Peaky Blinders season 6

After an explosive season 6 filled with trauma and loss, Peaky Blinders final episode ending with a shocking reveal. Here's what it all meant.

The symbolism of him watching his own funeral pyre at the end reinforced the idea of him being free of his ghosts and his murder of Michael ended his fear of judgment from Polly and the realization of her chilling prediction about their war. His criminal empire is in the hands of his son and Arthur - even with questions over his sanity in the wake of Tommy's "death" - his legitimate business is prospering well after his deals with Alfie Solomons and the Housing Department, and his political career has ended with Ada lined up to take over his seat. His deal to build affordable housing placed his social obligations even above wealth (or so he claimed) and his opposition of Mosley and the fascists had long been a matter of principle. Despite how recently they have met, this is Tommy anointing Duke as his favored child in Ruby's absence, at least in the perception of Charlie, whose legitimacy as Tommy's "righteous" son dictates Tommy's unwillingness to allow him to be corrupted. The unresolved plot thread was the first hint of a finale twist concerning Billy's fate, but with Tommy seemingly losing his grip on reality and his business it actually made sense that there'd be a blindspot. Duke is more like him and more suited to taking over from him and the fact that he whispers to him is more important than the specific of what he actually says. That would explain why Arthur forced Billy to kill the football referee, more as a punishment than as a test of loyalty, and to condemn him to Hell. Exactly how Tommy learned the truth is unclear, but the increasing ostracization of Finn Shelby throughout season 6 suggests the Shelbys worked out the informer by the process of elimination. Despite Peaky Blinders season 6 setting up Tommy Shelby's death after his fatal diagnosis of tuberculoma, the finale defied the tone of the entire show to reveal a twist reversing his story entirely. Given Tommy's struggles with suicidal thoughts - including Grace calling him "home" at the very end of Peaky Blinders season 5 - the plan was inspired, until Tommy discovered the truth. Peaky Blinders season 6's finale revealed the real answers to little Ruby's vision of the green-eyed man, as well as a definitive answer on who would win the battle between Michael and Tommy, as predicted by Polly Gray (Helen McCrory) at the end of season 5. At this point, Tommy had put his affairs in order, securing a lucrative future for the Shelby Company, as well as ensuring his criminal empire would be looked after by his first-born son Duke. But Ruby's appearance from beyond the grave intervened, leading Tommy to the fire where he discovered his own newspaper he'd used for kindling - but oddly not read, it seems - and delivering the killer revelation of the doctor's ties to Mosley. The interesting point about this twist is that Tommy learns concrete facts from a vision, which means Ruby can't have been the product of his own imagination. After 6 seasons, Peaky Blinders has done, bringing an end to the story of Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby and his powerful criminal family in 1930s Birmingham. Peaky Blinders season 6 may have drawn criticism for its pace, but ultimately, the feature-length finale paid off the season's key plotlines while offering a stripped-nerve portrait of Tommy's mental condition.