Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Peaky Blinders series finale.
Peaky Blinders may have come to a cathartic close the day before yesterday with an action-packed and plot-heavy series finale, but the story of the titular Brummie ruffians is far from over.
Spoilers to follow.
As most of you will already know, the feature-length episode started with Michael coming out of prison and swearing vengeance on Tommy. The protagonist, meanwhile, prepares to take out the IRA assassins with the help of the Shelbys, which results in an epic shootout at Garrison Lane. Tommy then confronts Michael and manages to outsmart him, fulfilling the late Aunt Polly’s prophetic message by killing his cousin.
With the shadow of that inoperable tuberculoma diagnosis looming over his life, Tommy says his goodbyes and decides to kill himself, only to realize that his doctor works with Oswald Mosley and had given him a false reading. The main character then goes off to kill the doctor but ultimately spares his life. In the final moments, Tommy is seen riding off into the hills towards an uncertain future.
The fans can breathe a sigh of relief now, knowing Tommy Shelby will probably be back for the movie sequel, set to take viewers well into World War II and beyond. Addressing this decision to keep Tommy around, here’s what creator Steven Knight recently told Deadline.
“Does that mean he’s now a good man? Well, what I want to do — that’s the implication — but when we find him during World War II, is he a good man? Has he been redeemed? Let’s see. I don’t know that yet either,” he said. “The way I like to think of it is that he began the series as dead inside, as were a lot of people after World War I, and then slowly he sort of thawed out. But it’s a painful process because as the feeling returns, it’s painful. So that’s what we’ve been witnessing; that’s why I wanted to end it on the 11th hour and peace at last.
The upcoming as-of-yet untitled Peaky Blinders sequel is currently going through pre-production, with Cillian Murphy no doubt returning to the role after he’s finished work on Christopher Nolan’s upcoming flick, Oppenheimer, as its main lead.