Peaky Blinders: Mr Jones (Series 5, Episode 6 Review)

“THE GREEN SHOOTS OF ANOTHER WAR”

Tommy has been on his own personal mission to overthrow facism throughout series five but in a grand finale that chucks the rulebook onto the fire, conventions are also vanquished. He does not emerge victorious, more enemies surround him than ever before and, worse still for most viewers, there is no conclusion to the story by the time the credits roll. It had previously been stated by Steven Knight that series six will continue the story but most people won’t know this information and will undoubtedly feel perplexed, cheated even. The fact that this was different is a positive thing. The impending doom for next time is stronger, the threat more real. We knew Tommy would defeat Lucas Changretta last time out, now he’s defeating himself. It’s a bold move and one that pays off in sixty five minutes of television that should go down in razor gang based TV folklore. Hardly a crowded field admittedly.

‘Mr Jones’ is more in keeping with where the first two episodes seemed to be heading. It is by no means perfect but the end just about justifies the means. While the third, fourth and fifth episodes were rivetting they lacked a certain edge. Virtually every minute here though is engrossing as the tension slowly builds. From Tommy’s first face to face meeting with Winston Churchill (who looks suspiciously like Neil Maskell with Play-Doh as make up) to a tense four stage meeting in the Garrison which was literally extraordinary.

Michael and Gina issue their plans to take over the company only to be on the recieving end of Tommy’s glacial stare. These are the moments Peaky Blinders shines most. The tension is palpable and made worse by a rogue Barney making a rude interuption. Then the plan is revealed to a disbelieving audience. The tiredness and strain etched on Tommy’s face is clear to see. All the awards should go to Cillian Murphy who has inhabited Tommy for ten post war years and gets better with age. The serrated edges of his character have grown even sharper than his cheekbones. This is akin to watching an immersive play. You’re right there in the room with him. Just be glad you’re not or he’ll shoot you in the face like he did with poor Mickey the barman. A grass for sure but certainly not the dreaded black cat.

What follows is a moment fans have been waiting two years. When Tommy mumbles “I have to go to Margate” we all knew instantly didn’t we? Sure enough, a few seconds later the dulcet tones of Alfie Solomons call out and in mere minutes he makes his presence felt. “How soon did you know that I was not dead?” he asks. “You wrote me a letter, Alfie” Tommy sighs. He’s daan saaf to ask a favour of his old friend / nemesis which is odd because Alfie has continuously stabbed Tommy in the front which is why he got shot in the bleedin’ face. Was it precient that their shoot-out was off kilter? He cant be back from the dead it wasnt confirmed he had departed. Was his return just for the fans or integral to the plot? The truth is we won’t know until 2021.

As for Mosley, he’s been a bit quiet up until now but that peace is shattered at his rally by a double dose of Idles. In a perverse television mash up, Love Island gets mentioned at a fascist convention but things are set to get more mad as everything goes so spectacularly tits up it’s best described with Ron Burgundy’s “well, that escalated quickly” meme. As Alfie’s boys start rioting, Barney is shot dead, Aberama is knived 284 times and Arhur is nearly killed. Again. The scope and ambition is remarkable. The direction, music and performances unite to create visual and aural poetry.

Alas, the disappointments show through right at the end as unresolved arcs slap us in the face. Most should be continued in the next run but for a second time the war with the Billy Boys is reduced to nothing. They offer no threat here and when things kick off Jimmy McCavern just watches on. The biggest bugbear throughout the run has been the apparitions of Grace showing up left right and centre, willing him to suicide. We get it, we don’t need reminding. Don’t overkill the dead. We’re left with Alfie’s dream coming true. Tommy in a field with a horse nearby and a gun to his head, Grace being the metaphorical trigger. Was it real? A dream? A drug induced fantasy? Guess what? We won’t find out until 2021.

Peaky Blinders mark five has challenged itself to evolve and has done so with great success for the most part. If the plan is to take the Shelbys up to the second world war then it seems the seven series timeline is well behind schedule as we’ve only just been to 1929. Fuel your own film rumours if you wish. Whatever happens, now is the time to keep faith in Steven Knight and Tommy Shelby.

A LITTLE PEAK:

– Polly has lost Aberama on the eve of their wedding. Her vengeance on Tommy will be lethal.

– “I got shot in the face by some c**t” Alfie always has a way with words.

– Billy Grade’s sketchiness has a different perspective now.

– On that note: Finn! You had one job!

– Did Alfie betray Tommy again? Is he responsible for the killings at the rally? Common sense would say no as you’d think he’d want Mosley dead too.

– Arthur’s time always feels up. Will he get out alive and leave the gang?

– A big shout out for the editing of music in tonight’s show including when the maid turns the radio on and Idles kick in and the juxtaposition of ‘Land Of Hope And Glory” over the montage of everyone with opposing views. How very 2019.

Peaky Blinders: The Shock (Series 5, Episode 5 review)

“A CONSEQUENCE OF GOOD INTENTIONS”

It turns out Polly’s aim with a bullet is as pinpoint as her sass and rumours of Linda’s death have been greatly exaggerated. There’s a strange hate directed at Linda in the fandom and many will be up in wound free arms. Strange, because all of Arthur’s toxic actions are overlooked mainly because he’s a man, but thats a debate for another time. Meanwhile, Doctor Tommy is quick on the scene to apply his own medical style. A stunned Arthur, who by now is begging for the kindness of death is thankful. “I saved his life, he hugs him” Pol bemoans with a knowing look almost to camera. In the end, Linda says her goodbyes on her own terms and it looks like this really is the last we’ll see of her.

So what of Oswald Mosley who, to prove the point, is more popular than Linda? He takes it upon himself to grand stand on Tommy’s platform. His diatribe is full of slogans such as “change is coming” and “false news”. It also went on way too long so there’s another comparison to today’s political escapades. There’s also an odd moment where he eyes up the swan (honestly, it did happen) that jars because his impassioned speech continues but his lips stop moving. It’s obviously meant but somehow looks like a mistake in the edit. Either way, Mosley looks to have the upper hand. “Drink less” he orders Tommy as he walks out of the room but this is a spur for him to down a few in one go. That’s their relationship to a Tee (well, a whiskey).

What most sets Peaky Blinders apart from other shows is the music but setting two sex scenes to a song from Radiohead’s ‘Ok Computer’ is a brave move even by its own standards. The claustrophobic sounds of anguished guitars and distressed vocals as Oswald watches himself in the mirror and Tommy lays Lizzie down as an act of power play are about as sexy as dipping your genitals into a beehive. But then, hopefully that’s the point.

Ben Younger gets his reluctant hands on the evidence of a criminal network as supplied by Tommy. The claim earlier to his wife that he’s only doing it to get favourable terms on defence contracts is pretty transparent. Lizzie and Ada see the heart beating underneath. “Don’t listen to my sister’s opinion of me. They are always hopeful, therefore always wrong” he tells Younger, a man who will never get older due to the small matter of a bomb going off in his car. In an instant two lives are gone and so too might be all the evidence. Tommy running into the street to save the children amid the debris is an affecting moment made more heartbreaking as Tommy follows the hearse of the young boy killed at a grand funeral he clearly paid for. The scene is set to Joy Division’s ‘Atmosphere’. Hardly an original choice, it might even have been a respectful nod to the Ian Curtis funeral from the film ’24 Hour Party People’, but flipping hell it was powerful.

In another inspired Steven Knight twist we suddenly find ourselves in a mental asylum with Tommy to meet an old friend. The whole set up as he’s getting searched and walking to the cell is deliberately designed to build up the hope with every footstep that Allie Solomons is behind the door. It’s actually Barney Thomson who we’ve never met before but he fought the war with Tommy ten years previous. It serves as a reminder where Thomas and his brother could end up. What starts as an attempted mercy killing ends up in potential assination. A plan is hatched to free Barney from his padded cell resulting in a gleeful “IT’S FUCKING WEDNESDAY!

For an episode which had a bomb explosion, awful sex, Arthur going physco with a gun and a prison escape the pacing still feels on the laboured side. That’s not to say it was bad, far from it, it just feels like a new era for the show and shows must always evolve. For any new slight flaws there will always be new positives and the mix of dialogue heavy scenes and action sequences must be a difficult balancing act.

As things stand we now have the plan in place. The Billy Boys and Oswald Mosley are in Tommy’s sights and the war we were promised looks to be back on again. To quote the Black Sabbath tune at episode five’s denouement: “Evil minds that plot destruction /
Sorcerers of death’s construction“. Indeed Ozzy, indeed.

A LITTLE PEAK:

– Artistic license has always applied to Peaky Blinders, historically speaking. Mosley lived until 1980. Will the sniper miss?

– Arthur’s gun toting lunacy at the London docks felt a bit forced and fan servicey.

– “He’s in the mood for a quarrel”. Perhaps the most obvious thing said about Arthur ever.

– “Don’t scare me by saying you see things in my face” Tommy can’t hide from Lizzie even if he wants to.

– Michael and Gina have gone very quiet which is disconcerting.

– Alfie gets a mention when Tommy refers to him in the present tense. Is he really alive? Is Alfie part of a back up plan?

– Has Tommy been his own black cat all along and does that mean he’s trying to not walk in front of himself?

“I don’t think it’s really flour” Nothing gets past Curly.

Peaky Blinders: The Loop (Series 5, Episode 4 Review)

“For now, love must defeat revenge”

After the declaration of all out war last week, it’s a tad disappointing to see the Billy Boys greeted immediately with a peace pact. However, it’s handled exquisitely. “You left me a landmine” Tommy laments. “For which I apologise” McCavern sarcastically responds. This being Peaky Blinders, any peace is fractious. “Nothing here is stolen Mr McCavern, Charlie simply finds things before they’re lost”. This agreement comes as a result of their mutual “friend” Oswald Mosley. The big showdown will not be televised, this week anyway, and that’s reflected in an episode that feels like the calm before the storm.

Calm in Small Heath is a dubious notion because there’s still lots happening, most worryingly of all is the fate of Mrs Connors’ songbirds but it’s ok because Arthur will replace them with birds that have the “same colours and.. feathers”. Tommy’s constituency is of course at the Garrison and his next visitor ups the ante. Brilliant Chang offers a brilliant plan involving opium for Tommy to transport and it gives the Shelbys an opportunity to recover money lost in the crash.

In truth, Tommy has more on his mind than money. Grace keeps revisiting at inconvenient times and she’s no longer a friendly ghost. “It wasn’t the blue stone Tommy, it was you”. The visions may be getting a bit overcooked now. It clearly serves the purpose of showing Tommy’s descent into madness but if people haven’t got that by now they haven’t been paying attention. One thing that is notable about the scene was the use of (Graces?) heavy breaths. That combined with his own coughing fits and breathiness serve as a reminder that Tommy feels more mortal than ever. His weakness shows on the outside now and he was clearly rattled by Mosley.

The set piece of ‘The Loop’ is saved for the very end. A grand ballet is the setting for much intrigue, or as Oswald puts it “an evening with a tribe of gypsies” (incidentally, that’s a show which never got past the ITV Commissioners). Tommy is late due to performing his own bed based ballet much to the chagrin of Mosley. Worse still, the moody guest had previous entaglements with Lizzie back in the day but turns out his own performance was cancelled early due to champagne. AWKS. It’s Come Dine With Me but with drugs, sexual intrigue and murder. Yes, murder but we’ll get to that bit.

While the dancers swan about to Arthur’s snoring, Aberama whisks Polly away and proposes. It’s kind of sweet. “Let’s fuck before the swan dies” she insists. You definitely don’t get that on Come Dine With Me. Meanwhile Linda turns up on the doorstep with a vengeance. We think she’s shot her ex. We think Arthur is dead.. again, but out of nowhere Polly appears (the lovin’ clearly didn’t last long) to put a bullet into Linda . It’s a device that has been used too often for Arthur now but the whole thing was beautifully shot. So was Linda, as it goes.

A LITTLE PEAK:

– The best line was with Ada insisting Tommy throw away the opium. “How much of it have you got left?” she asks. The reply? “Seven tonnes”

– “FUCKING BALLET?!” We’re with you on this one, Michael.

– He may be back in the gang but is Tommy setting Michael up for a fall? Will the Chinese really hang for things if they go wrong?

– No talk of the black cat this week which adds to the feeling that it’s someone in the background. Esme or Frances maybe?

– Finn didn’t piss himself at gunpoint. We’re so proud.

– Did Arthur actually replace those birds in the end? We need to know. Poor old Mrs Connors.

Peaky Blinders: Strategy (Series 5, Episode 3 Review)

“IT’S WAR YOU WANT, IT’S WAR YOU SHALL HAVE”

Never has walking into an orphanage looked so cool. After the guitar riffing and hot stepping, Tommy and Polly have a sort of “moral off” with some nuns and for once the Shelbys come off better due to the fact they don’t beat up children. It should probably go down as a pyrrhic victory. “There is God and there are the Peaky Blinders” he warns as they withdraw their funding. Polly is in threatening mode too: “You listen for my footsteps”. There’s little chance of missing them to be honest. It’s a surprising opening scene but perfectly shows the conflict at Tommy’s core. A man that has many bad habits.

—

Speaking of which, his sister doesn’t get much of an act bar being Gina’s taxi service. Ada feels very underused this series but this may be down to filming commitments elsewhere. Michael is indesposed by a meeting with “the devil himself”, Oswald Mosley. It’s as much to do with people politics than actual politics but we do learn that Mosley has connections to Jimmy McCavern and that he’s made the police investigation go away.

—

The Tommy versus Michael saga continues at an intriguing pace. Our main main literally treating him like the shit on his shoes but keeping him close all the same. Michael does face up to his nemesis again to say “By the time that baby draws its first breath we will be done”. Is it a friendship beyond repair?

—

With all this political manoeuvring it’s no surprise to see the return of Jessie Eden who is greeted by a tired, out of sorts Tommy. He’s literally a champagne socialist as he slurs his words and pops his cork. Jessie’s confused by his motives but then it’s not totally clear if Tommy knows what his own agenda is.

—

In all, episode three has a more sedate pace than the rest of the series so far. The grand scale and atmospherics are toned down. Perhaps the show needed it but initially it feels slightly flat compared to what’s gone before. That said, there are two outstanding scenes that close it out..

—

Arthur seeks out the refuge where Linda has been hiding and the man she’s had the audacity to talk to. In a cleverly shot contrast he punches the man repeatedly, beats him with a chair leg and knives him all while the camera stays still. It makes the violence even more uncomfortable. Arthur cries out “There is good in my heart but these hands belong to the Devil!” The second mention of the antichrist tonight. Make of that what you will.

—

Even better is Aberama Gold’s head to head with the Billy Boys. He’s after Jimmy McCavern for who he has a bullet. He shows up at Border Control and gives them a taste of their own medicine (a broken arm) but pouring boiling tar over his victim is adding insult to injury.

—

Never ones to make a quiet entrance, the Glaswegian gang are back for revenge of the revenge but they’re louder than Polly’s boots and Gold, with the help of Arthur, leaves them the present of a grenade. The glee on McCavern’s face at this declaration of war is glorious. It’s even better for us because we can watch it all unfold at home with a cup of tea and not be brutally maimed.

—

A LITTLE PEAK

– Tommy agrees to be Mosley’s deputy leader in his new ‘British Union Of Fascists’ party but we soon find out it’s as an informant. Or is it?

– “I’ve decided to balance my heart against my head” The moment Lizzie compromises her head and body for the sake of her lifestyle.

– Johnny Dogs is a dirty dog. Who knew?

Peaky Blinders: Black Cats (Series 5, Episode 2 Review)

“YOU MIGHT HEAR SOME BANGS‘

Tommy has been standing on landmines since the war, mostly metaphorically, but in quite possibly the most stunning opening seven minutes of a TV show ever he does it for real. For as long as we’ve known him he’s always thought of himself as a dead man walking and this provides the perfect visual metaphor. He stands before his scarecrow self which is hung on a cross, millimeters from being scattered across the field like compost. Stylistically the direction and atmosphere has a poetry to it  Amid all this drama the only sound is the foreboding bluster of the wind in the distance. Until Tommy goes full suicide bomber that is and we hear those bangs. Boy, do we hear them. As he says shortly after, “It’s pretty dark Frances”. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

—

Meanwhile Michael is apprehended on his way back and held in Belfast by the Occupied Six Counties who report that he has betrayed his family. His eventual return is met with a magnificent standoff in the street and is followed by a bruising non physical showdown with Tommy and Arthur in the bar. Cillian Murphy saying so much in his performance when saying so little. His words undercut by mixed messages. “Ok Michael, I believe you” he deadpans before demanding his money back. He giveth then taketh away. Michael and Tommy squaring up are heart skipping moments and give the show a new kind of edge. Let’s face it, this show has always had edge.

—

An intriguing turn this year is the younger generation starting to stand up for themselves. “General Finn” too is getting his say even if that say is ignored. “I’ve met this girl and want to get married” he declares proudly, “Fuck off!” responds Arthur. Classic bants. The dialogue is even zippier this series and that is quite an achievement given all that’s gone before.

—

Lizzie and Linda are also taking on the Peaky patriarchy but their letters of intent fall on flat ears , or burning coals to be precise. They are dismissed but no moment was crueller than Tommy telling his wife “In my head I still pay for it”. He definitely deserved the gun pointed at him.

—

We meet the Billy Boys. We know they’re the Billy Boys because they politely introduce themselves (“Did you not hear my song?!”) They’re a Protestant razor gang and they surprise Aberama Gold’s picnic, not to steal the sausages, but to kill his son Bonnie and tie him to a cross. It’s gruesome and as Gold lies in a pool of his own tears his life is spared purely to pass a message on to you know who…

—

Narcism and paranoia are the driving force behind Tommy now. He states “I am the revolution” and that “Someone wants my crown” This is no longer about family. This is about status and ego. Michael, Lizzie, Linda, Aberama, the Billy Boys and probably the whole of Ireland are in his sights. Apologies if anyone was left out, it’s difficult to keep up. Everything is falling apart from the inside while the hunters outside prowl. Let’s enjoy the fireworks because the bangs are set to get even louder.

—

A LITTLE PEAK

– In a rare moment of vulnerability Tommy told Arthur “I don’t like the fucking life” with tiredness writ large over his face. The human inside is trying to come out.

– We got another glimpse of Oswald Mosley who was met with Ada’s typical offishness. He is being held back for now.

– Here’s betting The Garrison doesn’t serve Guinness.

– “How can a one armed man avenge the death of his son?” Hand grenade? Knife? Angry glove puppet? The possibilities are vast.

Peaky Blinders Series 5 Interview: Sophie Rundle & Natasha O’Keeffe

This interview was carried carried out for the custardtv.com The abridged version can be found there.

It’s great to meet Sophie and Natasha together, both are of a similar age and with CV’s that are growing ever more impressive. Sophie has been part of both successful cult programmes and massive ratings hits, with Bodyguard and Gentleman Jack the most recent of those. Before the huge success of Peaky Blinders one of Natasha’s earliest breakthroughs was landing a leading role in Misfits. Both are young and have the acting world as their oyster but today they are only here to talk about that one little area of the planet called Small Heath.

What’s in store for Lizzie this time around?

Natasha: “It’s an entangled relationship between Lizzie and Tommy. She is one of the Shelby’s now she has a child with him. Lizzie is the engine behind Tommy at this stage. She’s been the loyal one that’s keeping him grounded”

How has she taken to being a mum?

N: “She’s kind of the lady of the manor as they have a nanny. Lizzie is embracing motherhood and is trying to protect her family”

Is her sex work fully in the past?

N: “She knows where she’s come from and knows in a click she could be back there. There’s a plot in this series where there’s some mindplay and she’s got to work with that”

Sophie: “That’s part of what pulls Lizzie in. She feels like family and they’re all trying to escape their past. It’s why you work well in that dynamic. They all had nothing and now they’re living these very ostentatious lives. A wrong step by the family and it could all come crashing down”

What’s Ada’s take on Tommy’s Westminster career?

S: “Politics has always been Ada’s thing. She’s got strong convictions and now that Tommy has taken a step into that area that world has come back to her. It’s frustrating that her older brother is getting to do what she wanted to do. As a woman that route isn’t an option for her. She becomes his confidant and ally in many ways. They’re perhaps the two most intellectual Shelbys and that bonds them. This is Ada and Tommy finding a mutual understanding”

Ada has always been in a moral conflict with her family.

S: “I think she always will be to a certain extent but she’s embraced it out of necessity. She loves her family therefore has to accept them”

Does Ada clash with Oswald Mosley?

S: “She has an eye on him and an opinion!”

The women of Peaky Blinders have formed a strong unit recently. Is there more if that?

N: “Yes, most definitely. There’s also more covert things happening behind the scenes without the men involved!”

S: “I think it is still quite unusual to get such strong, brilliant, powerful women on screen so it’s exciting when they collide with eachother. It’s not just one strong female character leading a drama, they’re fucking everywhere!”

Apparently, Peaky Blinders has more female viewers than male.

S: “I think it’s a really outdated, lazy inherited opinion that women like this kind of TV and men like that kind of TV. In the past five to ten years we’re really splitting that open. There’s an assumption that women like nicey nicey shows with princess hair and men like guns. I don’t know any women like that in my life . It’s about the story. There isn’t too much toxic masculinity on this show and it is counteracted with people being fallible as well as the interesting female characters. That is appealing to everyone”

N: “The show is essentially about an idiosyncratic family so I guess that’s why it’s popular as well”

What do you make of the public’s reaction to the show?

S: “It’s mad isn’t it? What did you get given by David Beckham?”

N: “Well, he said he’d get me a coat from his clothing range because I like tailored things but I didn’t actually get a coat, I got a candle!”

S: (Who is in hysterics by now) “It’s so weird! David Beckham sent you a candle!”

N: “And a little note!” As a Manchester United fan my ten year old self would never have thought I’d shake Beckham’s hand. It’s just really funny and so random. Yeah, there’s David Beckham between a take just chatting with Steve (Knight) behind a monitor”

S: “We’ve come a long way from series one where people were like ‘P..P..Pokey Blunders?!’ and then there’s David Beckham”

As they sit here they’re a far cry from their screen personas. They’re more like naughty sisters, giggling at everything and trying to hold back the inappropriate stuff. It’s almost as if they’re bloody good at the acting malarkey.

Where would you like you character to go from here?

N: “In my dream scenario, if it’s going into political lands, then Lizzie Stark/Shelby as the next Prime Minister! It could go anywhere. That’s the beauty of this show. Think of all the people you could invite in from history books”

S: “It’d be interesting to see these women, instead of having to insist upon freedoms and liberties, being given them. I’d like to see what they’d do with that and the tragedy of another war. When we first met them it was on the back of these broken men and that’s what makes this period so fascinating with hindsight. They’re living between these two wars but they don’t know that”

N: “Maybe the show will keep going until we’re really wrinkly”

S: “I’d like to play Ada Shelby as a granny! That’d be really cool. We could all come back to it in forty years. Imagine if Ada or Lizzie were your granny with the stories that they could tell. That’s a show I want to watch. We’ll be Maggie Smith and Judy Dench!”

If they keep going the way they are then a damehood in the future is more than a distinct possibility. Coming to a screen near you (not very soon and if you’re alive) – the Peaky Blinders 2059 reboot. So, who is going to be the first to Faceapp Ada and Lizzie for the promotional poster?

Peaky Blinders Series 5 Interview: Steven Knight

This interview was carried out on behalf of thecustardtv.com and an abridged version can be found there.

Steven Knight has become one of television’s most successful writers since Peaky Blinders launched back in 2013. Not just content with creating one of The BBC’s most critically acclaimed hits he’s also close to finishing scripts of the second series of Taboo and has completed ‘A Christmas Carol’, starring Guy Peace which is coming to your screens this winter. If he is feeling the pressure it’s not showing as he takes his seat with a relaxed smile, clearly relishing what series five has in store.

What are the themes of the new series?

“It’s a fork in the road for a lot of characters, especially Tommy and if you put it simplistically, between good and bad. Is he going to do the right thing? It’s about members of the family being confronted with things that are so huge and potentially damaging that they have to decide who’s side they’re on”

What is it that will make Tommy happy?

“I think that he’s drawn to acquire power but doesn’t know why. Tommy doesn’t know what he wants since the war. If anything, I’d say what he wants is to go back to being the person he was before the war. He worked with horses, he was attached to nature, he had compassion and feelings but the war blasted everything out of him. When he came back he was just switched off so what I’m trying to do over the series is flick his switch back on and make him human again even though it’s painful to start feeling”

Do you have a writing process? Is the plan still to take the Shelby family up to the second world war?

“I don’t really plan things to that extent but what I do have is a destination and when you have a destination you can then get there however you want because at least you know where you’re going. For any journey the most important thing is where you’re heading so it’s always been a particular scene at a particular moment in history that’s going to happen, it’s just how you get there. I’ve found that sitting down and planning an episode doesn’t work for me”.

Do you know how Peaky Blinders ultimately ends?

There’s a knowing laugh followed by a firm “Yes…” The short silence that followed conjured up so many possibilities.

So you knew how series five ended when you started it?

“Only that, so everything else is up for grabs. You can do anything else, keep Tommy alive.. probably and head for that destination. It sounds weird but I know the characters really well so I tend to put them in a room and let them talk about anything. The kiss of death is saying ‘in this scene she must reveal this to him’ whereas if you just let them talk it happens naturally.

For the end of series three the idea was to split everybody and series four forced them back again. What I wanted at the end of the fourth was to experiment with the idea that you get to the end of the series and there’s still ten minutes left, so what are you going to do? So Tommy, goes on holiday and can’t stand it. So what am I going to do now? So I come up with this thing that completely surprises everybody”

Is Tommy’s PTSD explored further, as hinted at in that finale?

“Very deeply. A lot of it is about where he’s at and the business of coming alive again. He hasn’t reached the bottom yet. What I didn’t want to do is give him post first world war stress related mental illness in series one and in series two say ‘oh, that’s over now’. I want to keep it going because these people lived with it all their lives”

On Tommy’s venture into politics, there are certainty comparisons that can be made between the late twenties and the current climate.

“It’s extraordinarily appropriate. It’s fortunate for me and unfortunate for the world but those years had a great deal in common with what’s happening now. There’s the rise in nationalism, populism, facism and racism were suddenly becoming currency, becoming respectable. Some of the things that were said at the time could have have been out of the newspapers today – word for word. It’s quite chilling because we all know how it ended up, it ended in war”

Were you conscious of drawing those parallels in your writing?

“I didn’t even have to. I didn’t have to force it because you just read what happened and what people said and quote that. I think people will think I made it up. It’s like with Churchill, you take things that are real, dance around them and join the dots. It’s great for driving the plot when you know that history is marching alongside you”

How does Tommy manipulate the establishment from inside?

“He’s in his element in the house of commons because he’s found an environment where people with power are not particularly scrupulous. There’s lots of fighting, lots of gangs. His ability to speak, control and strategic are really useful. It’s not beyond reality”

What can we expect from Oswald Mosley? How do he and Tommy spar against eachother?

“Tommy confronts many things. Family things, gang things and emotional things but the biggest thing he can confront is this new sensibility. Sam (Claflin) is absolutely hypnotic in it”

The show has had its share of brilliant guest stars over the years.

“We get a lot of approaches from astonishly A-list actors who love the show but we’ve always tried not to make it ‘spot the celebrity’ because it’d spoil the atmosphere”

Is there life in these characters beyond 1939? A spin off maybe?

“They wouldn’t fight in the war but they would live through it. I’m starting to think there’s something to be had there. I don’t know yet, it’s just a thought”

A film has long been rumoured. Is there any substance to that?

“I’d never rule anything out. The inspiration came from my parent’s stories that I heard when I was a kid so the world sort of came out of that. It’s the details that are really amazing. The authority of truth is always important”

With that, it’s time for Steven to leave and head to a spa weekend retreat or whatever the hell it is he does to keep himself so calm and serene. There may be be gruesome murders and graphic violence in his mind but he’s floating out of here on a different plain to the rest of us. We, and not just for the obvious reason, really don’t want the second world war to start.

Peaky Blinders: Series 5, Episode 1 (Spoiler Free Preview)

The following article was written for TheCustardTV.com and also features there.

There’s always scepticism when a series makes the move across the deceptively deep waters between BBC2 and BBC1. This isn’t family friendly fare such as The Great British Bake Off though so if there’s compromise it will lose its whole raison d’etre. That and Tommy would just shoot the judges and declare himself star baker. The good news is this – Peaky Blinders has lost none of its bravery. 

The first ten minutes chime out loudly in the vein of a discordant musical. Not many words are uttered as the series arc forms but when the guitars aren’t shimmering, they’re crashing into your very soul. The score by Anna Calvi is pitch perfect with the atmosphere throughout. It curates the darkness beautifully.

There are other noticeable changes at play too. Peaky Blinders has always been visually stunning but the game has been upped further if episode one is anything to go by. Anthony Byrne’s direction is the perfect contradiction of slick and edgy. The whole thing looks incredible.

A less explored area in the show is the humour because, frankly there’s never much to smile about. Here there are some genuinely laugh out loud moments. Two scenes with Arthur in particular are comedy gold. If this whole gypsy gangster thing doesn’t work out he’s always got an unlikely career touring the country’s Jongleurs venues as back up.

What of the storyline? Not much can be divulged but Tommy’s demons are stronger than ever and summed up with a powerful visual in a scene with his horse that says a thousand words. We also see his first, not at all tentative, steps in the halls of Westminster and it’s even more exciting than we could ever have expected. Cillian is in fierce form.

While most series that make it to a fifth run are on a downward curve, Peaky Blinders has offered up one of its strongest ever episodes. You are in for a treat, just not of the baked variety.

Peaky Blinders Series 5 Inteview with Helen McCrory

Helen bounds in after the designated meeting time “I’m so sorry I’m late! I was being interviewed”. She takes a look around her “He’s not here now so I can blame him!” On series five’s opening episode Helen gleefully asks “Have you seen it or are you seeing it tonight? Tonight? Great, I can say whatever I like.. I’m the lead!” 

Where do we find Polly at the beginning of it?

“It starts with the crash and they lose a lot of money very very quickly and she’s back on the streets- not literally! You see her  enjoying all the luxuries and then you see her realising she doesn’t have any left.

How does the relationship between Polly and Tommy progress? Does she still not approve of his ways?

“Well, people in glass houses and everything! I think she’s very encouraging of Tommy’s philanthropy. She’ll always be on his side but for the first time the son and Tommy become much more divided so she’s in the middle”

What’s in store for Tommy?

“Tommy has, for the first time, access to the world of journalism where they’re allowed to talk about people’s private lives. there’s also the whole idea of can somebody escape their past? Can a bad person become a good person? Can you have a good act by a bad man?”

How does Tommy’s new career in politics affect the family dynamics?

“What Steven (Knight) starts to explore is how much Tommy uses politics as a commodity, just as he used to deal with horses and then booze, he deals with politics in the same way. The information can be bought and sold and information is a way of getting what you want wether it’s blackmailing or trading. It’s just another form in which you hussle”

The women of Peaky Blinders have grown from strength to strength and are part of what makes the show incredibly successful? Do they steal more of the limelight?

“For the first time women were hauling their husbands to account quite publicly. The women really question the men”

Is Polly still connected to the spirit world? 

“That continues to be part of Polly, that sort of quasi psychic thing. She just has good instinct, it’s that streetwise thing isn’t it? She believes it. I think at the beginning Steven wrote the first scene like he wasn’t quite sure she was psychic but because I came in all ‘Yes, she obviously is’ he went ‘Yes, she obviously is. You’re mad. She’s mad. There you go!'”

—

It’s wonderful to report that Helen has all the presence of Polly Shelby but non of the menace. That is replaced by a wicked sense of humour and fierce intellect. You feel like you’re in the presence of someone powerful.

What of Polly’s vulnerabilities though? Her fears went awol in series four. 

“The biggest fear is still leaving Michael behind. Fear of death is not death itself, if you’re going to fear death then that’s a pretty fucking losing battle you’ve got on that one! That’s the one thing that is going to happen. Your fear is your children’s lives without you”

Polly and Michael have always been a fraught pairing. Does that continue?

“She’s always trying to protect Michael. He’s greedy in a way that Polly isn’t. Polly doesn’t really care about the trappings, she wants the family to be together and safe as you can be when you’re carrying razors around with you! So there’s a tension with her son. She’s lost the battle with Michael but hopes he doesn’t get caught with blood on his hands. It quite a family to discover particularly as Michael seems to have come from.. apple scrumping land of make believe!”

Peaky always has great guest stars. Is this this same in series five? 

“I have one special scene with Sam

(Claflin) and he’s really fucking good. As Polly I got to watch him do something and I was really impressed with the clever choices. Because of who he’s playing it’s all got to be totally fictional because it’s a litigious hell if you did anything that was vaguely truthful. You just can’t be”

Celebrities are also proud to be part of the Peaky fandom too.

“It’s such a cacophony of people who have nothing in common! You’ve got Julia Roberts and Snoop Dog! I heard the other day about the demographics, it turns out more women watch Peaky than men which is interesting because it’s boys with guns”

What do you make of the public’s reaction to the show? The fashion and music in particular.

“It’s fantastic! The move to BBC1 is interesting because I’m really loyal to BBC2. I thought they took such a punt on it. You can’t compare it to anything else”

The music is so opposite to the visuals that you’re seeing. You hear Nick Cave in a completely different way than if it’s him standing in a tortured pose in a music video. And you’re used to seeing somebody in flat caps with the Hovis music! It’s such a contrast”

What can we expect from Polly’s wardrobe this time round?

“Now THAT (Helen points to the promotional picture on the wall) I get particularly excited about as it was my design. I really wanted her to wear a suit in one of the scenes. I really wanted Polly in it because it’s just so cool”

—

With that, Helen is whisked away, this time on schedule and to no doubt cause mischief somewhere else. It’s been a pleasure.

Years And Years (Episode 6 Review)

Either by sheer coincidence or clever plotting, BBC schedulers made it a dystopian Tuesday evening by putting Our Next Prime Minister and Years And Years next to each other. Imperfect bedfellows to say the least. The awkward political wranglings of the quest for our next leader had many of the hallmarks Russell T Davies has covered in this spectacular series but at least this finale had one thing the previous hour couldn’t offer.. hope.

It’s 2029 and our future Prime Minister Viv Rook has killed the BBC, closed food banks and banned reporters from asking questions. The seeds sown in our  present day real life is reaping magnificent, thought provoking  drama. Over the top? Maybe. Overly sentimental? To some certainly, but the message that we must choose love over hate is the epicentre of Years And Years. It’s the loving heart ticking away in a cynical, twisted body.

Anne Reid, who charms and intimidates in equal measure is the shining light as Muriel who has gradually become the main character. Her “It’s your fault” speech is more stirring than any national anthem and the wake up call her family needed. This is what great dialogue and impeccable acting does – it turns the mundanity of people sat around a table into essential viewing.

Edith gets the gang together and goes out with a bang as part of a revolution. Saving Viktor was simply an added bonus to overthrowing the government. While she is blocked by men with guns, Rosie is trapped behind gates once more. It’s an obvious metaphor but their escape is symbolic of everyone breaking free of their chains. In a show that’s mostly portrayed technology as an evil, the erstwhile refugees use their phones to connect to the world and tell it their truth. They are scenes that felt close to Doctor Who in tone but Years And Years has earned itself a dose of overindulgence.

Redemption is another through-line and the Lyons family stick by Stephen despite everything, even if it means going behind his back to support him. His guilty conscience needed them but he ultimately ends up in prison for possession of a firearm but that seems very harsh considering it was only Woody who took the bullet.

Everyone gets an end to their story but Vivienne is not afforded a full stop. It seems a waste that her, until now, malevolent presence fades into thin air at the crucial moment. Sure, it’s not her story but we got no reaction from her as the revolution was kicking off and there’s no scene once her actions are exposed. We see her twice briefly and one of those was a body double. Perhaps Emma Thompson was filming an Oscar nominated film that week.

An increasingly ill Edith does get her full stop and in a twist no one saw coming (don’t pretend you did) she’s having her memories uploaded to the cloud. Again, this was essentially sci-fi but there’s that heart again, now digitally clicking away in the dying embers of a soul. It’s a long, calm scene that ends a chaotic series. The release could be construed as a bid for freedom. It’s an ending that will jar with many but it’s all down to how you interpret it. When Edith says “You’re wrong. Everything you’ve stored, all those downloads, bits of me that you’ve copied onto water. You’ve got no idea what we really are. I’m not a piece of code. I’m not information, all these memories. They’re not just facts. They’re so much more than that” is it her fighting the cloud or accepting it? Was she there? Are we there? What the heck are we anyway?

It’s probably best to leave the last words to Muriel. Believe her when she says “Beware those men, the jokers and the tricksters and the clowns. They will laugh us into Hell.” Next month we’ll have a new Prime Minister and then what will we have in 2029? Maybe, just maybe it’ll be some love, hope and redemption..