“That’s funny, don’t you think? A war about peace.”
Thomas Shelby, a notorious gang leader of the infamous Peaky Blinders set in 1919 Birmingham, England, has his mind set on moving up in the world no matter the cost. Thomas, or as his close ones address him, Tommy, is an incredibly intense character who uses his strategic intelligence and violent tactics to get what he wants. The entire show revolves around Thomas and all his meticulously planned ploys to overtake the hierarchy. Despite the dark, macabre nature of the series, one gets a sense of belonging to the blinders, and beneath all the terrible acts they commit, there’s a fundamental decency somewhere deep in Thomas Shelby. The series incorporates many powerful female characters like Elizabeth Grey a.k.a Aunt Polly who is the matriarch of the Shelby family as well as Grace Burgess, an undercover agent.
One can expect to be bombarded sensorily and emotionally. Characters built up to be edifying, are mercilessly slaughtered and the Brummy tongue takes you away from the familiar Sherlock Holmes- cockney London, into a heaving urban population trying to establish an identity of their own. Powerful performances do keep you gripped, most notably Cillian Murphy and Paul Anderson who play the roles of Thomas Shelby and his elder brother, Arthur Shelby, respectively. We witness them battling their demons head-on, without really finding a path to salvation.
“In the end, it’s God who pulls that f*cking trigger anyway. We don’t get to decide who lives and who dies, Finn. Not us. You just have to flick a switch.” – Arthur Shelby
You’d struggle to find issues with this product, at least as far as I’m concerned: fantastic performances, an iconic and defined aesthetic, gripping moments and genuine characters all mix together and create a vast and deep landscape within which the show takes place. The action is brutal and gut-wrenching but also impossible to look away from due to a level of ‘beauty’. The sometimes violent deaths of the innocents, not to forget the often brutal deaths of the guilty cast an ominous shadow on the developments. The main characters, in spite of what we know about their level of involvement in the latest nefarious plans, have no release or spiritual motivation. Not one character breaks the mould of a tortured individual, paralysed either by duty or fear, facing a moral dilemma while weighing up politics and the bigger picture. And so they whisper, connive, shoot, embezzle and kill into further anarchy before the grand resolution, which Thomas Shelby, is burdened with all collective hope to make it good.
I venture to believe that Blinders trounces Game of Thrones as well. The main reason why Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad don’t live up to what I’ve experienced with Blinders? The utter boldness of how the show compels you to understand and even empathize with people who make a living out of doing just about everything illegal that they could ever muster, in a place where just about everyone seems to be going around about some kind of illicit activity. The complexities of the characters demand that everyone must sell who they are and I cannot for the life of me, find any character who is a “weak link” to the series. Perhaps I’m being unfair in even comparing the show to GoT and Breaking Bad, two other exemplary shows which made me a loyal fan. But Blinders keeps raising the production bar like the other two haven’t quite done so far.
If you like Victorian crime shows like Sherlock Holmes, Whitechapel, Ripper Street, etc. then you will absolutely love this. The reason it stands out is, it is told from the miscreant’s point of view. A wonderful dark industrial landscape, great soundtrack, rich characters that have real depth played by talented actors, all to the tune of an interesting time line and great script. It is well thought out, has enough twists to keep us on the edge of our seats. The premise is very well-conceived and overall satisfying. This may be the show to look out for in the long run. High production values, exceptionally realized and meticulously detailed. Intriguing characters that are unique and well written as well as a fantastic cast all infused in a solid engrossing narrative. The integration of modern music gives it an other-dimensional feel that is richer and has more exigency than that of other period dramas which often come off as caricatures of themselves (*cough* Boardwalk Empire). Veritable and powerful, I see this ascending to peoples must-watch list. It is exciting to see where they are going to go with this one. I can safely say that Boardwalk Empire falls flat when compared to Peaky Blinders.
Oi, take off the blinders already!