Peaky Blinders Season 1

Ah they got me again. This work of art is so multi dimensional and beautifully done. It is a study of leadership ethics and morals. It is also the look at the complexities of family relations and the efforts of people to make the best of thier lives after what seems to be a genetic tendency towards crime. 

There are interesting explorations of what it means to be a veteran of a war and in this case probably World War I. There are brief looks at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Opium Use and the Prohibition. There are conversations and fights or struggles between those who go to war and those who send others to war. There is a conversation about what really makes a man a King or Monarch. 

In this regard there is a troubling video on Instagram where one of the Windsors meets the lead actor of the series and ignores him. But there is more to this picture than meets the eye. The choice of names for the brothers is one thing-John, Arthur and Thomas. The first two are names of previous Kings while the third is the name of someone who served a British Monarch (read Cromwell). 

Then there are questions about revolution, communism, democracy and more. 

In our day and age i found it interesting too about how the backdrop of this story was in a poverty stricken city split equally or unequally between Jews, Italians, Chinese, Romani (Gypsy is not a term they like to use), Irish and British groups. 

There is an look at strategy and tactics. Romance and Revenge. There are conversations about Post War England and the crime families that ruled and the countries from where they emerged. Loyalties and alliances and decisions. 

The tough characters are also exposed as human and vulnerable. In this regard watch for Arthur a suitable name for one of the older brothers, given to violence but confronted by a weak mind. He is in many regards trying to reclaim his place as the first born but must deal with the reality that the younger Thomas is really the brains behind the operation. He loves the bottle but is trying desperately to change. John on the other hand takes after his brother Arthur but his unforgiving tendencies look like they will get him in trouble. Polly has a demons too but she is not weak…not at all. She too however seeks change and the surprise appearance of someone in her life might change the way she thinks. 

Then there is Grace. Sent on a crazy mission but vulnerable as we all are to the realities of life and love. 

Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, Helen McCrory as “Polly”, Paul Anderson as Arthur Shelby, Sophie Rundle S Ada Shelby and Joe Cole as John Shelby.