Warning! Spoilers for Peaky Blinders season 6 ahead.
Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson) proved to be as fundamental as he could be a liability for Tommy (Cillian Murphy) in the past, but Peaky Blinders season 6 episodes 1 and 2 painted him as a loose cannon, possibly setting up the killing of the eldest Shelby brother at the hand of the second-born and head of Shelby Limited, Tommy. Peaky Blinders season 5 had already cemented Arthur as someone prone to outbursts that could have cost Tommy his political goals. Unlike season 5, though, Peaky Blinders season 6 lacks Aunt Polly (Helen McCrory) to mitigate the quarrels between the Shelby siblings, as her murder was executed by the IRA and ordered by Captain Swing (Charlene McKenna).
When Arthur’s wife Linda (Kate Phillips) was still with him, Arthur faltered, but Tommy and Polly still managed to support him while also keeping him in line. As Linda left him in Peaky Blinders season 5, coupled with Shelby Limited doing business to move opium through England despite Arthur being against it, Arthur went off the deep end. Peaky Blinders season 6 revealed Arthur’s addiction not only got worse as he couldn’t keep the promise to dress up as Santa Claus for the Shelby kids made to Ada (Sophie Rundle) and Lizzie (Natasha O’Keeffe), but it also led him closer to Oswald Mosley, risking the fine line Tommy walked to juggle both right-wingers and left-wingers.
Arthur’s potential death being caused by Tommy was predicted by Aunt Polly in Peaky Blinders season 5, when she told Tommy, “There will be a war, and one of you will die, but which one I cannot tell.” While Season 5 centered around Michael’s betrayal and Polly’s prediction could have been equally about him or Tommy, Peaky Blinders season 6 makes it clear that Arthur is a liability for his younger brother, making Arthur’s death at the hand of Tommy plausible. Arthur’s drug usage leaves him unpredictable and too easily used by Mosley, which could lead to Tommy’s plans being unraveled if he doesn’t stop Arthur, and he is clearly desperate to get this job finished. After all, Tommy talked about needing “one last deal to be done” with Jack Nelson (James Frecheville) before the Peaky Blinders can rest, and in order to have that change, he will need to stay in the Mosley’s good graces while also not diverting too far from his own political party.
As Peaky Blinders will end with a final film after season 6, it’s unclear whether Arthur’s death may happen in the movie or season 6. Just like Joe Cole’s John Shelby’s death in season 4 was foreshadowed in season 2, though, Peaky Blinders season 6 episode 1 foreshadowed Arthur’s. Tommy’s son Charles indeed found Arthur lying on the stairway and mimed shooting him, to which Arthur played along by pretending to be shot twice. While that could be as equally a foreshadowing of Arthur’s death as it could mean nothing, the path Arthur was shown to be on in Peaky Blinders season 6 clearly clashed with Tommy’s goals, making them potentially more unattainable.
While Tommy often was considered guilty when members of the Shelby family died as a result of his schemes, he never went out of his way to actually kill his kin. That might change with season 6, especially as Tommy cannot be advised by Aunt Polly anymore, or Arthur’s potential death might be yet another death caused by Tommy’s hubris. Whether Arthur will be killed by his brother Tommy or die due to Tommy’s machinations, though, Peaky Blinders season 6 will surely go with a bang.
Peaky Blinders airs new episodes Sunday on BBC.
