but there is speculation that the most badass fictional character of all time is set to obliterate the deceptive fascist scumbags in the form of a movie that will settle the PeakyVerse once and for all.