Did Peaky Blinders Come Back With A Bang?

*Spoilers for series 2, episode 1 ahead*

Literally yes, within the first ten minutes there was an explosion that blew up the Shelby's pub. Of course it figuratively came back with a bang as well, that is the only way the Peaky Blinders seem to know how to live. Series two of the show is set some time after the events of series one with Tommy still not quite over the departure of Grace, and the cliffhanger that we were left with at the end of the last series was resolved fairly quickly. I guess I was half wrong about Tommy and aunt Polly's funeral clothing in the clip, it wasn't Grace's funeral that they had come back from. I'm glad that Peaky Blinders wasted no time in resolving the shooting rather than waiting to let us know if Grace lived or not and it was great seeing her get to shot C.I. Campbell after the aggravation he caused her and Shelby. I'm starting to see the law man as more dangerous with less morals than Tommy, the man he is, or at least was, chasing.

Well anyway, back to discussing series two, as I said earlier it wasn't Grace's funeral that Tommy and Polly came back from as I had assumed, it was the funeral of Freddie Thorne. I'm actually more disappointed about that than if it was Grace who had died! I honestly believe that Freddie had a lot to give, he wasn't a part of the Peaky Blinders but could form and alliance with them or go against them if he wished. Tommy wouldn't have killed him, especially after he married Ada, so he was pretty much free to do whatever he liked and he was unpredictable which is always fun to watch. I'm not sure if it was for creative reasons or whether the actor, Iddo Goldberg, wanted to move on but I think it's a bad move either way. Freddie could've been used a lot more throughout the series and I think that giving him an off screen and natural death was a bad move and he deserved more. Why not start the show with blowing him up? It would probably have the same repercussions, if not better as the whole family would be out for vengeance for Ada. What's Ada going to be doing on the show now aside from being the weak female who gets kidnapped and used as leverage?

The Shelby's have no time to mourn his death as after the funeral they are confronted with the fact that someone has let off a bomb in their pub. Polly and co. assumed that it was due to the Blinders plans to expand to London, a plan that many of the family are against, but of course Tommy knows better. Tommy knows that it's the Irish that did it andit looks like they are using Tommy as their errand boy, it's quite odd to see the top Blinder on a leash. They must have something on him as I doubt he would work for them willingly, perhaps they're holding Grace over is head? Her living makes me assume that she will be back at some point, even if its at the end of the show so she and Tommy can ride off into the sunset. The most intriguing part about the Irish-Tommy alliance is the man in charge who is none other that C.I. Campbell, Tommy's former (possibly still?) nemesis. From the initial trailer that the BBC released I expected them to still be on opposing sides with Campbell still trying to take Tommy down, I never thought for a second that Tommy would be working for him. I'd like to think that Tommy doesn't know that Campbell is in charge of that task force but he barely batted an eyelash when he was informed that Campbell was back in the area and I wasn't expected Tommy to be their errand boy in the first place so Blinders could shock me again with this.

Yes the show has come back with a bang with Tommy having to deal with Ada's disappearance and trying to get out of Campbells clutches once again but we also get to see Shelby ltd. attempting to expand legally and illegally into London. We've already seen them take over the Birmingham area and take down their competition magnificently in the final moments of the last series so it's only natural that they'd want to expand into another area. It'll be riveting to see them try and gain respect as well as take down their London counterparts as is seems they're a little snobby and think the Shelby's should stay in their place. I loved the fight scene at the London bar with the three Shelby's against pretty much everyone else and hope to see more scenes like that in upcoming episodes. Them moving to London also gives us a chance to meet new characters, both gangster and non gangster, and hopefully someone of the Tom Hardy variety fairly soon which should keep the show fresh. It's good to see the show attempting new things rather than be repetitive, I assume some people won't like the changes but it's better than seeing the Shelby's be top dogs and have no one to fight with right?

All in all I think that it was a strong comeback even without the Freddie Thorne and has managed to start off some intriguing storylines that will keep us going for the next couple of months. A couple of months until it's over again! I wish I hadn't fallen in love with this show at first sight. Well it could be worse, it could be Sherlock where the series last a couple of weeks and the hiatus lasts a few years. Well, after this episode Peaky Blinders have shocked me and secured my attention for the series and I look forward to watching all the storylines unfold. And Tom Hardy, I look forward to Tom Hardy. Also, wheres Benjamin Zephaniah at? Well I only have about fourteen hours left till the next episode and I can hardly wait!

Live Long and Blog!

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