Birmingham, 1919. The Great War is over, but the men who came back from the trenches are still fighting in another way: the Shelby family runs a gang in Small Heath, and an inspector from Ireland arrives looking for something that has gone missing. Six episodes to watch how power is manufactured on both sides of the law. 6 episodes, read with criminology. No spoilers until you say you have seen it.
Before you watch. Watch how respect is won and lost in Small Heath: who gives the orders, who obeys and why. And notice something odd: the gang seems to have its own justice, with its own punishments and its own witnesses.
I have seen it: the reading (spoilers of this episode)
The Peaky Blinders end up with a shipment of guns from a factory, and Tommy decides not to give it back: it is his ticket up. But the most telling thread is Danny. When this veteran, still scarred by the war, kills an Italian businessman, Tommy does not go to the police: he stages an execution in front of the Italians and then fakes it. It is gang justice, with an audience and a script. Albert Cohen would call it a delinquent subculture: a status system of its own for people the official one ignores. Meanwhile, Churchill sends Inspector Campbell, whose men beat Arthur, and Grace starts pulling pints at the Shelbys' pub on his orders.
To think about: If the gang punishes and pardons on its own terms, how is its authority different from that of the police who have just arrived?
Before you watch. The State strikes back. Watch whom the police choose to pursue, which neighbourhood they search and with what methods. And notice who, from far away, is pulling the strings of that pursuit.
I have seen it: the reading (spoilers of this episode)
Campbell's squad descends on Small Heath without warning: it is looking for the guns, but also for communists, and Freddie has to leave town. The raids hit every Shelby establishment, and Campbell confronts Polly. Critical criminology asks who decides what counts as crime and against whom the law is enforced: here the police chase a gang and a political idea at the same time, and answer to a government minister. Tommy fights back on the same ground: he gets a reporter to write about a burned portrait of the King, and Churchill's pressure lands on Campbell. Then he gives him an ultimatum: leave the gang alone and the guns come back; interfere and they go to the IRA.
To think about: Why does an operation against a gang end up hunting a communist too? What does that say about what the law is for?
Before you watch. Tommy wants to get out of the neighbourhood and into a bigger business. Notice who really controls the races, what it takes to be let in and what Tommy is willing to offer to get there.
I have seen it: the reading (spoilers of this episode)
The Cheltenham races are the ladder Tommy wants to climb. Billy Kimber runs them, and Tommy offers him his gang as security. This is what Cloward and Ohlin called differential opportunity: a criminal career takes more than wanting one; an established organisation has to open the door for you. Tommy brings Grace along as bait and, at the last minute, wrecks the deal with a lie about her: there is a price he will not pay. Meanwhile, the secret of the guns keeps leaking. Two IRA men try to blackmail him, and Grace, tailing one of them, kills him in self-defence when he attacks her.
To think about: Tommy cannot get into Kimber's business unless Kimber lets him. Is that so different from looking for a job in the legal world?
Before you watch. Tommy tries to get on the right side of the law without ceasing to be who he is. Watch for the two ways of settling a conflict in this episode: official paperwork and pacts between families.
I have seen it: the reading (spoilers of this episode)
Tommy gets a betting licence: what was illegal yesterday is now a business stamped by the State. But when the Lees rob his gambling den, in revenge for the Peaky Blinders protecting Kimber's bookies, nobody calls a judge. Peace is sealed with a truce and a wedding: John marries Esme, the Lees' daughter. Thorsten Sellin called this culture conflict: groups with their own norms living under a law written by others. It is not that one culture is criminal; there are two codes for settling the same thing, and Tommy moves between them as it suits him. The wedding ends with Ada in labour and Freddie arrested when he comes to see the baby.
To think about: A licence makes the business legal overnight. Did the business change, or only who recognises it?
Before you watch. A family episode. Watch how the past weighs on everyone: who left, who stayed and what each of them carries from the war. And notice a relationship that could change Tommy's course.
I have seen it: the reading (spoilers of this episode)
Arthur Shelby Sr., who walked out on the family a decade ago, comes back. His son Arthur believes he has changed; he promises to build hotels in the United States and vanishes with the money. Later, Arthur tries to take his own life and survives. Sampson and Laub's life-course theory looks at the bonds that hold a person or let them go: a father who leaves, a shared war, a partner. Grace kills the IRA men alongside Tommy, then gives Campbell the hiding place of the guns on condition he leaves the Shelbys alone, quits his service and turns down his marriage proposal. Campbell sees her with Tommy.
To think about: Sampson and Laub say a partner can pull someone away from crime. Can a relationship that began with a deception do that?
This episode deals with a suicide attempt. If it affects you, in Spain you can call 024 (suicide prevention line): free, confidential and available at any time. Elsewhere, contact your local emergency or crisis line.
Before you watch. Final episode: every open conflict explodes at once. Watch how each character justifies what they do, especially those who claim to act in the name of the law or of the family.
I have seen it: the reading (spoilers of this episode)
Danny leads the gang in breaking Freddie out of prison. Kimber does not wait for the races: he catches the Peaky Blinders off guard at home. Freddie brings out a machine gun from the stolen weapons, Ada steps into the middle to plead for peace, and Kimber opens fire: Danny is killed, Tommy is wounded and shoots Kimber dead. Albert Bandura explained how we switch off our conscience to do harm: invoke a just cause, blame others, erase the victim. Everyone here has a cause: the family, the business, order. Polly tells Grace she knows her secret and will never forgive her. The final image is Campbell aiming at Grace at the station. A shot rings out.
To think about: Campbell came to enforce the law. What would he have to tell himself to point a pistol at Grace?