PEAKY BLINDERS Series 2, Episode 3 Review

Will the Shelby’s embrace Polly’s long lost son? And will he embrace them? Read on to find out.

The official description from BBC:

Tommy hatches a plan to take control of the southern racecourses. He also meets the aristocratic May Carleton and sees an opportunity to move up in the world. Meanwhile both Major Campbell and London gangster Darby Sabini plan Tommy’s downfall.

Peaky Blinders‘ second series has quickly been building up to something much bigger than the first, taking this band of ambitious gangsters and putting them firmly in the big leagues. Whilst at the same time showing that this transition isn’t as easy as expected. Getting to this point has seen some very intense and exciting moments, as well as slow moments to build tension, suspense and drama. This episode falls firmly in the latter area, as though there were both exciting and interesting moments, it appeared to be aimed more at setting up future events.

As Tommy (Cillian Murphy) gets further involved with Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy) in his fight against Darby Sabini (Noah Taylor), the Shelby family embrace a new member in Polly’s (Helen McCrory) son Michael (Finn Cole), with Michael showing a keen desire to get involved in “the family business,” (much to Polly’s distaste). The way that writer Steven Knight balances these two elements throughout the episode shows how well thought out the plot is, as though there’s not as many captivating moments as we got in the last couple of episodes, there was plenty of drama and tension. One thing that I did dislike about the episode was the music choice, with the alternative versions of the shows opening theme, Red Right Hand, feeling out of place. Which is a shame, as the use of modern music has been something I’ve liked about the show.

Cillian Murphy continues to be the standout amongst Peaky Blinders‘ stellar cast, being the backbone of the series. It is however the way that he plays of his fellow cast members that make his performances so memorable, with the brief interaction between him and Sam Neill (Major Campbell) being the most entertaining in this episode. Tom Hardy is also continuing to make his presence felt, as though his appearance is far too brief for my liking, his character is definitely becoming a big presence in the overarching story. Other cast members such as Paul Anderson (Arthur), Helen McCrory, and Finn Cole also give us some dramatic moments, with Anderson’s performance once again showing how temperamental his character is. Charlotte Riley (May Carleton) also joins the cast in this episode, and though her appearance, like her fiancée (Hardy), was brief, it certainly left room for speculation.

Peaky Blinders may have slowed down a bit for this episode, but something that’s never changed is it’s intensity. Introducing yet more characters, and building on the established, this outing allows us a glimpse at what’s to come, with both Tommy and Sabini not messing around. Recommended.