In every Peaky Blinders season, Thomas Shelby plans exhaustive strategies to win against his enemies. And every season, he pulls off the impossible. But season 5 ended with all his plans failing and his world crumbling down. All this because of a black cat – a betrayer.
For once, it was Tommy who had lost. Yes, he’s come close to death before. “So close!” But this time, it was different even for him. His plans to assassinate the British fascist Oswald Mosley went downhill in a royal fashion. Barney got killed, Aberama Gold was stabbed to death, and in a shocking turn of events, Aunt Polly was killed too.
In season 5, you come to know that Thomas has had a dream of a black cat. He attributes this black cat to a mole on the inside. He believes that there is a betrayer in the Peaky Blinders family. In the finale, his premonition came true, and there was indeed a black cat.
So who betrayed Thomas Shelby?
Billy Grade betrayed Thomas Shelby by giving information to the IRA in season 5. In season 6, he attempts to do the same by providing Jack Nelson with the intel. But, Tommy is one step ahead. He knows of the plan and gets Billy killed.
As predicted, Gina and Mosley do have a connection and are seen sleeping with each other. Thomas finds out about this in season 6. He has been a step ahead of all his enemies throughout the season. Considering how Gina is involved in bringing down Tommy in season 6, she would’ve been involved in season 5 too.
In fact, it is also established that Uncle Jack has connections to the top of the US government and that he’s close with President Roosevelt’s son and perhaps even the president himself. This makes him influential enough to cut a deal with the IRA and save Mosley in season 5.
So, if you look at the bigger picture, everyone somehow was involved in bringing down Thomas, but Billy was the inside man who got the job done. Here’s how:
How did Billy betray Thomas Shelby?
In season 5, Finn and Billy get pretty close. So, in the finale, when the Peaky Blinders are on their way to assassinate Oswald Mosley, Finn unintentionally tells Billy about ‘a fascist being shot that night.’ This is enough for Billy to understand that they’re talking about Mosley.
The next thing we see is him picking up the phone, and that’s that. While nothing is confirmed, much later in season 6, we see Billy being threatened by Jack Nelson.
He intimidates him in the most brutal way and tells him how he wants information on the whereabouts of Thomas Shelby. Billy agrees to do so. Although there was no mention of the events in season 5, it was clear that Billy would’ve been the one to betray Thomas earlier and was going to do it again, no matter what the reason.
How does Billy get killed?
As mentioned earlier, Thomas Shelby was always a step ahead of the lot in season 6. The only thing he couldn’t rescue his family from was the sad demise of his daughter Ruby.
He learned about Mosley and Gina’s affair, how Michael is being manipulated by his wife, and how everyone is working against him. He blackmailed Gina that if she didn’t give him the information he needed, he would tell Uncle Jack about her secret affair with his colleague, Mosley.
This way, Thomas always had the upper hand when scheming and plotting everyone’s end. This is how he caught Billy too. He made all the boys, along with Finn and his newfound son, Duke, go to a party at Thomas’ mansion. At least he made Billy believe so.
When they reached there, Duke gave Finn the option to shoot the betrayer because he went against the Peaky fookin’ Blinders. However, Finn is unable to do so and instead tries shooting Duke, who saw it all coming.
So, Duke had to shoot Billy in the head and kill him. He then told Finn to leave the family and essentially banished him because he couldn’t be a Peaky Blinder.
Does Tommy Die In Season 6?
Thomas Shelby does NOT die and is very much alive at the end of season 6. He never had tuberculoma, and the doctor had lied to him.
This was because everyone knew Thomas Shelby. They knew that the only person who could kill him was himself. So, they just planted a lie and let him die by his own hands. The main reason was to clear the way for Mosley and Hitler to bring fascism into the country.
However, thanks to Ruby’s spirit, he doesn’t kill himself and also realizes how this was all a lie. The doctor was an ally who hated gypsies and Jews. So he helped Mosley, but couldn’t succeed.
What will Thomas Shelby do next?
We still don’t know what he’s going to do next. However, since a Peaky Blinders film is coming and Oswald Mosley is still alive, Thomas Shelby would try stopping them and Hitler too. We still don’t have any details yet and have to wait and find out.
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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