For 4 seasons this show was on par with Boardwalk Empire, but unlike that show Peaky Blinders is completely undone by a terrible final season that has no focus and wastes potential storylines and resolutions that had been set up in previous seasons.
Now the general consensus is that Season 4 of this show is the best as this had a great storyline involving the mafia and really hit it's stride at this moment in the show.
Season 5 then set up a duel between Tommy and Michael and introduced Oswald Mosely as a menacing villain for this to continue into the final season and yet after a 3 year wait Steven Knight decided to go all Game of Thrones on us.
The final Season of this show is so unfocused and became so unrecognisable from previous seasons as Steven Knight decided to juggle sub plots that were either boring or just destroy loved characters. In some cases both at the same time.
The reason the final season does not work is because:
Why set up Mosely as the potential Season 6 villiain from Season 5 only to waste and side line him for Jack Nelson who was neither menacing nor cunning.
Why have Tommy go on a wild goose chase with Esme who tells him about a stupid gypsy curse that takes up an entire episode only to have Tommy kill the gypsy who created the curse after his Daughter dies. What is the point of Esme in this season. She left the family after her husband died in season 4 just to return for this stupid episode.
Why was the subplot about about Tommy daughter even exist. We spend no time with Tommy or his Daughter prior to this only for her to get ill, be fine and the get ill again and then die which had no emotional impact what so ever and then to have Tommy's Wife cry for the next 3 episodes continuously.
Why did Arthur go all the way to Liverpool to meet Hayden Stagg only for him to cry like a baby when he belittled him and then Arthur just leave and not even conclude what he was in Liverpool to do in the first. I mean FFS!! Is Steven Knight purposefully trying to piss people off!! And then for Tommy to do what Arthur was supposed to do in the meeting 2 episodes later.
Why did we have the promise of a duel between Tommy and Michael only for Michael to be in prison all season and have only 2 scenes when he is was visited by his wife and then come out of prison at the end of episode 5 only to have Tommy despatch of him so quickly. There was no build up except when Michael went back to the pub and wait for the explosion but it was so obvious that the bomb had been switched to the other car.
What the hell was with all the music this final season. The show had always had music but it was overused with terrible music that was just a noise.
Why have Laura McKee, the IRA Captain tell Tommy that she killed Polly and have her do nothing until the final episode just to have her killed off quickly without any conflict, just anti climatic.
The ending was terrible. It resolves nothing and has a 1, 2 combo of complete convenience. First Tommy who should have shot himself in the head hears the voice of his dead Daughter at that exact moment in time, then she tells him to keep the fire going and you must live as she tells him he's not sick. And then Tommy comes across a newspaper that just happens to have photo on it of Mosely's wedding with the doctor next to him and realises that this was all set up about his illness. That's just lazy writing and cries desperation to give the audience a twist.
Why introduce The Billy Boys in Season 5 and then just drop then completely in the final season.
Now, some of these questions may be answered in the film but that is just a cop out. When you look at the greatest shows of all time, their legacy is secured by whether a final season and in particular the finale can stick the landing. This was the case with Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, The Wire, The Shield, The Americans.
This final season should have come out all guns blazing like Gomorrah or Boardwalk Empire. It should have been all out war between the Peaky Blinders and the Billy Boys and resolved the Oswald Mosely storyline started in season 5. Steve Knight really dropped the ball with a terrible season finale in a utterly unfocused and disappointing finale season.
Now the general consensus is that Season 4 of this show is the best as this had a great storyline involving the mafia and really hit it's stride at this moment in the show.
Season 5 then set up a duel between Tommy and Michael and introduced Oswald Mosely as a menacing villain for this to continue into the final season and yet after a 3 year wait Steven Knight decided to go all Game of Thrones on us.
The final Season of this show is so unfocused and became so unrecognisable from previous seasons as Steven Knight decided to juggle sub plots that were either boring or just destroy loved characters. In some cases both at the same time.
The reason the final season does not work is because:
Why set up Mosely as the potential Season 6 villiain from Season 5 only to waste and side line him for Jack Nelson who was neither menacing nor cunning.
Why have Tommy go on a wild goose chase with Esme who tells him about a stupid gypsy curse that takes up an entire episode only to have Tommy kill the gypsy who created the curse after his Daughter dies. What is the point of Esme in this season. She left the family after her husband died in season 4 just to return for this stupid episode.
Why was the subplot about about Tommy daughter even exist. We spend no time with Tommy or his Daughter prior to this only for her to get ill, be fine and the get ill again and then die which had no emotional impact what so ever and then to have Tommy's Wife cry for the next 3 episodes continuously.
Why did Arthur go all the way to Liverpool to meet Hayden Stagg only for him to cry like a baby when he belittled him and then Arthur just leave and not even conclude what he was in Liverpool to do in the first. I mean FFS!! Is Steven Knight purposefully trying to piss people off!! And then for Tommy to do what Arthur was supposed to do in the meeting 2 episodes later.
Why did we have the promise of a duel between Tommy and Michael only for Michael to be in prison all season and have only 2 scenes when he is was visited by his wife and then come out of prison at the end of episode 5 only to have Tommy despatch of him so quickly. There was no build up except when Michael went back to the pub and wait for the explosion but it was so obvious that the bomb had been switched to the other car.
What the hell was with all the music this final season. The show had always had music but it was overused with terrible music that was just a noise.
Why have Laura McKee, the IRA Captain tell Tommy that she killed Polly and have her do nothing until the final episode just to have her killed off quickly without any conflict, just anti climatic.
The ending was terrible. It resolves nothing and has a 1, 2 combo of complete convenience. First Tommy who should have shot himself in the head hears the voice of his dead Daughter at that exact moment in time, then she tells him to keep the fire going and you must live as she tells him he's not sick. And then Tommy comes across a newspaper that just happens to have photo on it of Mosely's wedding with the doctor next to him and realises that this was all set up about his illness. That's just lazy writing and cries desperation to give the audience a twist.
Why introduce The Billy Boys in Season 5 and then just drop then completely in the final season.
Now, some of these questions may be answered in the film but that is just a cop out. When you look at the greatest shows of all time, their legacy is secured by whether a final season and in particular the finale can stick the landing. This was the case with Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, The Wire, The Shield, The Americans.
This final season should have come out all guns blazing like Gomorrah or Boardwalk Empire. It should have been all out war between the Peaky Blinders and the Billy Boys and resolved the Oswald Mosely storyline started in season 5. Steve Knight really dropped the ball with a terrible season finale in a utterly unfocused and disappointing finale season.