Peaky Blinders Fans In Shock As Final Episode Serves Up Major Surprises

*** WARNING - THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE FINALE OF PEAKY BLINDERS SEASON FIVE ***

Peaky Blinders fans have been left reeling as season five has ended with an explosive finale tonight - it was never going to be any other way was it.

We had shock deaths, family betrayals and - of course - a nice big cliffhanger to keep us guessing, but there was one shock return that really made the episode.

Let's address the biggie early doors and talk about Tom Hardy's resurrection. The most eagle-eyed of us got on to the issue in last week's episode, when it was teased by Tommy who spoke about Alfie Solomons being the best 'organiser of men' in the south - notice the present tense.

People have been talking about the theory so much that Alfie and Peaky Blinders have been trending on Twitter all week, with fans hoping we get to see the dynamic duo back together again.

And they were bang on; Alfie is back from the dead and has been living in Margate, of all places. Alfie, who was supposedly bumped off by Tommy Shelby at the end of last season, but it turns out he didn't finish the job - and Alfie was quite happy to go along with it and chill out in his new Margate home. Tommy pays him a visit to try and get him on side with the plot to murder Mosley.

"Life is so much easier to deal with when you are dead," he reflects. You can't really argue with that.

Alfie Solomons is back!

Revealing his plan to kill Oswald Mosley - played brilliantly by Sam Claflin - in a bid to kill the 'message' of fascism, he tries to get him on side.

Tom Hardy, as always, is on form, and when negotiating a price for the job, he says that £20,000 isn't enough 'to step in the sh*thole that is Birmingham'.

He's also the next person to suggest that the whole idea isn't going to end well - and as we see at the very end of the episode, he's spot on.

Michael is also causing Tommy extra stress - as if he doesn't have enough on his plate. He makes the announcement that he wants to 'restructure' the gang and essentially makes it clear that he wants Tommy's place at the head of the table.

Backed by a constantly smug and also infuriating Gina, who doesn't stop piping up, he hands a less-than-impressed Tommy a document with all his plans in. You can imagine how that went down. Gina ominously says the will have to take the 'second option'.

All the unrest doesn't sit well with Polly, who later announces she is resigning from her involvement with the lads - presumably hoping to live out her days with Aberama Gold after their engagement last week.

With Aberama - who also had his doubts about the plan - and Barney the sniper all set to go, in a shock turnaround, they are the ones that end up getting killed off. Someone has tipped Mosley off. But who?

BBC

Everything proves too much for Tommy. With the constant suggestions from the likes of Arthur and Alfie that he should take a step back from it all, as well as Michael's insistence that a new generation should be taking the reigns - it looks like Tommy has finally reached breaking point.

A tense night at the theatre is in store for Tommy though - as Mosely takes to the stage for what the Shelbys hope will be his final rally.

When his plan to kill Mosley goes wrong, Tommy knows he has been betrayed yet again.

The Chinese? The Italians? Special Branch? Tommy tips towards madness as he tries to figure out who has double-crossed him.

A vision of Grace who tells him to leave it behind pushes him over the edge and he spirals out of control, leaving us with the biggest cliffhanger yet - it looks as if Tommy is going to kill himself as he points the gun to his head.

BBC

Is this the last we'll see of Tommy? It could well be - as the next two seasons that are confirmed have been set up perfectly to go on without him.

But surely the survivor will be back in the next series? Four episodes of the next outing are already written according to show creator Steven Knight.

Either way, another gripping episode and an incredible way to end what is potentially the best conclusion yet to a series of Peaky Blinders.

Topics: TV and Film, Peaky Blinders

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. After a few years working on festivals and events, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@amelialadbible