Peaky Blinders finale: How it ended for Tommy Shelby and co
Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby.
After being blindsided by a terminal diagnosis, Tommy (Cillian Murphy) spends most of the finale tying up loose ends: settling his affairs, blowing up his home to make way for social housing, arranging a new home for his wife and son, travelling to Canada to claim $5 million owed to him, and finally having his showdown with Michael. Essentially, Tommy is preparing for his inevitable death, but at the last moment, a spiritual visit from his late daughter Ruby as he holds his gun to his head saves his life. He realises his doctor is involved with fascist Oswald Mosely and lied about Tommy’s illness in the hope that the Peaky Blinder would choose to end his life on his own terms: after all, only Tommy Shelby could kill Tommy Shelby. He leaves his burning gypsy caravan behind, presumably to reclaim his life, and the series ends as it began, with Tommy cutting a striking figure on horseback.
After stewing in prison, Michael arranges to meet Tommy in Canada where he intends to rid himself of his cousin for good. In cahoots with the Boston Irish, he arranges to have a bomb placed in the car he is to share with Tommy to collect the $5 million owed to Shelby. However, he is thwarted by Johnny Dogs, who switches the bomb and places it in the other car, killing his co-conspirators. Tommy ends their feud with one shot from his gun, right through Michael’s eye, fulfilling Polly's prophecy that one of them would die at the hands of the other.
Tommy’s older brother had a redemptive narrative for the finale, transforming from a cumbersome addict to an essential part of the Shelby plan against their fascist enemies. When he is targeted by IRA members at the Garrison pub, Arthur is prepared for battle and soon settles the score, killing their leader Captain Swing/Laura McKee (played by Charlene McKenna) in revenge for the death of his beloved aunt, Polly (the late Helen McCrory). He is the only person Tommy entrusts with his terminal diagnosis and during Tommy’s goodbyes, his brother off-screen, by the river, as he finds farewells difficult.
While Michael was fighting to become the new king of the family across the pond, Erasmus Shelby laid claim to the title of Duke in his absence and surely set up another compelling family feud for a future movie or spin-off series. After he put a bullet through the eye of traitor Billy Grade and expelled his uncle Finn from the family (by order of the Peaky f*cking Blinders, of course), Finn vowed revenge on his newly-discovered nephew.
Tommy’s fierce sister Ada is not present for much of the final episode, appearing towards the end during an outdoor dinner where Tommy says his goodbyes. He encourages her to run for office, as she was always better suited to political life, and she senses he is keeping something from her and the rest of the family about his planned time away and how long he will be gone.
Oh yes. It was a well-rounded conclusion, with enough violence and emotion to satisfy any fan as well as impressive acting and cinematography. There were twists and turns aplenty, especially surrounding Tommy and Michael’s struggle for power over the family as well as Tommy’s health storyline. Plus there was a welcome return of fan-favourite Alfie Solomon, played by the excellent Tom Hardy, and viewers were delighted by Johnny Dogs’ sleight of hand with the Canadian car bomb, though his line that he was off to “look at the fog” while Tommy dealt with Michael will surely become an iconic line – its already getting the meme treatment on Twitter.
Our favourite Birmingham gangsters are expected to return in a film. In January last year, showrunner Steven Knight said the show would "continue in another form" after the sixth and final season. In an interview with Empire magazine in January, Knight said: "I think of this sixth series as the end of the beginning."
The movie is expected to take place during World War II and will probably continue the story of Tommy’s connection with Oswald Mosely (Sam Claflin) and the rise of Nazis in the 1930s. While no casting has been announced yet, we can only hope that Cork star Cillian Murphy will reprise his role as the leader of the Peaky Blinders.
Peaky Blinders leaves an opening for another period drama to take its place and who better to provide its replacement than the creator of the show, Steven Knight. Knight has penned World War II drama SAS: Rogue Heroes, which is set in 1941 and tells the true story of how the SAS was formed in North Africa. A trailer was released yesterday and features Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen, Sex Education star Connor Swindells, and The Affair actor Dominic West. it will air on BBC One later this year.
