Peaky Blinders, Series 5
by Steven Knight; dir. Anthony Byrne (BBC, 2019)
Series 5 carries an aura of unravelling but is hard to judge as its downward spiral—what shapes as a compelling pronouncement on hubris/nemesis—is carried over into Series 6. Sam Claflin brings palpable power and menace as fascist politician Oswald Mosley.
Peaky Blinders, Season 3
by Steven Knight (BBC, 2016)
Season 3 challenges the audience by exploring more seriously the moral double-standard to which the Peaky Blinders—and Thomas Shelby in particular—hold themselves. At its best in the scenes where Jewish gang leader Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy) refuses to be cowed.
Peaky Blinders, Season 2
(BBC, 2014)
Guilty pleasure crime drama. Thomas Shelby is one of television’s more compelling anti-heroes, acting without compunction (and meeting with numerous reversals across the course of six episodes) yet adhering to a personal code that raises him above both rivals and the authorities.