The older Shelby deserved more.
Spoilers for ‘Peaky Blinders’ below.
In the series finale ‘Peaky Blinders’ we saw Arthur Shelby back in top form for one last ultraviolent outburst on behalf of his Aunt Polly, accompanied by machine guns, mustard gas and lots and lots of fury. It was a glorious return for a character who had been having a terrible time for far too long.
The character, played by Paul Anderson, has been the force that complements Tommy Shelby’s (Cillian Murphy) brain. from the first time we set eyes on this clan of gangsters who wear flat caps and sharp suits, becoming a firm fan favorite in the process.
However, as the seasons progressed, Arthur got lost somewhere, and his role as second-in-command was reduced to almost nothing by the time season six rolled around. He hasn’t even gotten a proper goodbye on screen.
It was a shame to see such a character, plagued by anger and mental health issues, become the butt of all the jokes.. Arthur has always been fun to watch, but even with his one-liners and slight naivety of his despite his advanced age, he was always accompanied by something a little darker.
Throughout the series, it has become clear that Arthur wanted more from life, more than what the Peaky Blinders gave him, although he could never quite pin down what that ‘extra’ thing was. At one point, he sought solace in religion and his wife, Linda, and at other times he sought the power and respect that Tommy had., believing that it was due to him being the older brother. But there was always a comfort in knowing his place within the ranks of the Shelby Company Ltd, and his less than legal activities, so he stayed.
He was also the most approachable of the brothers. If you wanted to get to Tommy, the best way to do it was to get Arthur to like you.. He was the one who best welcomed Finn as he was trained into the family empire, and he continued to be when Duke (Conrad Khan), Tommy’s secret son, showed up unannounced in season six. For his sins, Arthur has proven to be very good at judging the character of others and someone willing to teach and share.
Even so, in the fifth season he began to lose control of reality a little, and his violent impulses led him to hurt those who did not deserve it, Linda left him and sought refuge in opium. In the four-year time jump between seasons five and six, Arthur has become a full-fledged opium addict and could barely stand tall long enough to don a Santa suit for the Shelby family’s children.
In summary, the sixth season has severely disappointed Arthur. Her drug addiction seemed like a convenient excuse to limit her scenes and give way to more depressing thoughts from Tommy, while a million different plots took their time converging into one.
When Arthur was needed, he turned out to have a drug-free day, and when he wasn’t needed, he stayed in the background.. Addiction does this to a person, there’s no denying that, and the ways opium was used during that time is credible. Even Tommy acknowledged that parents gave it to their children when he closed down the opium den that Arthur frequented so much.
But within the scheme of the series at the moment, looks like they weren’t sure what to make of Arthur. He’s not the only Shelby to suffer this fate, as Finn (Harry Kirton) only gets to see his hair in the last two episodes.
He was added to scenes where he didn’t need to be, like when he joined Isiah and a group of new Peaky Blinders gang members to go to the Liverpool docks, only to fall apart upon meeting Hayden Stagg (Stephen Graham). We saw Arthur break down completely, only for Tommy to pick him up by his suspenders and encourage him to stop using..
It turned out that that was literally the only thing he needed, sinceAt the end he was suddenly not only the same thug and violent man he was before, but proudly declared that he is clean and that “the dragon is gone“, suggesting that he has completely overcome his addiction. Although you never see them in a scene together, it is even suggested that he had patched things up with Linda, who shot him in season five and disappeared after she left him.
Linda has appeared in very few scenes in this sixth season, always with Tommy, and was even present at Tommy’s farewell dinner. Do you know who was not at the farewell dinner? Arthur. The only person she really told the truth about her condition with the tuberculoma. This later turns out to be a trick by Mosley, but as far as Arthur and Tommy at the time of the party are concerned, it was 100% real, and the dinner was the last time the brothers were able to see each other.
Arthur’s absence was attributed to him looking for fish in the local lake because he doesn’t like goodbyes.and Linda read a short note on his behalf.
It would not be the first time that a series uses that type of narrative device to excuse the absence of a character.. But ultimately, it’s truly tragic that the friendship and brotherhood between Arthur and Tommy, a relationship that has provided a soft spot for these seemingly unbreakable men through multiple family deaths, the growth of a business, and a war, didn’t hold. the closure it deserved.
The Peaky Blinders movie is already on the way, so it’s possible the pair will reunite if Tommy decides to return to the family fold.. But if they do, we hope Arthur gets the kind of ending he truly deserves, which in our opinion is either finally finding some kind of peace or dying an epic death in a hail of gunfire.
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
