Liam Hoofe reviews the second episode of Peaky Blinders season 6…
After catapulting the show four years into the future in the opening episode of Peaky Blinders season 6, the second episode showed us that times may have changed, but it is still very much the same old Tommy Shelby that we all know and love.
Things have always been tough for Tommy Shelby, but this season looks set to throw his biggest challenges at him yet, and it’s only two episodes in. As it stands, Tommy Shelby is set to take on one of America’s toughest criminals, the ghosts of his past, the IRA, a potential tumour or life-threatening illness, his own cousin, and the very idea of fascism itself. It’s quite the list, and that’s not to mention the fact that his brother is a junkie and his daughter is fighting off some sort of Romani curse. It’s all heating up for Tommy pretty quickly for Tommy in Black Shirt, and it’s making for thrilling television.
As he was in the first episode, Tommy was front and centre for the majority of this episode, with a brief scene between Michael and Gina being the only significant one not to feature him in some capacity. We saw Tommy whizzing from location to location, attempting to spin all of the necessary plates.
Cillian Murphy is a knockout in the role and he was at his best here. A rallying scene in a Birmingham hall reminded us what a charismatic and influential figure he is in his local community, and it was also good to see him in action as an MP. Peaky Blinders, at its core, is a show about politics and that is being brought to the forefront this season.
Tommy is not the only reason that the show excels though, with a host of other colourful characters also keeping us entertained throughout the years. Two of the show’s best made their returns here. Firstly, Tom Hardy’s Alfie Solomon made a reappearance and it looks as though he is set to be drawn into Tommy’s opium wars. Exchanges between the two characters have always been a highlight and this scene saw the two sparring partners at their biting best.
The other character to return was Sam Claflin’s Oswald Moseley. Claflin has proven himself to be an inspired piece of casting and he was on form again in his return. He is now joined by Amber Anderson’s Diana Mitford, who made an impactful debut, to say the least. Mitford looks set to rival Gina as the most despicable woman in the show, and she is no doubt going to cause Tommy some trouble in the coming weeks.
Mitford wasn’t the only new character introduced. James Frecheville’s Jack Nelson also made his presence felt in this episode. Nelson and Tommy met in a church in a scene that felt like it had been ripped straight from The Godfather. The whole thing was ridiculously stylish, and Frecheville felt like a real presence. The exchange between the two men was short and sweet, but Nelson definitely comes out of this feeling like a right threat to Tommy, both physically and mentally.
Then, of course, there are some mounting health issues for Tommy to worry about. Romani curses, it seems, are very much a real thing in Peaky Blinders, with Tommy’s daughter being struck down and rambling about the presence of a grey man. This same grey man also haunts Tommy, manifesting itself as a reminder of the very first man he killed in the trenches. There is also plenty to suggest that Tommy has a very serious health condition, with him suffering a seizure and throwing up during the episode. This all leads to Tommy ringing Esme for help, with the character set to make a dramatic return next week.
A lesser show would struggle to juggle all of the ongoing storylines that Black Shirt set up, but Peaky Blinders handled it in style. The show continues to go from strength to strength, with season 6 looking like it could be the show’s most exciting to date.
Liam Hoofe
