We review everything that has happened in the last episode, which is the end of the series but not of its history: it has already left some keys for the film.
Spoilers for the end of ‘Peaky Blinders’ below.
The final season of ‘Peaky Blinders’ has finally arrived on the Netflix series catalog, but remember that it is only a see you later: the series ends with this season 6, but the ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie will continue the story soon. This explains better all the unanswered questions that the last episode of this sixth and final season has left us, and that we analyze in detail in this article.
Created by Steve Knight the series introduced us to the criminal world of Birmingham, England, through an unscrupulous family who wears razor caps and shoots before they ask. The Shelbys, led by Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), have been with us for years, and in this sixth season they up the ante of all their problems, both personal and professional.
The season begins with Tommy putting into motion a master plan that has culminated in the last episode., and whose objective is to ensure the economic resources of his family and the viability of his company in the event of a misfortune. And it would not be surprising: the protagonist is immersed in an absolutely unbearable maelstrom of tragedies, beginning with Polly’s death (caused by the death of actress Helen McCrory in the spring of 2021) and continuing with that of her daughter Ruby, victim of tuberculosis. Add to that the fact that the fascists are on his heels, his brother Arthur has taken to drugs again, Lizzie leaves him because he is fed up and the doctor tells him that he has an incurable disease that will allow him to live just one year… Well , even Tommy ‘fu*****’ Shelby has a limit.
Nevertheless, the last episode offers us an unexpected script twist that completely changes the fate of the story and the setting of the next movie.
Does Tommy Shelby Die in the ‘Peaky Blinders’ Finale?
Ever since we left him nearly killing himself in the season five finale of ‘Peaky Blinders,’ gave us the feeling that Tommy Shelby had a death sentence on him. Or, rather, a death wish. This feeling intensifies throughout the sixth season, which seems to be heading towards an inevitable end. Soon that feeling becomes a reality when the doctor tells Tommy he has tuberculosis and has just over a year to live. From there, with death a certainty, Tommy focuses on getting everything tied up (we talk about that below) and finally heads off into the mountains alone, with a gypsy wagon, a handful of photos and memorabilia, and a gun loaded with the bullet that bears his name.
According to the series, Tommy spends a whole month alone in the mountains, until he finally seems to decide to put the bullet in his head and end it all. However, something happens. Whether it is a hallucination or a divine message, the protagonist meets his deceased daughter, Ruby, who tells him that this is not his time, that he is not sick.. Confused, Tommy ends up glancing over a newspaper, in which he sees a photo of Osward Mosley’s wedding to Diana Mitford. And what was his surprise when he found among the guests… His doctor! Apparently, Dr. Holford has been in cahoots with the Nazi all this time and their plan was to make Tommy believe that he was dying since, knowing his prideful nature, they knew that he would end up taking his own life sooner or later.
Upon discovering the truth, Tommy ends his retreat in the mountains, gives Holford quite a scare by confronting him with the truth, and finally we see him riding off as his wagon, in which he had planned to drop dead, goes up in flames. A symbol of death and rebirth for Tommy Shelby? We will have to see what the future holds for him in the film, but at least we can answer the question: no, the leader of the Shelbys does not die at the end of ‘Peaky Blinders’.
The Shelbys’ counterattack: how do they find out everything?
Before Tommy’s mountain retreat and reaching this surprising series finale, ‘Peaky Blinders’ had already booked another plot twist for us. All of Tommy Shelby’s enemies come together to defeat him: the Nazis led by Oswald Mosley, the Irish IRA, the king of shady deals in Boston Jack Nelson and also his own cousin, Michael, who has spent the entire season in jail and in the last episode seeks revenge. Why? For those who need a reminder: Michael blames Tommy for Polly’s death, because he thinks it was his strategies and his ambitions that ended his mother’s life.
Everything is resolved in the same night. And so we understand why Tommy didn’t deal with Billy, the mole in his organization that caused the Oswald Mosley assassination to fail in the season five finale, when he surely could have easily figured out his identity. Now we know that he did know perfectly well that it was him, that he has kept him entertained at the bookmaker while the real business was being held in other offices and that Arthur forced him to kill a person to ensure that, at the time of his death , go to hell. The latter, of course, is conjecture based on his beliefs, but it also counts to explain his actions. They’ve known all this time, and now that information will be used to set a trap for those who were setting them up.. As usual, Tommy is always two steps ahead of his enemies.
In that bloody night there are three scenarios. In the first, at the Garrison pub, Arthur Shelby awaits the arrival of the Irish and the two engage in a shootout that ends with the enemies dead and the older Shelby slightly wounded. First win. In the second, the Shelby family entourage led by Duke, Tommy’s illegitimate son who has joined the group, they end Billy’s life and Banish Finn Shelby, who has been revealing Tommy’s plans out there. Second win.
In the third of the scenarios we return to the starting point of this season: the island of Miquelon. Tommy personally met with Michael there to make the exchange of five million dollars, the payment for the opium trafficking business that he has brought to Boston. But Michael and Jack Nelson’s henchmen set up a bomb in the car, where they hope to blow Tommy up. Nevertheless, he already smelled it and changed the car pump, causing the death of the mobsters and finally killing his cousin with a shot in the eye.
And now that?
After defeating his enemies and ensuring the viability of the Shelby Limited company, Tommy has one last meeting with his entire family and tells them he is going away for a while. He doesn’t tell them that he’s actually going to the mountains to shoot himself (although, as we’ve told before, the unexpected revelation that he’s not sick will change his plans). In that meeting, Tommy whispers something in the ear of his son Duke, and, although we don’t hear what he says, we know what that means: Duke has become an important figure in a short time within the family, and it is possible that the future of ‘Peaky Blinders’ passes through him.
This, moreover, would be in line with what the last moments of the series suggest. With the wagon on fire, Tommy Shelby is a dead man, that is, he is a free man. Everyone believes him missing, the family business is in good hands with a reformed Arthur and up-and-coming Duke, his prosperity is assured thanks to his plans with Alfie Solomons in Boston, his political career will be protected by his sister Ada (who will most likely run for office). to take her seat in the House of Commons), Lizzie has a new house and resources for a lifetime… Let’s think about it: Tommy can live free from now on knowing that everyone is on track and that he has already done all he could do. You can go, disappear. Alfie already says it: being dead has its advantages.
The question now is: Will he be able to live in peace or will he be driven by the desire for revenge against those who attempted against his life?
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.
