Peaky Blinders’ Tommy Shelby has been mourning Grace for two seasons now, but there may be a change coming in Peaky Blinders season 6. The hit BBC series is preparing for its final season – to be followed by a Peaky Blinders movie. Though many fans were hoping for a winter release date, the Peaky Blinders season 6 series premiere has yet to be announced. Creator Steven Knight has promised big things for Tommy’s character by the end of the Peaky Blinders, though, hinting that viewers may see a great change for the beloved character, as Tommy’s story ends in Peaky Blinders season 6 and the upcoming movie.
Tommy and his brothers have just returned to Birmingham from World War I in Peaky Blinders season 1, with the first season’s storyline revolving around a shipment of guns that Tommy steals from the government. A beautiful agent for the crown, Grace, gets a job at the local pub to spy on Tommy and the pair fall in love. Grace leaves behind her work as a spy, but Tommy is unable to forgive her until they reunite in season 2, marrying in Peaky Blinders season 3, episode 1. Their wedded bliss is short-lived, however, and Grace is killed by the Changretta gang in Peaky Blinders season 3, episode 2. Since then, Tommy has been wracked with guilt and grief, haunted by visions of Grace (played by Silent Night’s Annabelle Wallis) calling to him to join her death. In the final scene of Peaky Blinders season 5, Tommy is seen running out into a field to meet her ghost, pressing a gun to his head and screaming, leaving viewers to wonder if Tommy’s mental state will further deteriorate in Peaky Blinders season 6.
Peaky Blinders season 6 is likely to take Tommy’s character in a new direction, however. The recently released Peaky Blinders season 6 trailer shows many familiar faces, but Grace’s is not among them. This, coupled with notable scenes from the trailer and creator Steven Knight’s comments on Tommy’s arc, could signal growth and closure for Tommy in Peaky Blinders season 6.
The first clue in the Peaky Blinders season 6 trailer is the first scene shown. Mirroring the final scene from Peaky Blinders season 5 in which Tommy is seen in mental distress, the first scene of the trailer shows Tommy—now brandishing a machine gun instead of his pistol—entering a field outside his home and firing dozens of shots into the air. His scream can be heard before being drowned out by gunfire. The scene, though short, holds great significance considering the final scene of season 5 and may suggest that Tommy is ridding himself of Grace’s ghost (seen last in that same field). The follow-up scene in the church could hint that Tommy has finally come to terms with his grief over Grace, signaling a renewal for Tommy, whose greatest weapon has always been his mind.
Creator Steven Knight has hinted that Tommy’s character in Peaky Blinders (played by Cillian Murphy) will undergo a huge transformation by his story’s end—which is drawing near. This transformation is hinted at further in the Peaky Blinders season 6 trailer, when Tommy is heard saying, “then let Peaky Blinders rest.” It seems likely that viewers should prepare to watch as Tommy comes to a place of closure and acceptance, not only about Grace but with his life as a Peaky Blinder.
