Tommy Shelby is the face of Peaky Blinders. But is there any such thing as seeing too much of him on our screens? A question to which we’d assume the answer is “no,” is proven to be the opposite thanks to the way S6 is dealing with its plot.
You’re not alone in noticing that not only is Tommy hogging all the limelight, but a few key characters are also missing from action. Why is this so?
Peaky Blinders S6 heavily focuses on Tommy Shelby, which could be a result of script changes due to Helen McCrory’s death. Other possible reasons are his political connections plotline that demands more screen time and setting up the movie/spin-offs.
Let me explain this in detail:
McCrory’s Death Led to Script Changes
One obvious reason for a Tommy-centric season is that Helen McCrory’s sudden passing caused a lot of script changes. As we’re in the dark of what role Polly would’ve played in the original script, it’s unknown how much different the current version is.
She could’ve been filmed in many scenes that had other characters in it, but ultimately couldn’t be used and had to be discarded. This would explain why characters like Michael, Finn and others have had limited time on screen or no footage at all.
This would also be a satisfactory answer to why we see a lot more of Tommy this season.
Tommy is the Only One with Political Connections
The reason that makes the most sense to me is that Tommy is the public face of the company and one standing for all the political agendas. As such, he has to deal more with a lot of the new characters/villains being focused on this season.
You can’t have any other character save for Tommy working with Mosley, Gina, Uncle Jack, the IRA or any other huge player they bring on. It has to be him. As these characters have big stakes in the plot this season, it’s why Tommy is in most of the scenes with them.
As the show has moved into focusing more on the political side of the business, it’s understandable why a few of the characters have taken a backseat, while Tommy gets the job done.
Setting up the Movie and Spin-offs
Now, we know that Tommy is set to appear in the movie which means he may not die at the end of the show. But this doesn’t mean he won’t die at all, or that he’s to have a major part in the movie.
S6 has been exploring Tommy’s character in quite a lot of depth. We’ve seen a whole range of changes in just four episodes — Being suicidal, depressed, dealing with deaths caused perhaps by his own folly, reformation and sobriety, and the latest, a plunge back into his old ways in face of a terminal illness.
There is no doubt that S6 is Tommy’s swansong, irrespective of his involvement in the movie. Sure, we don’t know if the season will be resolved in the finale or in the movie, but what we’re doing here is giving enough time to the character who carried the show, and to whom we’re soon going to say goodbye.
Rumors are that both the movie and any spin-offs made will be setting up a younger generation of Peaky Blinders. Perhaps, S6 being a one-man Tommy Shelby show is a way of paying tribute to him before making way for the newcomers.
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.
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