Does the Peaky Blinders show have a happy ending?

When Peaky Blinders Season 6 began, we all had just one question in mind—what would be Thomas Shelby’s fate at the end of the series? In fact, we also thought if he’d lose someone close again.

While the season was slow-paced and seemed to lack that zing the show usually does, the finale episode had me at the edge of my seat. Every second was crucial, every frame significant.

We saw how the show ended for the Shelby family and its foes, and if you haven’t yet, you shouldn’t be here. Before I start talking about the ending of Peaky Blinders, I suggest you don’t let your curiosity get the better of you.

So can the ending of Peaky Blinders be called a good one? Was it happy for Tommy, and was it satisfactory for the audience?

Peaky Blinders had a satisfying ending. Thomas and his family are safe, and nobody dies. However, a few loose ends and arcs still need closure. We might see all this happen in the film, which is said to be the conclusion of this epic tale.

Thomas and his men overcame all the plots and strategies of his enemies. They successfully killed Laura from the IRA, Billy the bartender, and Michael Gray.

Thomas, Johnny Dogs, and Alfie Solomons took on Michael. Arthur, Uncle Charlie, and Jeremiah took on the IRA. Finn, Duke, Isaiah, and a few other men, took on Billy.

While the first two encounters were straightforward in terms of knowing who was on which side, the third didn’t go as we thought it would.

After Duke pointed out that Billy was the mole, Finn could not believe it. Duke said that if Finn didn’t kill Billy, he would be banished from the Shelby family.

In a state of panic, Finn tried to kill Duke but was unsuccessful. Duke then carried out the job and excommunicated Finn, who was quite enraged and swore to come back for him. This means that Finn’s arc remains incomplete.

Lizzie, Ada, Oswald, Diana, and Jack Nelson are a few others whose arcs remain incomplete. While Lizzie left Thomas, we still don’t know if he’ll try to get her back, considering he is not dying.

Thomas tells Ada that she is the true politician of the family and asks her to run for the elections if there’s ever a chance. Is this a way for the creator to foreshadow her existence in the movie in a political role? We’ll just have to wait and find out.

Jack Nelson didn’t appear in the final episode, and it was a shame. It didn’t bother me that his arc didn’t get closure because the film will do that, but a brief appearance and some foreshadowing would’ve elevated the ending.

Oswald Mosley and Diana were on the screen for a few minutes, just to announce their wedding, which was to happen in the presence of the Fuhrer.

In fact, we later find out that the Fuhrer, aka Adolf Hitler, was the best man. Once again, Steven Knight leaves their stories for the movie.

Now that we’ve covered most characters, there are still two that I think have much to offer to the tale. It’s not Arthur, but Duke and Thomas himself.

Thomas realizes that he’s tricked into believing that he’s got tuberculoma. In reality, he didn’t have any problems at all.

We see Thomas spare the life of his doctor, who conspired against him and is on his way.

He most likely is going behind Mosley and Diana. On the other hand, Duke would take over Thomas’ illegal business, so we might see him in that role when the film releases on the silver screens.

When I look at the season overall, I think of a couple of things. One is that the ending was, in fact, brilliant. Every aspect, except that of Thomas’ revival. The doctor lying to him about his tuberculoma seems like an easy way out for the writers.

The second one is that the show was indeed a little disjointed. If this was because of Helen McRory’s demise, it showed. However, the ending surely made up for it, and overall it was an average season with an exceptional culmination.

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

Netflix, under a deal with Weinstein Company and Endemol, acquired the rights to release the show in the United States and around the world. In January 2021, it was announced that the sixth series would be the last, followed by a spin-off film. The final series was broadcast in 2022.