In Peaky Blinders’ season 6 premiere, there was an Easter egg that could imply that horror and evil are heading Tommy Shelby’s way in the finale. The Easter egg was a reference to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining – an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Peaky Blinders season 6 picked up in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on Oswald Mosley. Defeated, paranoid, and afflicted by visions of his dead wife Grace, Tommy tried and failed to take his own life.
The assassination was foiled by the IRA, who also informed Tommy that they had killed Polly Gray. Previously, Polly predicted that either Tommy or Michael will die. After the fitting send-off for actress Helen McCrory, there was a time jump. Four years later, Tommy Shelby was sober and seemingly in control of his demons. At the end of Peaky Blinders‘ season 6 episode 1, however, Tommy was informed that his daughter had fallen ill and was seeing visions of a green-eyed man. After the revelation, Tommy called out for Polly, as if her presence was in the room with him. This scene transpired as Tommy called his wife Lizzie in a hotel. The camera lingered on his room key – he was in room 237.
The room key was a reference to The Shining. In Stanley Kubrick’s film, room 237 was a room in the Overlook Hotel, where the film took place. That particular room played a major role in the movie and was haunted by the ghost of a previous guest, Lorraine Massey, who had taken her own life. However, her ghost remained in the room and interacted with both Danny and Jack Torrance in the movie. This Easter egg hinted that grave misfortunes are heading Tommy Shelby’s way. Specifically, it implied that Tommy’s story will end in suicide.
The reference to Lorraine Massey, who died by suicide, was not a reminder of Tommy’s attempt to take his own life, but an indication that he could try to do so again. Tragically, Tommy’s mother and grandfather also took their own lives. According to Charlie Strong, Tommy’s mother believed that Gypsys were cursed and that “sometimes, these things run in the family.” After Peaky Blinders’ time jump, Tommy appeared to have healed some of his wounds, making an attempt to be a “calmer and more reasonable person.” Nonetheless, he has already confessed that sometimes he can resort back to “his old ways” of violence, which caused the deaths of his loved ones and damaged his soul. If conflicts with Michael, Mosley, Jack Nelson, and the rest of his enemies continued to arise, it is more likely he would employ his old violent practices. If he did so, Tommy could revert to the state he was in at the end of season 5 and he could eventually take his own life.
Peaky Blinders‘ scene in room 237 revealed that Tommy’s daughter Ruby had fallen ill and was speaking the Romani words, “Tikna mora O beng.” Roughly translated, the words mean; daughter, friend (or death, due to similarities with Latin), and the devil. The latest episode proved that Ruby’s state will get worse before it gets better, as she has also seen visions of “the grey man”. After Tommy found out about Ruby’s illness, he called out for his aunt Polly and looked around the room as if she was watching him. Previously, Tommy has been haunted by the ghost of his ex-wife Grace, who even encouraged Tommy to shoot himself. The Shining Easter egg hinted that the supernatural will permeate Tommy’s life once more and additional evidence was provided in Peaky Blinders season 6, episode 2 when Tommy had visions of fighting in the trenches and Ruby had further visions. With all of this, it is clear that Tommy will continue to be confronted with the ghosts of his past.
Despite Tommy’s attempt to be a “better man” in season 6, it looks as if he will not be able to escape the ill deeds of his past thanks to his fatal diagnosis. The Peaky Blinders’ showrunners have included hidden details in the past and the reference to The Shining is another example. Although this time the reference could be a spooky sign of what is to come in Peaky Blinders season 6 or the movie.
