Does Thomas have tuberculosis like Ruby in Peaky Blinders?

In Peaky Blinders Season 6 Episode 3, we witness the shocking death of Ruby. She suffers from tuberculosis, and while Thomas believes it’s because of a gypsy curse, Lizzie doesn’t buy any of it.

The doctors also warn Thomas that tuberculosis is a contagious disease, and since both Lizzie and Thomas were in contact with Ruby, they should get tested. Although Thomas disagrees initially because of sheer panic, he concedes and gets his X-Ray done.

While the show was focused entirely on Ruby and the curse, I was only worried about Tommy. Does he have tuberculosis like Ruby?

Thomas doesn’t have tuberculosis but has tuberculoma, a brain tumor caused by the same bacteria that causes tuberculosis. His seizures and hallucinations are symptoms of this disease, and it is inoperable.

In episode 3, Esme explicitly talks about the cursed sapphire that came from Thomas. Navadni Barwell had lost her daughter to tuberculosis after wearing the cursed sapphire. So, she ended up cursing Ruby.

This is essentially why Ruby’s health rapidly deteriorated. The doctors diagnosed her with tuberculosis in one lung, after which it had spread to both the lungs. Their treatment of collapsing the lung didn’t work, and we don’t know if they had a chance to try the gold salts method.

Either way, Ruby died by the time Tommy or the doctors could’ve done anything. She died the exact same way Navadni’s daughter did. So, it is safe to assume that Navadni wanted Tommy to feel how she felt, and that’s why she cursed his daughter.

On the other hand, we do see Thomas get an X-Ray. The doctors do not share the results, and Thomas doesn’t seem to have any tuberculosis symptoms. If Thomas did have tuberculosis, there’s a good chance the doctors would’ve told him, and Lizzie wouldn’t have let him go to the mountains searching for Esme.

However, in Episode 4, Thomas receives a letter from the sanatorium. The letter says that Thomas has been diagnosed with a severe case of tuberculoma. His personal doctor tells him that he now only has a year or a maximum of 18 months before he starts needing his loved ones around him.

Ruby’s vision of the grey man with the green eyes might make complete sense now. She said the man was coming for her and Thomas. While Ruby died due to tuberculosis, Thomas is likely to die of tuberculoma.

About Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders is a British period crime drama television series created by Steven Knight. Set in Birmingham, England, the series follows the exploits of the Shelby crime family and their leader Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) in the direct aftermath of the First World War.

The fictional family is loosely based on a real urban youth gang of the same name, active in the city from the 1890s to the early 20th century. It stars Cillian Murphy, Sam Claflin, Aidan Gillen, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson, Finn Cole, and Tom Hardy

Peaky Blinders season 6, which is also its last, will premiere on February 27 on BBC One.