Peaky Blinders Season 6 Episode 3 gave us true insight into Tommy Shelby’s mental state. He has most definitely lost it entirely, and the rapidly declining state of his daughter, Ruby, is not helping anything.
Tommy rushes Ruby to the ER following her dramatic decline previously. It is revealed that she has consumption, and therefore certain procedures must be followed. Tommy takes a dramatic turn when Ruby is taken from his arms, and begins screaming like a maniac about the curse.
Tommy seems to have completely lost the plot at this point in the season, it’s something we’ve not really seen from Tommy before, this feels like Arthur’s behaviour and it doesn’t suit Tommy at all.
Ruby’s diagnosis isn’t pretty, she has TB and will need to have her lung collapsed, but this isn’t guaranteed to work. Both Tommy and Lizzie seem panicked and, for once we’re seeing something totally out of Tommy’s control.
Superstitions
Tommy seems to totally believe at this point that it is his fault his daughter is sick. Sitting beside her bed, he apologises and tells her that he will strike a bargain and make the whole thing go away. He is, of course, referring to the curse he learned about from the Lee family.
Tommy calls Ada and asks her for her help. In the previous episode, we saw Ada renounce Tommy and his activities, but now, she’s rallying to help Tommy whilst her niece is sick.
Ada visits Diana in London on behalf of Tommy. The two talk, and the conversation is a little awkward. Mosley has decided not to attend the meeting given Tommy is also not in attendance, and it seems they have let the women play.
The meeting between the two doesn’t really go anywhere and, after the small talk is over, the two sit in awkward silence. Diana breaks the silence by making a remark about having sex with women, but Ada looks a little uncomfortable.
The Lee Family
Tommy arrives at a camp in which he believes the Lee family are relying. He is met by resistance but manages to force their hand when he shows his revolver and offers cash. In return, he is permitted to speak with Esme, his brother’s widow.
Tommy asks Esme about the curse, but she is surprised that Tommy believes in the curse and asks about Polly. Tommy tells Esme that Polly is dead, and Esme looks visibly concerned. Tommy realises that Esme is not to blame for the curse and tries to leave.
Esme eventually tells him that she knows something about the matter, and that there is something he should see. It feels as though Esme is toying with Tommy and it’s kind of funny to see.
Mosley, Diana, Gina, and Jack meet in what can only be described as an awkward and tense encounter. Each one is grappling for power in this situation and it can be seen quite easily.
Eventually, the conversation comes to a head when Ada questions Jack about the family member he lost to consumption. She remarks that Tommy has admittedly gone on a fool’s errand to find a cure for consumption but is having little luck. Tommy has set up a meeting at the Shelby household to discuss their business.
Ada Returns
Ada returns to Shelby Co., taking charge and dishing out orders. It’s a scene that sees Ada return to her roots as a Shelby and is something she’s pretty good at.
Ada sends Isiah on a trip to Liverpool to deal with some of their rivals. Tensions arise when Ada instructs Isiah to take Arthur with him. It’s a bad idea, one Isiah points out: why on Earth would he take Arthur to a warehouse full of opium? Well, the reputation of Arthur Shelby is enough to make any man squirm.
Later, Ada and Lizzie talk and in a shocking turn of events, Lizzie is forced to ask Ada for help. Interestingly, however, Lizzie seems blissfully aware of the family that she is married into and seems to have no idea of their connection with the Lee’s. Tensions seem to be rising fast and Lizzie seems to be losing faith in her husband and becoming more infuriated with him by the minute.
The Peaky Blinders are Back?
Isiah, Arthur and a few of his associates arrive at the warehouse in Liverpool and, for a moment, it seems that the Peaky Blinders are back. Their entrance is truly cinematic and is something we’ve been missing.
Arthur and Isiah demand to see Haydn Stagg, the group’s ringleader. When he arrives, Arthur explains that usually, he would be killed for his actions, but Ada has commuted his sentence and instead, he will receive a beating. Welp, that killed the idea that the Peaky Blinders are back — have they gone soft?
Haydn begins to mock Arthur, referencing his drug addiction with reflection to his own experiences. The encounter pretty much paralyses Arthur, but I think it finally makes him think about the consequences of his addiction. It’s a touching scene, but one in which we see the humanity of Arthur Shelby.
Arthur eventually calls off the attack, ordering Isiah and the other Peaky Blinders to return back to Birmingham. Honestly, I think this signals the beginning of the end of the Peaky Blinders and their reign.
The Gypsy Graveyard
Tommy, meanwhile, adventures to a gypsy graveyard with Esme. Esme questions whether Tommy ever went to see John’s grave, but he ignores her and remarks that he’s trying to make amends on the bad things he’s done.
It’s clear that Esme believes Tommy deserves the curse, sarcastically remarking that she herself has cursed Tommy over the years. Esme takes Tommy to visit the grave of a young girl who died at 7 years old. She believes the girls mother put the curse on Ruby — an eye for an eye.
Tommy seems to go completely crazy at the end of the episode, citing that he will pay the girls mother to life the curse. Whilst Tommy tries to convince us that he’s finally seeing clearly now that he is alcohol free, it seems that he has never been more clouded and crazy in his life.
Eventually, Tommy returns to Lizzie to find that Ruby passed away not long ago. The two are heartbroken as they stand in the rain, and it seems that Tommy’s efforts are all for nothing.
Review
This was a pretty good episode, but a chaotic one. It gave us an insight into Tommy’s mind, showing us that he has completely lost himself. It seems as though every bad thing Tommy has done is catching up to him.
On another note, this episode seems to reinforce what I was thinking the previous episode. The Peaky Blinders have gone soft and are a mere fraction of what they used to be. Are we finally seeing their downfall?
What did you think of Peaky Blinders Season 6 Episode 3? Do you think there is any saving the Peaky Blinders? You can catch the episode on BBC iPlayer, here.
