Peaky Blinders: Is it Worth Watching?

First Impressions

I first heard of Peaky Blinders when season 4 came out, back in 2017. It was recommended to me on Netflix and I thought I would give it a try. As a young teenager, I thought it was very intriguing. Thomas Shelby (seen in the middle of the cover photo), a gangster who is treated as a king in Birmingham, and his powerful early 1900s gang. The exciting scenes were packed with action. Gunfights and flat caps lined with razor blades. But after a couple of episodes and a few slower scenes, I lost interest. However, I'm quite regretful for doing so. I never truly did the show any justice. Now, we're in 2023 and I just watched the show from start to finish. So, how do I feel about it this time?

What's it All About?

Well to start it all off, let me give you a brief description of the show. The protagonist (Thomas Shelby), is the leader of the Peaky Blinders gang in Birmingham, UK. The gang's most reliable members are comprised of his family and close friends. The beginning of the series is set in the year 1919, right after World War I. Tommy was a tunneller in the war, which is a very dangerous and mind-deteriorating job. Surviving the war made him an extremely ambitious person. He and his associates in the crime world work together to become one of the most powerful and influential families/gangs in the Western world.

My Take on the Protagonist (Thomas Shelby)

The Peaky Blinders story is one of a man who has no limits. A man who is hungry for power and who will do anything to get on top, for himself and for the people he loves. Tommy's ambitions go far and wide. He believes that if he could survive the war, then he can survive anything. And it's not so much that he has no longer any fear, but rather that the atrocities of war and how he grew up made him too numb to care. Shelby commits a lot of terrible acts, and his mind is full of guilt and shame as a consequence. It all haunts him to the very end of the show. Being of traditional Romani nomadic descent, he is very paranoid about superstitions and curses. It also doesn't help that he's not able to have complete trust and confidence in others and even his own family.

However, he is still a respectable man to the viewer. He seems to still have morals when it comes to his criminal life. Tommy continuously tries to get away from the dark side of his past and become a legitimate businessman but keeps getting sucked back in. It's obvious that he knows he leads a bad life, that he doesn't enjoy hurting people, and that he just wants his loved ones to be safe. Shelby never involves children when it comes to gang wars. He also constantly provides for everyone he cares for and tries to give them what they deserve. They would all be extremely poor without him and he never boasts about them having to rely on his "business". He's a humble man and tries to stay away from evil. I think these reasons are why the viewer grants Thomas Shelby some empathy. And regardless of his crimes, you hope Tommy overcomes every obstacle in his path. His incredible ambition is infectious to the watcher. It makes you want him to succeed and accomplish everything he has to to get on top.

Despite being respectable, he isn't anywhere near a saint. His responsibilities weigh on him and he constantly drinks and smokes to deal with it. He also is very seldomly available (both physically and mentally), for any sort of true affection. He'll sleep with women other than his wife for strategic purposes and neglect his kids as a father figure. People also feel like pawns around him, simply taking instructions or being played. This is because Tommy prefers to keep most people at a certain distance and never truly lets anyone in on what's going on.

Thomas Shelby is definitely an intriguing and complicated man. Building his life and reputation from the ground up, he is admired by even his enemies. Being feared, but with a clear coolness and capability about him, everyone who's heard of him is drawn to him by fascination.

Do I Recommend the Show?

In my opinion, Peaky Blinders definitely has some debatable choices in the storyline. Also, a lot of it can feel a bit repetitive. There are also some obstacles that seem as though The Peaky Blinders gang could've rather easily avoided, and that mistakes were only written in simply for that fact of complicating things. However, it's easy to say that as a viewer who's not constantly having to keep secrets and be paranoid that the IRA or Italian Mob is going to assassinate you. Either way, these points are subjective and are honestly pretty minimal.

Overall, it was a very satisfying watch. The setting, the camera work, and the wonderfully complementary soundtrack of modern music, all come together in a perfect way. Any negatives in the plot will be very easy to put aside when it's in a delicious package of cinematography and great songs. There are some slower, more tense scenes that I didn't enjoy as much as a kid. But now, as I grow older and more mature, I can appreciate them properly for the delectable art of storytelling. I think this show will leave you inspired to be more ambitious in your own life and to not be afraid to take some risks. And if you do enjoy gangster movies that are set in the early-mid 1900s then this one is definitely for you. You should thoroughly enjoy it, as it is one of the better gangster shows that I have seen. I also believe that there is a refreshing take on this show that allows people who normally don't enjoy this genre to actually be invested in the characters and crave the next episode. I don't think you'll be disappointed!