REVIEW: Peaky Blinders

Thomas Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, comes ‘full circle’ in the series finale.

If you’ve followed Peaky Blinders over its six seasons, the last act of the acclaimed BBC series seems fitting given how it all began. The Shelby family has gone through several phases over the years, from beginning as a street gang in Birmingham to the top spot among Britain’s most powerful people, all due to the ambition of one man, Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy).

Tommy (Murphy) is at his most vulnerable and shattered in the final season. We see him avoid death on several occasions during the seasons, and it nearly makes us forget that he is, in the end, a mortal man, which the final season serves as a reminder of as he battles his emotional and physical strength in the last act.

While one might expect the show’s final season to be glorious action filled avenging scenes, it turned out to be emotional one. With actress Helen McCrory’s death last year, which forced the creators to give a send-off to one of the series’ most beloved characters, Aunt Polly aka Polly Grey.

As the unhappy Arthur Shelby, Paul Anderson gives a heartbreaking performance. The most amazing performances in the final season, though, come from Sophie Rundle as Ada and Natasha O’Keeffe as Lizzie, who become the Shelby family’s foundations. In the final season, Tom Hardy makes a cameo as Alfie Solomons, which could have been better with some action sequence.

Back in 2020, fans were expecting Rowan Atkison to play Adolf Hitler in the series finale, but series runners informed that the news is not true. Personally, another 6 episode with Oswald Mosely, Hitler, Alfie Solomon, and Peaky Blinders would have been terrific.

Peaky Blinders is infamous for its brutal violence that descend upon the streets of Small Heath, Birmingham whenever the Shelby family steps out, and the final season doesn’t miss out on giving us more of the same. Tommy may be an MP and an OBE now, but he’s still a Peaky Blinder at heart, the series’ famous quote now reads, “By order of The Birmingham Urban District Council.”