Cillian Muphy teases the darker nature of Peaky Blinders season 6 in a recent interview, describing it as "Dark as f**k." Murphy stars as Birmingham-based gang leader Tommy Shelby in the aftermath of World War I. The popular BBC drama series is currently planned to end with its 6th season.
Arriving home after surviving the horrors of the Great War, Thomas Shelby establishes the Birmingham street gang known as the Peaky Blinders. Throughout the series, Tommy falls in love, fixes horse races, works with criminal allies from across the globe, becomes a Member of Parliament, and faces down rising fascist movements. After so many trials and tribulations, season 6 left Tommy alone in a field, suffering hallucinations of his long-dead love Grace (Annabelle Wallis), holding a pistol to his head as he screams into the sky. Ending on such a bleak image, anticipation for season 6 is high, as the latest trailer teased familiar faces returning, and with years of pain taking a toll on Tommy, Murphy teases a very dark time for his character.
Speaking to Esquire about his role and the show's final season, Murphy opened up about how far the series will push its cast. Calling the final season "dark as f**k," Murphy avoided going into too much detail but admitted that he was unsure whether Tommy will have a happy ending. Despite doubting whether Tommy would be redeemed by the series' end, Murphy stated he had faith in creator Steven Knight's plans. While he is uncertain himself, Murphy stated that he would leave it up to audiences to decide for themselves whether Tommy gets the ending he deserves and whether he had redeemed himself for his past actions. Check out Murphy's tease below.
“I think [redemption is] what Steve was aiming for. With loads of wrong turns along the way. But I don’t know. I’ll leave that to the court of public opinion. I don’t know if he’s been redeemed.”
Though season 6 was confirmed to be the final season in 2021, the BBC has left things open for life beyond the television series' end. Following a hiatus due to production delays during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Knight confirmed on the series' website that the 6th season would be its last, but promised the highest stakes and the best season yet. Knight later revealed that a film would properly conclude the BBC's early 20th-century crime epic, promising a higher budget for the project. Despite this, Knight and the BBC haven't revealed how the film will be distributed. While its future film remains highly secretive, season 6 is shaping up to be a culmination of the entire show's world so far, as figures such as Tom Hardy's gangster Alfie Solomon return.
With Tommy being broken and left at such a bleak point in season 5, Peaky Blinders season 6 is sure to bring some of the series' most character-driven moments. While the show has seen widespread acclaim and influence, Shelby is one of television's most complex characters. Though, with Murphy suggesting that fans will have to decide whether Tommy's ending will be fitting, it is possible that his fate may divide audiences.
Source: Esquire