After five seasons, Peaky Blinders has featured a lot of death. Life in the criminal underbelly of Birmingham is dangerous, and death follows the Shelby family like a dark cloud. Every season, the body count seems to rise higher as the Shelby Company Limited becomes more powerful, and the Peaky Blinders gain more and more enemies.
Death isn't restricted to their enemies, and plenty of friends and family members have been killed trying to secure the Shelby legacy. Fans have taken to Reddit to discuss the deaths that had the most impact on them, were the hardest to watch (but couldn't be ignored), and those that just felt like destiny.
John Shelby
To Redditor masterxiuccoi, John Shelby's death hit the hardest because they "expected him to appear till the end of the series, side-by-side with his brothers," and he was one of the most likable members of the Shelby clan. It had a strong impact not only because it was tragic but because the circumstances surrounding it were equally so. John was given increasingly dangerous and brutal work by his older brother Tommy (including killing his former teacher), and his final assignment directly resulted in his death.
Many of the deaths on the series were meant to drive the plot and character development for other characters, but John's seems the most senseless, which makes it one of the most horrific and upsetting for fans.
Billy Kimber
Like a lot of fans, IAmTheOnlyAJ loved the moment when Billy Kimber was shot, calling the scene "well transitioned" and "super satisfying". Kimber was one of the first crime bosses the Shelbys defeated to raise the rank of their organization, and fans were rooting for them to succeed.
The scene was important not only for establishing the specific ways in which the Shelby Company Limited had to advance in the criminal underworld but also how effective Tommy was as a leader with his ability to make a split-second decision and exercise good judgment and accuracy.
Danny Whizz-Bang
One of the very first major Peaky Blinders character deaths fans see in the series involves Danny Whizz-Bang, which Gloomy_Bodybuilder47 refers to as very "sad," particularly because of his association with Tommy and World War I. His death is a brutal introduction into the world the Peaky Blinders inhabit, where only the strong and unconscionable can survive.
His death is important to establish Tommy's frame of mind and to also highlight the complexity of his principles and moral compass. It's not as grandiose as others, but the pain it causes Tommy is profound, especially since he has so few people around him who understood what going to war was like.
Harold Hancox, The Digbeth Kid
When the "Digbeth kid" was recruited by the Peaky Blinders to get thrown in jail as part of an arrest quota, he had no idea the fate that would befall him, shocking viewers in the process. Thinking he's a real member of the gang, he gets his throat slit to send a message. Marquay explained that his death was "yet another reminder that the Blinders aren’t good people", and that associating them can often lead to misery or death.
All the kid wanted was to be a cowboy and live in the Wild West, an altruistic goal that makes his death even more heartbreaking. He was far out of his depth, but he wanted to be accepted by dangerous criminals and was treated like one in a display of horrific irony.
The Boxing Boy
Arthur always had a temper, but it truly got the better of him during a sparring match at the Garrison in which he killed his young opponent. Catsbetterthankids explained that the reason the death scene is so effective is that fans know "that kid had his whole life ahead of him and a family that loved him."
The death, while extremely unpleasant, remind Arthur that there are consequences to his actions, and he will have to live with the guilt and the knowledge that he has to be reminded of it in his community every time he sees the family. It's put into even further perspective when he has children of his own.
Inspector Campbell
Inspector Campbell was the primary antagonist of the Peaky Blinders on the side of the law, and he put up a good fight until his death at the hands of Aunt Polly. Psychotica1 noted that "watching her kill him was so satisfying."
Polly had traded sexual favors with him in order to get one of her sons out of jail, so it was poetic justice that she was the instigator of his demise. She had been able to take some of his power away little by little, but he took much more from her until she put a stop to it once and for all.
Arthur Shelby
Tommy's violent and aggressive older brother had a death wish for some time and eventually, he got it via a piano wire. Fans were not prepared for the grotesque scene, and in a poll ranking deaths that hit the hardest, Redditor Applesaucepenguin75 chose Arthur's purely for its "WTF" factor.
Arthur's death scene is a brilliant study in building dramatic tension in a series that has no shortage of it, using fans' expectations against them to make it even more exciting. Arthur has avoided death so many times fans are sure he'll survive, and the writing of the scene plays to that, culminating in a Peaky Blinders plot twist no one saw coming.
Alfie
Alfie was Tommy's biggest enemy on Peaky Blinders but he was also a fan-favorite character, so his death came as quite a surprise, even if he tried to sell Tommy out. CSirizar noted that what made his death scene great was because "Tommy did not want to kill him," but Alfie "chose Tommy for that moment," highlighting the mutual respect the men had for each other. It culminated in a scene that "sucked to watch…even if it was spot on."
Most fans want to see Tommy get his man and any enemy that tries to ruin the Shelby Company Limited, but rarely has he had enemies that are so charismatic. In a series where most deaths range from short and sweet executions to prolonged torture, this dignified death is a refreshing change.
Bonnie Gold
Bonnie just wanted to become a champion prizefighter, but getting involved with the Shelbys meant he wouldn't live long enough to realize his dream. Fraxinus2000 said that watching Bonnie's father Aberama "reacting to the death of his beloved young son was crushing and made it the most powerful death scene to me."
The death scene — which involved a graphic crucifixion — is difficult to watch not just because of its gore, but because it happens to a likable character with a bright future instead of someone more deserving of such a shocking end.
Grace Burgess
Even the deaths of unpopular characters can be good things and help the plot of a show. Pbc120 feels that the death of Tommy's wife Grace was traumatic even for viewers who didn't like her because of the lasting effect it had on Tommy for the rest of the series.
Grace's death has shaped the current trajectory of Tommy's life, and the guilt he carries from her receiving the bullet meant for him has given more nuance to an already complex character. For viewers who simply didn't like Grace's character, their dedication was rewarded with no longer having to see her, but they cannot deny the operatic grandeur of her death scene perfectly captured in slow motion.