The sixth season finale of Peaky Blinders will air on February 27. The crime story of Irishman Tommy Shelby and his family didn't win many critical accolades, but it won over millions of viewers and became a cult hit in the UK. Canobu contributor Marie Grigorian explains why screenwriter Stephen Knight's great story is still entertaining, even though the plot has abruptly changed course.
How did season 5 end?
Each season of Sharp Sightings focuses on one or two major enemies of Thomas Shelby's (Cillian Murphy) family who stand in the way of his family's rise to power and wealth. In the first season, for example, it was the police in the Irish city of Birmingham and the local gang, the Birmingham Boys.
In the fifth season, Tommy decides to enter politics and wins the parliamentary elections. He faces a new and powerful opponent: young MP Oswald Mosby (Sam Claflin), who is about to found a fascist party in the UK. Mosby blackmails Tommy into killing journalist Michael Levitt, forcing him to join the future party. Since Shelby has long worked with the British police, infiltrating the ranks of the fascists is only to his advantage.
However, Tommy miscalculated his strength and attracted the attention of Mosby's bosses.
To stop the Nazi advance, Shelby prepares, in the season finale, to assassinate Mosby during his public appearance. But Mosby was on the side of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the military group that fought for Northern Ireland's independence for most of the 20th century. IRA agents foiled the assassination attempt and attacked several members of Tommy's entourage at the same time.
Peaky Blinders Season 6 Synopsis.
After Mosby's story, Tommy Shelby is desperate and tries again to commit suicide. He fails: his brother Arthur (Paul Anderson) manages to get all the bullets out of the gun. At the same time, an IRA agent nicknamed "Captain Swing" calls Tommy and orders him to leave Mosby alone.
The captain backs up his threats to the IRA by bringing the bodies of his allies to Tommy's house. Among them is Tommy's aunt, Polly Grey (Helen McCrory, deceased in 2021). As he says goodbye to Polly, her son Michael (Finn Cole) vows to take revenge on Tommy.
In addition to Polly, the IRA also kills one of his subordinates, the gypsy Aberama Gold (Aidan Gillen), and Tommy's old war buddy Barney Thompson (Cosmo Jarvis), who was to shoot Mosby.
Four years have passed since Polly's funeral and we are in 1933, the year prohibition was repealed in the United States. Tommy arrives in neutral territory in Canada: the island of Miquelon is outside the jurisdiction of the American and French secret services. Shelby meets Michael, who has long been doing business in the American city of Boston with his wife's uncle, a man nicknamed "Uncle Jack".
Alcohol is about to become legal and Shelby no longer profits from smuggling whiskey into the United States. So he suggests to Michael that he get into the drug business. But, as always with Tommy, it's not just a business proposition, but part of his larger secret plan.
Despedida de Polly Grey
The Signature of Peaky Blinders
An expanded role for Anya Taylor-Joy
Impressions of Season 6 of Sharpened Visitors: the final episode of Shelby's story with The Queen's Walk star.
The new antagonist of the series never appeared in the first episode. Apparently, he will be Michael's brother-in-law, the uncle of his wife Gina Grey (Anya Taylor-Joy). The other characters call him "Uncle Jack", but Tommy also pronounces his real name, Jack Nelson. It is not yet known who will play him, but the media have already speculated that Australian actor James Freshville ("Animal Kingdom") has joined the cast for a reason.
A significant role in season 6 has been assigned to Gina Grey. Anya Taylor-Joy joined Sharp Visors in 2019, even before the premiere of the record-breaking series, The Queen's Walk, where she played the lead role. After the Netflix success, the writers of Sharp Visors had an opportunity to attract a new audience to watch the series through Taylor-Joy.
The opportunity was fully seized: Gina becomes actively involved in her husband's business and comes to London, closer to the show's main location. The first episode even devotes a dance scene to her, which seems to be a reference to a famous moment from The Queen's Walk.
There have always been interesting female characters in Sharp Visors, from Aunt Polly to Tommy's many mistresses. The new heroine may not replace the strong Polly, but her journey in the final season is at least intriguing.
Back to the theme of mysticism and superstition.
One of the strongest storylines in the series is that of Tommy Shelby. After surviving the war, many losses, and a hard life of crime, his psyche is increasingly disintegrating: he often thinks about suicide, has visions of his dead wife, and is tormented by nightmares. Shortly before Polly's death (in the fifth season), in a dream with a black cat, he saw a hint of betrayal in the Shelby family. And the visions and portents of history often come true.
Despite his pragmatism, cruelty and materialism, Tommy has always been very superstitious. Especially when it comes to gypsy omens and rituals. There is a moment in the series finale that once again reminds viewers of his belief in mysticism, or perhaps hints at the paranoia and near madness that has set in.
