“Peaky Blinders” had all the potential of an outstanding series from the minute Tommy Shelby came on the scene in the first episode. Six seasons of superb drama and suspenseful plot twists have demonstrated that the hype was well-deserved. The gang’s major members have seamlessly transitioned from violent gangster action to political power struggles and even supernatural events, all while coping with the physical and emotional scars of World War I. Let’s look into what happens at the ending of Peaky Blinders Season 6.
From the first episode of Peaky Blinders Season 6, the show has been heavily committed to symbolism, and its more explicit study of supernatural topics is a refreshing change of pace for the typically sarcastic Tommy Shelby. Tommy’s faith in God may have remained shaky throughout his journey, but the Peaky Blinders conclusion restores his faith in himself as a near-immortal character, as well as in his tactics. As with all of Tommy’s schemes, there’s a lot to absorb, but here’s what the Peaky Blinders ending actually means.
How Did Tommy Learn About Billy’s Plan?
In Peaky Blinders Season 6, the issue of why Tommy Shelby delayed dealing with Billy the IRA insider was a particularly difficult one. The unresolved plot line was the first sign of a climactic shock involving Billy’s fate, but given Tommy’s apparent loss of control over reality and his business, a blindspot was unavoidable. Tommy, as always, was one step ahead of his enemies and appeared to have known the truth about Billy right from the beginning. That would answer why Arthur made Billy kill the football official as a punishment rather than a test of loyalty and sent him to Hell.
It’s unknown how Tommy discovered the truth, but Finn Shelby’s growing social exclusion throughout Season 6 shows that Shelbys figured out the informer via elimination. Tommy knew he’d leaked the plan to assassinate Mosley because Billy was an unknown factor, and Finn was pushed in the Shelby pecking order below Isaiah so early in Season 6. The football betting fraud served as a diversion as well as a profitable financial opportunity, diverting the informant and his naïve handler from more important matters.
Did Tommy Die In Peaky Blinders Season 6 Ending?
Despite the fact that Season 6 of Peaky Blinders set up Tommy Shelby’s death following his deadly tuberculoma diagnosis, the conclusion contradicted the tone of the entire series by revealing a twist that completely reverses his story. Tommy’s doctor, Dr. Holford, was found to be an Oswald Mosley devotee who had been paid to mislead Tommy of his eventual death in order to persuade him to commit suicide. The scheme was brilliant until Tommy found the truth, given Tommy’s issues with suicidal thoughts, which included Grace calling him “back” at the end of Season 5 of Peaky Blinders.
What’s not apparent is why, if the fake tuberculoma plot was already functioning, Mosley changed his mind and ordered Jack Nelson to assassinate Tommy on his trip to Canada. In the end, neither mattered because Tommy had already found the truth about his doctor’s background thanks to a newspaper piece from Mosley’s own wedding.
What Did Tommy Whisper To Duke?
During Tommy’s final meal, he gathers the Shelby family to give them his final instructions for the business and family’s continued well-being, presumably dividing his tasks between those left behind when he dies. Interestingly, he mysteriously keeps his orders to his son Duke a secret, whispering them into his ear during a particularly tense moment. Tommy appears to be preparing his kid to be his rightful successor, not to the Shelby empire and money, but to his position as the family’s power broker, based on Duke’s backstory in Peaky Blinders season 6.
Despite how briefly they met, this is Tommy crowning Duke as his favorite child in Ruby’s absence, at least in Charlie’s eyes, whose credibility as Tommy’s “righteous” son demands Tommy’s refusal to allow him to be corrupted. This could lead to future conflict. Duke is much more like him and better suited to succeed him, and the fact that he speaks to him in hushed tones is more important than the content of what he says.
Also Read: Top 10 Best Peaky Blinders Episodes Ranked: Gets Phenomenal With Each Episode
War Among Peaky Blinders
The Shelby family is divided at the end of season 6, despite the fact that the final family scene for the Shelbys in the Peaky Blinders ending sees almost all of the family united and Tommy laying out a path for a brighter tomorrow. Finn Shelby departs from the table after attempting to shoot Duke after Billy’s murder and subsequent exile from the Shelby family. His promise of vengeance against his nephew foreshadows a future in which the Shelby family will be at odds, far more so than Michael’s banishment in America.
There’s also the possibility of a clash between Duke and Tommy’s other kid Charlie, who are depicted as two sides of Tommy’s personality. While Charlie left home with his mother at the end of the episode, his treatment by Tommy had already established hatred in him, and Duke and Tommy’s relationship might easily become a cause of tension.
Jack Nelson And Oswald Mosley
The painful discovery about Tommy Shelby’s fate is that there is a handful of known information, thanks to the real history of his season 6 adversaries. Because Jack Nelson is modeled on Joseph Kennedy and Oswald Mosley is clearly based on a historical figure, their stories play out in predictable ways. Mosley lived until 1980, and Kennedy lived until 1969, implying that the proposed Peaky Blinders spin-off movie’s World War 2 timeframe can’t bring closure to either war unless changes to history are made for Tommy’s closure.
Despite Peaky Blinders’ typical faithfulness to real-life events, there are still options. The film adaptation of Peaky Blinders could start with Mosley’s political downfall and arrest, with Tommy having to fight him politically and assisting organize violent opposition to his rallies and assemblies from his position in the darkness offered by his assumed death.
Peaky Blinders Season 6 Ending Explained
Tommy is finally free, according to the last moments of Season 6 of Peaky Blinders. His crime empire is in the right hand of his son and Arthur, and his legal business is succeeding after his agreements with Alfie Solomons and the Housing Department, and his career in politics is over with Ada set up to take over his seat, despite questions about his sanity in the aftermath of Tommy’s “death.”
Tommy stated to Arthur in the Peaky Blinders ending that he is now motivated largely by doing good. His deal to create affordable homes put his moral responsibilities ahead of his money (or so he said), and his opposition to Mosley as well as the extremists had been a matter of faith for a long time. Is Tommy destined to become an underground vigilante in the future? Could he collaborate with Churchill more closely? Could Hitler’s assault on Europe bring him back to the battlefields of France?
Will Tommy Return?
As Alfie Solomons, played by Tom Hardy, hinted in the series finale of Peaky Blinders, being “dead” has its perks, and Tommy appears to recognize the value. The symbolism of his witnessing his own funeral at the end strengthened the concept that he was free of his ghosts, and his assassination of Michael put an end to his fear of being judged by Polly and the realization of her terrible war prophecy. Tommy revealed in episode 5 that his true sin was a desire for power and that his rise in society was nothing more than another path to evil.
Mosley’s plan to murder him, as well as the suffering he and Diana caused Lizzie, make it unlikely that he will be able to forget his history. Furthermore, the possibility that Arthur may murder himself in order to join his brothers would almost certainly lead to Tommy disclosing his existence to him. Even still, when Peaky Blinders returns for its actual movie conclusion, Tommy may see the value in following Alfie Solomon’s strategy to remain dead in the near term. To put it another way, Tommy Shelby is “dead,” but Tommy Shelby lives on!
Was Peaky Blinders Season 6 Ending Satisfying?
Peaky Blinders season 6 was criticized for being far slower than previous seasons, with suggestions that it was a Game of Thrones-level mess. The conclusion, on the other hand, was a pinnacle for the entire series, demonstrating how well season 6’s slow-burn technique had been planned. Despite the sadness of Helen McCrory’s murder and Polly Gray’s forced exit, the slower pace and break away from explosive gory violence in each episode appeared to be very purposeful.
Even if it meant sacrificing other character arcs, the pace offered a more intimate portrayal of Tommy Shelby’s thinking. The shift away from crime not only mirrored Tommy’s personal path but also allowed for Tommy’s increasing vulnerability to temptation. Tommy threw off the chains of his supposed acceptable persona and the claustrophobia of suppressing who he was all along towards the end.
