At the end of Episode 1, we come to know that Ruby is repeatedly murmuring a Romani phrase, ‘Tickna mora O beng.’ This makes Thomas take the first ship home because he is pretty familiar with the world of mysticism and premonitions due to Aunt Polly.
At the beginning of episode 2, Ruby seems fine, and even the doctor finds nothing after examining her. However, in the end, we see her temperature rise again to 101 degrees. This time she hears voices, coughs blood, and tells Lizzie about a grey man with green eyes coming to take Thomas and herself away.
As soon as I saw this scene, I knew the internet would be flooded with theories on who this grey man with green eyes would be. I am no exception and have a few theories of my own.
The grey man with green eyes could be one of Tommy’s adversaries, such as Michael Gray, Oswald Mosley, Jack Nelson, or Tommy himself.
Each of these characters is quite likely to represent the grey man for various reasons. Let me tell you what they are, and you can decide for yourself.
Theory 1: Why Michael Gray Could Be the ‘Grey Man’
The phrase ‘Grey man with green eyes’ has the word ‘grey’ in it, and that’s an obvious clue at Michael Gray, whose animosity with Thomas has only grown since Season 4. While Michael has greenish-blue eyes, a much bigger clue is Polly’s prediction that keeps echoing in Episode 2.
She said, “There will be a war in this family, and one of you will die.” She referred to Thomas and Michael, two people closest to her in the family.
To add to this, even Gina said that Jack wants Thomas dead and would let Michael do the job. When you put all this together, you can assume that Michael Gray is the ‘Grey Man’ with the green eyes.
Theory 2: Why Oswald Mosley Could Be the ‘Grey Man’
Oswald Mosley has green eyes. In the past, he’s already defeated Thomas Shelby, even if it was due to the intervention on IRA’s part. In Season 6, Oswald Mosley is still playing an essential role in Tommy’s life, and Tommy can’t wait to get rid of him.
However, in his quest to do so, he will have to fight various odds and people against him, and he just might lose to Oswald Mosley. The fascist is pretty brutal and has always been a step ahead of Tommy in Season 5.
Now, there’s a good chance that history will repeat itself. Mosley might take down Thomas and his entire family for good, thus fulfilling Ruby’s premonition about a ‘Grey Man’ with green eyes.
Theory 3: Why Jack Nelson Could Be the ‘Grey Man’
Jack Nelson doesn’t have green eyes or any association with the word ‘grey’ just yet. But there’s also a chance that those words are intentionally used to divert us towards Michael or Oswald.
In reality, the person who could bring down Tommy would be Jack Nelson. After all, he is being considered the main villain of Season 6. So there’s a good chance Ruby’s premonition is about him.
In Episode 2, every time Tommy was checking off an item from his list, the people around him, like Ada and Lizzie, were warning how he was playing a dangerous game. Jack Nelson said that Thomas Shelby is finding ways to kill himself like many war veterans.
As mentioned earlier, Jack Nelson wants Tommy to be dead, and his analogy of the war veteran could hint at that. It could almost be like a subtle threat to Tommy, which, as we know, he’ll ignore and walk right into his destruction.
Theory 4: Why Thomas Shelby Could Be the ‘Grey Man’
Thomas Shelby himself could be the ‘Grey Man’ with the green eyes. One interpretation is that he has green eyes, and his central political stance between fascism and socialism could make him the man with shades of black and white, commonly known as grey.
Another interpretation has got to do with his traumatic past. In Episode 2, he tells Jack Nelson about his first kill—a Prussian guy with green eyes.
A few minutes later, Thomas is fighting a similar man who has green eyes and has grey charcoal all over his face. However, this was merely a figment of his imagination. This could be mean that Tommy’s trauma is getting the better of him, and his decisions/actions will eventually kill him and his family.
Conclusion
The identity of this ‘Grey Man’ has not been explicitly mentioned yet. Considering Thomas has just called Esme, she might be able to help him understand the meaning of this premonition and even find a way to prevent it.
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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