As the episode begins, Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) meets with Jimmy McCavern (Brian Gleeson). Jimmy tries his best to intimidate Thomas but it doesn’t work. Tommy convinces Jimmy to call a truce and work with him for the time being. He believes that the relationship can benefit both of them. Jimmy is booked a suite at the Midland Hotel. He is given a 500 pound check too. That will pay for his funeral and such should he betray Tommy’s trust. Meanwhile, Arthur (Paul Anderson) and Finn (Harry Kirton) sit down with Billy Grade (Emmett Scanlan). They continue working out the plan to get the football players to rig the games.
Arthur leaves and meets up with Thomas. Together, they speak with Mrs. Conners (Gemma Paige North). She explains that her husband beats her and he killed her three songbirds. She doesn’t mind being beaten but she wants him to stop harming her birds. Thomas agrees to do something about it. He also orders Arthur to buy three new birds for her. The woman agrees to call them Thomas, Arthur, and Finn. When she leaves, Brilliant Chang (Andrew Koji) enters. Meanwhile, Finn gets a lunch break with a woman he believes is a prostitute. She is not. She pulls a gun on him. The phone rings and Thomas is forced to answer it.
He learns about Finn’s situation and that it was Chang’s doing. Finn is released without being harmed. Chang tells Thomas that he has a lot of pure opium. He wants Thomas to help him hide it for several days before it can be shipped to San Francisco. Finn storms in later and threatens Chang. He learns that Arthur and Thomas want to put him on the tracks. They’re impressed that he did not urinate on himself. Finn leaves without causing a scene. Thomas seems to be serious about getting involved with the Chinese and their opium business. Next, Polly (Helen McCrory), Thomas, and Arthur meet down by the docks.
Thomas tells them about his plan to store the opium on four boats for four days. The opium will be hidden by coal. Initially, Arthur and Polly refuse the deal. However, Thomas sweetens the pot by promising to let Michael (Finn Cole) handle it. If he manages to pull it off successfully, Michael will be accepted once again. Thomas and Polly approve the deal without Arthur. He is not happy in the least. We learn that Arthur did not kill the man at the Quaker group. He only cut him. Polly explains that they’ve dealt with it. She encourages him to give up on Linda and move on but he doesn’t believe he can do that.
Next, Thomas meets up with Aberama Gold (Aidan Gillen), who has put a plan in place to kill Jimmy. Thomas manages to convince him to drop it for the time being. He does that by telling Gold that Polly has agreed to marry him. Aberama is invited to Tommy’s upcoming Swan Lake performance at his house so he can discuss terms with Polly there. Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) listens in as Thomas gives his speech in parliament. He speaks about the new party and National Socialism. Then, the two men chat in Tommy’s office. Oswald is invited to the ballet and he wants to know how Tommy managed to convince the ballet group to perform at his house.
Oswald reminds Tommy that he knows all about his wife and he might have slept with her in the past. In return, Tommy tells him that he knows about his sexual relationship with many of his family members too. This includes his wife’s younger sister and her stepmother. Oswald insists that he and Thomas are very similar. They’re two men for whom forbidding is forbidden. He leaves and Grace (Annabelle Wallis) appears to Tommy. Thomas begins losing it. He goes to a bridge and stands on the edge. He looks down and sees Grace on a boat passing by. After that, Thomas pays a visit to Ada (Sophie Rundle) and Ben Younger (Kingsley Ben-Adir).
Thomas gives Ben more information about Oswald to pass along at work before telling Ada about his visions. She knows that he has not been taking his medication and hasn’t visited his doctor. Thomas explains that there is a part of him that feels unfamiliar. Ada pleads with Thomas to throw away his opium since that is what is causing him to see things. Thomas tells Ada to keep the girl away from him when it arrives. Polly tells Michael that he has been invited to the ballet. She also explains that he has been picked to run the opium operation. Michael doesn’t seem to like the idea but he likes the thought of smoothing things over with Thomas.
Michael promises to consult with Gina (Anya Taylor-Joy) about it. Later that night, Thomas meets up with Jimmy. Tommy explains that Jimmy is going to be given ten sacks so he can test the market. If everything works out, they’ll begin dealing with boatloads. Jimmy says that he is going to pay with a check. Thomas agrees to accept a check as long as it is guaranteed by their friend in London, Oswald. They shake on it. Thomas is asked if Tommy’s Chinese friends will be expecting their 7 tons to still be 7 tons when it reaches Liverpool. Thomas tells Jimmy that he should leave that to him. In return, Jimmy suspects that he might have a death wish.
After that, Oswald and the others arrive at Tommy’s for the ballet. Michael makes plans to leave the ballet early with his wife. He begins telling her about the offer to get back into the company. She still wants to have the baby in New York. Michael tells her about the opium and Tommy’s deal with the Chinese. Gina is interested in knowing how much Michael will make from the arrangement. Michael suggests that they can go back to New York whenever they want on their own plane. He is convinced that Tommy can keep them out of trouble and the Chinese will hang for the crime. He tells Gina that they’ll be able to afford dukes and duchesses.
Oswald enters and he is referred to as a lord and a baronet. We see that Tommy is elsewhere getting romantic with Lizzie (Natasha O’Keeffe). Polly tells Oswald that Tommy is busy with catering preparations. She lets him know that they have brandy, cocaine, and opium. That will keep him busy while he waits for Tommy to join them. Oswald tells her that he doesn’t use opium or cocaine and brandy is for after dinner. She offers to let him pick out one of the maids to spend the night with. He asks Polly who she is. She says that she is a queen amongst the Romanies. She is unavailable as well. Tommy begins telling Lizzie that he didn’t tell her before.
He explains that she might have met him before. Tommy is not sure that they would be able to remember one another. She seems to remember him. Tommy explains that there are many bodies passing by and Lizzie should let them go. She believes Thomas brought her in there to lay his claim. He confesses that he did. Thomas said that Oswald will be meat for Johnny Dogs if he puts a hand on her. Thomas meets up with Oswald a few moments later. Thomas wants Oswald to sign something to confirm that Jimmy’s check will be good. Thomas pretends that Jimmy is buying a gin distillery. Oswald is cautious. He knows that signing the paper would become proof of a connection between himself and Jimmy.
Thomas tries to convince him that he has no intention of moving against him. Oswald believes that Tommy is curious about his weaknesses. Oswald explains that Tommy will learn that his weakness is a tendency to trust people. He asks for a pen so Tommy hands him one. He signs the document and says that Tommy is the perfect balance between the gods Dionysus and Apollo. Tommy is irrational frenzy controlled by reason and self-reflection. After a little more back and forth, Tommy is asked to introduce Mosley to his wife. Lizzie admits to Polly that she remembers him as he walks towards her. Oswald insists that it was a bottle of champagne and an evening well spent.
Lizzie intends to repay Mosley for the alcohol from their night out. He believes it was the alcohol that put him to sleep a little prematurely. Lizzie ticks him off before Thomas makes a toast to the end of their deal and the beginning of something more. Then, the group watches the ballet together. Arthur falls asleep halfway through and Lizzie holds Tommy’s hand. Gold gets Polly’s attention and lures her away from the ballet. Oswald takes a look at Gina and she glances into his direction as well. Gold proposes to Polly. Arthur is awoken. A car drives towards the house. Arthur checks it out. A woman gets out of the vehicle. It is Linda (Kate Phillips).
Arthur apologizes to Linda. He says that the animal comes out of him and can’t stop it. He invites her inside before Linda reveals that the man’s name was Frederick and all they did was talk. Linda says that Frederick is now ugly on the outside as Arthur is on the inside. Linda pulls out the gun and aims it at Arthur. She says May all you Peaky Blinders all rot….in you know where. We hear a gunshot and Linda hits the ground. Polly emerges with the gun. The ballet finishes nearby and it is similar to Linda’s demise.
Peaky Blinders Review
I haven’t been too thrilled with this season of Peaky Blinders. The villains this season are pretty dull honestly. The first few episodes were dismal at best. The last one was slightly better and this one was as well. Still, they’re nowhere near the quality that they should or could be. I love the Arthur character but I wish he would get over Linda and move on. The writers had a chance to do something incredibly daring. They didn’t. They took the easy way out by allowing Polly to shoot Linda. Now, I am sure Arthur will whine a little more and go berserk again. Spare us please.
It seems that Polly and Aberama are getting together. Michael and Gina have big plans but I believe Gina might have a thing for Oswald Mosley. Oswald signed the document and that is likely going to hurt him. Is he really that stupid? Is Thomas dumb enough to rip off the Chinese? This episode was better than the others this season. It hasn’t done much for the bigger picture of the season though. This episode scores a 7.5 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of Peaky Blinders before you go!
