Peaky Blinders Season 6 Episode 1 Recap

As the 6th season of Peaky Blinders begins, Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) tells Arthur (Paul Anderson) that he might’ve found the man he can’t defeat, but he doesn’t know because none of it makes sense. Arthur suggests going inside, having a drink, and working it out. Tommy says he needs to walk before heading off on his own. As Tommy continues, he sees Grace who tells him the work is all done and they can walk away from this. Tommy puts the gun to his head and begins screaming. He pulls the trigger only to find out that the chamber is empty. He falls to his knees before landing face first in the mud. Lizzie (Natasha O’Keeffe) approaches to tell him Arthur took the bullets out of the gun on the way back. She says he isn’t even a soldier anymore because he didn’t check his weapon. Instead, she describes him as a coward for pulling the trigger and trying to leave his family without a goodbye.

She gives him six bullets in case he is still looking for a way out. Once she leaves, Tommy pulls himself up and grabs the bullets. He begins stumbling forward while talking to his mother and asking whether she was allowed to pass through. He says they wouldn’t let him pass as if there is going to be another consequence. As he begins walking back toward his house, a truck with a white flag drives past. The phone rings inside. He picks up the phone and listens to Captain Swing (Charlene McKenna) say he is likely curious as to who prevented the assassination last night. She tells him the truck is a sign of truce and they’re returning his dead so he can send them to heaven however he wishes. Last night’s raid was carried out by the Irish Republican Army. Swing says they need to keep Mosley alive and that is all Tommy needs to know.

She reveals they’ve made changes to the structure of his organization too. We see flashbacks of those killed while Captain Swing says Tommy has always had a crutch to lean on when building his empire. They kicked away that clutch last night so they will lean on Captain Swing and her organization from now on. She insists the deaths of his people are his responsibility because he failed to understand his limitations. Next, Tommy, Charlie (Ned Dennehy), Arthur, Michael Gray (Finn Cole), and the others gather to honor Polly. Michael swears to God he will take revenge on Tommy for this. He joins Gina (Anya Taylor-Joy) and watches the fire burn. After that, we jump ahead four years to Miquelon Island in the Newfoundland French Territory. It is December 5, 1933. Tommy meets with a police officer or guard and says the commissioner said to give them two hours and someone may die.

He asks the guard to call his brother if he is the one to die. Tommy heads to Hotel Robert where he tells Henri the Barman (Assaad Bouab) that he has a meeting room booker. Henri claims someone broke out his window last night and pigeons got in so his wife is clearing them out. Tom agrees to wait while asking for a drink of water. As the barman pours him a drink, he tells Tommy the windows got broken because a lot of people here are drunk and angry. Half the men on the island made their money bootlegging until today. The other half fixed their boats. Tommy is shown a newspaper article about prohibition ending tonight at midnight. The barman wonders if Thomas should take his water in the hall. One of the men nearby gets up and asks for another bottle of whisky. The man asks Tommy whether he works for the whisky company so Tommy hands him a card for Shelby Company Limited International. While the man burns his business card, Thomas says he is here on private business and learned French in France.

He learned a lot of things in France. Tommy is told the island is crawling with the commissary men as they close down the warehouses and throw men out of work. The barman asks Jean-Claude to leave the man alone. Jean grabs the bottle and says their boat ran whisky down the President’s Road to Boston for ten years. Now, they have nothing and he sits in front of them ordering water. Jean asks whether this is meant to be a joke. Thomas explains that he no longer drinks alcohol of any kind as the barman tells Jean to drop it. Jean grabs the cup, empties the water, and fills it with whisky. He slams it in front of Tommy and says he is going to drink a toast.

He wants him to drink for the poor people of Miquelon whose lives they have destroyed and is adamant that Tommy isn’t going to leave the bar until he does. Tommy says he understands why they’re angry, but he would’ve realized this is a misunderstanding if he’d read the card instead of burning it. He insists he needs to sit down and let him read his newspaper. Jean-Claude scoffs before turning to his friends and telling them something. Jean breaks a bottle and tries to attack him, but Tommy cuts him. Another guy gets involved and Tommy pushes him away too. He stops and asks for a minute to explain everything before this goes any further. When Jean goes for a knife, Tommy pulls his gun and says he foreswore alcohol four years ago. Since then, he has become a calmer and more peaceful person. A woman rushes in to see what is going on. Tommy admits he can sometimes return to his old ways in moments of personal conflict. If this happened today, it would indeed be a black day in Miquelon.

Since his guests will be arriving shortly, Tommy asks the barmaid to show him to his room. Outside, Michael Gray and the guys know they’re already late and Tommy is always early so they head toward the meeting point. As Tommy waits, he remembers Polly (Helen McCrory) telling him there will be a war and one of them will die, but she doesn’t know who. Moments later, the others arrive with Michael entering and greeting Tommy last. He wasn’t sure what he’d think again when he saw Tommy since they haven’t spoken for four years. When Tommy says he has been busy, Michael complains he has been too busy to punish the people who killed her. Tommy insists it takes time to get revenge when you’re dealing with a very powerful enemy. You have to pick your moment and that moment will come. Tommy believes they can put all that behind them for business.

Michael asks about the family. We join Lizzie at home as she tries to get the kids to sit down and watch a movie on the projector Charlie Chaplin sent them. Ada Shelby (Sophie Rundle) calls the Bell Tavern while telling Elizabeth to settle down. She asks the person on the phone to tell Johnny Dogs (Packy Lee) to come around and round up his kids since it is Christmas. After the call, Lizzie tells everyone they’re having the Christmas party early because she, Charles, and Ruby are going on a ship to Canada to be with their daddy tomorrow. Father Christmas is bringing them presents. Lizzie sits down and asks Ada where the heck he is, but she doesn’t know either. Arthur is shown drunk on the stairs. He plays with one of the boys and pretends to be firing guns at him. Tommy tells Michael and the others that the end of prohibition can mean a new beginning for them.

He tells them how the people of this island have been bootlegging whisky to the United States. Once the prohibition ends, the trade will fall back into the hands of capitalists from New York, Boston, and Toronto. Tommy explains they can use the systems already in place on Miquelon Island to deliver a different product. He says the island has no morals or opinions. Instead, it has a load of boats with nothing to carry and nowhere to go.  The island was used to run whisky because it sits outside the territorial waters of America and Canada. Since it is French territory, the FBI and RCMP do not have jurisdiction there. When asked where he gets the stuff, Thomas says he has established a supply chain with associates in Belfast over the last four years. It is the finest opium in the world and is delivered to his warehouse in Liverpool directly from Shanghai.

Michael admits he trusts Thomas. Once he is asked about the French police, Tommy says he has talked to the Miquelon Prefet des Gendarmes. They fought in two of the same battles in France so they consider each other comrades. Thomas has offered his comrade 12 million francs if the boats between Miquelon and Boston keep running. Thomas is told they’ll have to take his proposal to Uncle Jack in Boston. Thomas asks Michael if they can meet after he has spoken to Uncle Jack who he believes is his wife’s uncle, Jack Nelson. Michael’s partner laughs and says Tommy knows things that could get him killed but says them out loud anyway.

Tommy has a high regard for Jack Nelson who has a history like his. They claim Jack Nelson’s past is gone although Tommy argues they’ve only been erased from the records like his own. Michael mentions that Tommy hasn’t touched his drink so he explains he has become a better man since they last saw each other. They laugh when Tommy says whisky is just the fuel for the loud engines inside your head. Tommy tries to leave before the fog gets worse, but he is told they’ll decide when the meeting is over. They fill a cup in front of him with alcohol and ask for a poem before they go. He says I was angry with my friend. I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe, I told it not, my wrath did grow. When Michael begins clapping, Tommy reveals it is from The Poison Tree by William Blake.

He says meeting over before revealing his friend the police commissioner spoke to his FBI liaison officer and he learned there was an informant in their organization in South Boston. He gives Michael the bag before telling the other guy to beware of the man with the bleeding heart tattoo with Maria written in red. As Tommy leaves, he gives Jean his card again and Henri a lot of money. He tells them every catastrophe is also an opportunity. Ada finds Arthur high and realizes Polly would’ve never let it get this bad. She smacks him while reminding him he promised he’d stop using. He doesn’t have the Christmas presents like he promised. Ada returns to Lizzie as the kids get their presents. Lizzie mocks Tommy’s voice and how he’ll talk to her and the kids when they meet him tomorrow. Ada suggests a holiday might change him, but Lizzie doesn’t think so. He hasn’t been the same since Polly died.

Meanwhile, Tommy contacts Detective Lawrence at the St John’s Harbour police department to tell him there is a boat leaving the island now and heading across the border. He goes on to say a man named Michael Gray will board a ferry to Boston when the boat arrives at St John’s. Thomas tells the detective what Michael will be wearing and the opium he’ll have in his suitcase. When the call ends, Thomas tells his comrade he wants a drink, but he doesn’t drink anymore. He needs to get off this island. Ada enters the room and tells Karl (Callum Booth-Ford) that he shouldn’t be in there. Karl asks if she is going to answer Tommy’s phone, but she says she doesn’t work for him anymore. After Karl asks if he can answer it, Ada relents and picks up the phone. She doesn’t like what she hears.

Then, Ada goes to the opium den where she finds Arthur passed out. She writes Arthur’s name on his chest with lipstick before telling everyone that Thomas Shelby said not to serve him opium ever again. Gina Gray goes to the Norfolk Prison in Boston. She wants to know what is going on as she blames Thomas Shelby while calling him the devil. Once the guard leaves, Michael explains it is in Uncle Jack’s hand. He needs Jack to get him out of there and get the charges lifted. She knows all about Tommy’s proposal and that he wants to take on Boston. Michael doesn’t agree with that. He says it was Tommy who warned them about the informant who likely tipped off the police. Michael says she’ll hear about a man with a bleeding heart tattoo with Maria on it being pulled from the Boston Harbor. His death will lead to others so they can only use men they trust.

Michael pleads with her to keep her lips shut. Otherwise, he’ll end up in the harbor. Gina keeps pushing until Michael reveals some of his business with Tommy is unfinished and this is his opportunity to finish it. He urges her to speak to her uncle and get him out of here. After that, Tommy runs into Gina when trying to give a message to Uncle Jack. She gives him a drink while revealing her uncle intends to buy the import license to all the best Scotch and Irish whisky distilleries. He is going to London to deal with it. Then, every drop will mean another dime for Uncle Jack. Before she learns what Tommy has to say, she claims Uncle Jack said there is no deal.

Gina talks about the power Thomas Shelby has in England and how people fall on their knees for him. Thomas asks if she falls on her knees for Jack instead of Michael. He tells her she smells of jail and drinks too much. Gina tells him how Jack has risen to the top and can’t have white powder on his shoes when he meets the President of the United States. She insists Jack can’t take such a big risk for a little deal. Tommy asks if he can smoke. He sits down before admitting it was him who tipped off the police about Michael’s suitcase because he wanted to give Uncle Jack a dilemma. What will Jack do? It won’t play well in the Oval Office if he gets Michael released. If he doesn’t, it might not play well in South Boston. She tells him fine, stay here, and die here. Gina gets up and turns on the music. Tommy asks who hands he is going to die at.

Then, he threatens to sell the opium to the East Boston Jews if Uncle Jack doesn’t want it. She asks if he wants to start a war. Thomas says with that amount of opium and the balance of power would shift heavily in favor of the East. He has excellent contacts with the family that runs East Boston, the Solomons family. Tommy believes their families will work together very well once they realize they have to treat them as equals. The following day, Tommy gets a call from Lizzie who reveals Ruby (Heaven-Leigh Clee) isn’t feeling well. Although the doctor thinks it is the flu, he is going to come back to check on her later. While Thomas’s lady friend gets dressed, he learns that his family is not going to travel after all. Tommy tells Lizzie to book a new passage when Ruby is feeling better. He has found them a place in the mountains where they can build a snowman.

She checks on him although he insists he is fine. Thomas wants to get this business done in Boston and pick up Ruby because he misses the weight of her in his arms. Lizzie reveals Ruby has been hanging around with Johnny’s kids and has been repeating some of the stuff they’ve said when she was delirious. She kept sayings the Gypsy words, “Tickner maura, tickner maura, o beng, o beng” over and over. That causes Tommy to freak out as he frantically asks if she said anything else in Romany. When he asks if Ruby could see anything, Lizzie says she could see a man with green eyes. He tells Lizzie to keep her out of school, don’t let her near the horse, and tell Johnny Dogs what she has been saying. He intends to come back immediately. He also wants Johnny’s eldest wife to put a Black Madonna around her neck. He wants Curly in the stables with Ruby’s horses and for Lizzie to listen to Esmeralda like she would a doctor.

After the call ends, the lights flicker in the room leading Tommy to believe it is Polly. He knows they’re coming for him and they know he is trying to get out. Before he leaves, he visits Michael at the prison. He tells Michael he knows that Jack is going to England because he has copies of his itinerary, his personal correspondence, and letters from the President. He also claims to have contacts in Jack’s organization. Michael tells him he is dead now that he threatened to sell to the Jews. Tommy says he has contacts in the prison who will keep him safe. Michael believes Jack is going to get him out of there. Tommy proves otherwise by showing him a letter from the President’s personal secretary suggesting Jack should keep Michael in there for longer until the press loses interest. He says they can execute their business when Michael is eventually released. After that, he wants to shake hands and go their separate ways.

Michael isn’t sure about that since he says Tommy didn’t learn his limitations when his mother died due to his ambition. Tommy claims he doesn’t have limitations. Tommy says Jack’s personal accounts show he bought passage for five people from Boston to Liverpool. Those people include his wife, his mistress, President Roosevelt’s son, himself, and Gina Gray. Gina is coming to London where Tommy will be happy to show her the sights. Michael curses him as Tommy leaves and the episode ends.

 

Peaky Blinders Review

Pretty much everyone has been waiting for Peaky Blinders to return. The season premiere was even more hyped by the fact that this will be the last season. The opening episode starts off where the previous ended with the failed assassination of Oswald Mosley. Tommy is forced to begin working with the IRA which was responsible for his failure. After the Shelby and Gray families hold a funeral for Polly, we jump forward four years as Tommy tries to set up an opium deal in Boston at the end of prohibition.

Furthermore, Tommy is secretly trying to get out so she is worried they’re coming after him. Tommy runs into Michael who is eager to get revenge, but Tommy knows this and has him locked away. He is also trying to convince Uncle Jack to team up with him to sell opium and make millions. It appears Uncle Jack is an American carbon copy of Thomas Shelby. The first episode was a bit slow although it started picking up near the end. It will likely take a bit longer for the storylines to unfold and the intensity to ramp up. Hopefully, many of the basics were covered in this episode so things will only get better from here on out.

I wasn’t too thrilled with the last season and hope the whole Oswald Mosley storyline is behind Tommy at this point. The only thing that really irked me during the first episode of season six was Anya Taylor-Joy. I genuinely hate having to pick on one cast member and it could be just me, but I am not feeling it at all. Her overly dramatic, over-the-top mannerisms and shrieking voice are going to test my patience this season I am afraid. I do think this was a bad casting choice. Her American exuberant style doesn’t mesh well with the stern Brits. The less I see of Gina Gray the better off this season will be.

I also hope Arthur does something else this season because we’ve had about three seasons of him being a crazed junkie if not more. Other than that, the opening episode was intriguing and I expect it to get better. The episode scores a 7.5 out of 10. All recaps of Peaky Blinders can be found on Reel Mockery here. Learn how to support the Reel Mockery project by following this link.