After the mesmerizing and breathtaking episode of last week, Peaky Blinders returns with another chilling cold open, setting the stage impeccably for the impending conflict. Once again, the episode showcases stunning cinematography, with the mood swinging between manic and tense throughout the hour. The nods to past events and recurring characters add a layer of consistency that is truly impressive.
The narrative kicks off with Tommy visiting an orphanage, stridently confronting the nuns and seating himself before them. He threatens them, daring their prayers and crosses, revealing that the Peaky Blinders stand above even God. He forces one nun to wear the shattered remnants of her spectacles, which he has just broken, as they discuss the brutalized and hanged children on their grounds. Taking matters into their own hands, the Blinders decide to rescue the children, leaving the nuns with no alternative but to surrender them, lest they face their wrath.
Following Polly's birthday festivities, Tommy convenes with Mosley in his office, accompanied by Michael and Arthur, meticulously instructing them on their placements and behaviors. As Mosley enters, piercing them with his gaze, he astutely disarms their composed demeanor, deciphering their vulnerabilities before delivering a political bombshell straight into Tommy's chest.
Arthur's anger boils over, pacing furiously around the room, while Tommy ponders over the letter Mosley leaves him, troubled by the invitation to become deputy leader of a new political party. Meanwhile, Ada persuades Gina to accompany her to evade persecution, while Polly brings Aberama home to pay his respects to his fallen son, promising that greater deeds lie ahead. As Polly drives off, Aberama hatches a plan to retaliate against the Billy Boys for slaying his son, rallying his troops.
Tommy ventures back to see Isaiah, enlisting his aid in the looming battle with Mosley. However, his fury knows no bounds as he realizes Polly aided Aberama in his escape, prompting him to dispatch Johnny on a mission to track down the Fury family, with the intent of bringing Aberama back.As Tommy carves out a niche for himself in the political arena, activist Jessie Eden re-emerges on the scene and, somewhat reluctantly, shares a drink with the leader of the Peaky Blinders. Raising her glass to revolution, she urges him to address her upcoming rally, only to have her request politely but firmly declined. "It's not part of our current agenda," he informs her, his tone tinged with reservation. When she inquiries about his well-being, Tommy's demeanor abruptly changes, scaring her away as the ghost of Grace continues to haunt his thoughts. On his way back home, Lizzie tries to offer him solace, just as the gears of their next strategic move begin to turn.
Plunging into a state of despondency, Tommy confides in Arthur about Linda's whereabouts, spilling the beans on the alleged gentleman she's been seeing. Arthur vows to handle the situation like a man, promising to talk sense into the fellow and then head north to attend to some business matters. As Tommy implores him to see reason, Arthur abruptly hangs up, determined to do things his own way. Left with no choice, Tommy admits to Lizzie that he was on the phone with his brother.
Doing what comes naturally to him, Arthur tracks down Linda's paramour and proceeds to beat him senseless with a chair leg, then sits before him, demanding to know Linda's whereabouts. Their dark silhouettes flicker against the bright window behind them, as a haunting piano ballad underscores the violent scene. Arthur struggles to convince himself of his own morality amidst his actions. Realizing the gravity of his deeds, he discards his Blinders cap in disgust and drowns his sorrow in alcohol. Fulfilling his promise, he then ventures up to Scotland to confront Aberama.
In the misty, dreary marshlands of Glasgow, the Billy Boys make their appearance on the road, where Aberama confronts them head-on. As he glares them down, their smug smiles give way to something far more ominous. Aberama produces a knife and savagely slices the leader's face, repeatedly kicking him in the visage. The rest of the Billy Boys are brutalized until they're senseless. Before leaving, Aberama douses the leader with boiling oil, watching him scream in agony, instructing him to relay a message back to their boss.
Elsewhere, Tommy and Mosley converge at a hunting exhibition, hammering out the details of their upcoming plan and forging an alliance. With his role as an informant officially sanctioned, Tommy continues to weave an intricate web of deceit, aiming to ensnare Mosley, who may or may not be privy to Tommy's hidden agendas.
As the Billy Boys close in on Aberama's location, the eerie yet jovial melody of bagpipes echoes ominously outside, prompting Arthur and Aberama to make a hasty retreat. Upon reaching the camp, they find it eerily abandoned, save for a grenade dangling precariously in the window of a caravan. With a thunderous blast, the grenade sends flames leaping through the camp, transforming it into an inferno. The leader of the group beams with satisfaction, realizing they have ignited a war; his eyes reflecting the dancing flames as he gleefully surveys the devastation around him.
While the episode may lack the intense dramatic tension of the previous week, it excels in symbolism and scene composition, surpassing what we have witnessed thus far. The intriguing chessboard scene, where Tommy places the King in a checkmate position amidst enemy pieces, serves as a profound symbolic representation of this season and his mental state. This cleverly executed scene might seem inconsequential at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it reveals its depth and significance.
Peaky Blinders has always excelled in painting vivid portraits through such imagery. Although the narrative follows a somewhat familiar trajectory of previous seasons—with a terrifying antagonist gaining the upper hand over Tommy and the Blinders, only to be thwarted by a cunning twist at the end—this season has cleverly disguised this formula, thanks largely to Tommy's mental state.
With the promise of an all-out war between the Billy Boys and the Peaky Blinders looming on the horizon, the final three episodes are poised to unleash this conflict in a highly dramatic fashion.
