Why the Peaky Blinders Finale Was Left So Open-Ended

If you, like me, smashed through the entirety of Peaky Blinders season 6 over the weekend, welcome: this article is for you. The grand finale for the Birmingham crew of gangsters came and went in a quick six episodes – and while a whole lot was covered, there are questions left lingering following the ending of Peaky Blinders.

Let’s explore some of those, shall we?

Spoilers for the ending of Peaky Blinders are coming.

The Peaky Blinders ending, examined

If you came to the final episode of the Peaky Blinders series – ‘Lock and Key’ – and wondered “how in the hell are they going to wrap all of this up in an hour and 20 minutes,” you would not be alone.

I thought the very same thing. Michael and Tommy needed to have their showdown; the IRA had to be dealt with; Tommy needed to thwart the evil fascists Oswald Mosley and Diana Mitford; Gina and her uncle, Jack Nelson, would have to be taken out (in some capacity) and Tommy would seemingly need to die, also.

That’s a lot.

By the end of the episode, we get some satisfaction in finding that in true Tommy Shelby fashion, Michael and the IRA would be outsmarted and outgunned. Traitor Billy is unsurprisingly found out, and Finn Shelby is banished from the family after turning on the Peaky Blinders to protect Billy.

Alfie Solomons (my absolute favourite character) walks away with Tommy’s opium deal instead of Uncle Jack, and after all that, Tommy goes away to die in peace… only to find out that a planted Nazi doctor gave him a false diagnosis.

This is where things slow down. Once Tommy tracks down his doctor (who we learn is a pal of Oswald’s) he puts a gun to his head, but instead of killing the man, utters “armistice, peace at last” after hearing a nearby clock chime for eleven.

He then shoots the gun next to the doctor’s head and leaves. Fans have theorised that the bell chiming brought him back to the war and the ceasefire on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, allowing him to step away.

But seeing Tommy ride off into the distance after said armistice left things feeling a little unfinished. Especially in the case of Oswald Mosley and Diana Mitford (yes, those filthy pieces of work). As Forbes has reported, however, there are a couple of reasons for that.

Will there be a Peaky Blinders season 7?

First thing’s first. No. There will not be any additional seasons of Peaky Blinders to come.

But, as we have discussed before, there has been talk about spinoffs and a movie is expected to go into production in 2023. This film will follow through into the Second World War and would seemingly continue to follow Oswald and Diana.

In an interview with the NYT, showrunner Stephen Knight shared:

“I’m interested in concluding during the Second World War. So the film will be set during that war, and then the film itself will dictate what happens next.

“But I’m quite interested in keeping that world going into the ’40s and ’50s and just seeing where it goes because as long as there’s an appetite, then why not do it? I probably won’t be writing them all, but the world will be established.”

And before you ask, yes – Cillian Murphy has already said he’s interested in returning for a film.

The Peaky Blinders movie, and any potential spinoffs, kind of explain the introduction of a new long-lost son, the open-ended threat made by Finn post-banishment and the vague nature of the ‘ending’ of the story with Oswald and Diana.

History has a say in the ending, too

More than that, however, Forbes reports that the other reason Tommy Shelby didn’t kill off Oswald and Diana is that they’re actual people taken from history.

Oswald Mosley and Diana Mitford really did exist at this point in time, and yeah they were chummy with Hitler. As Paul Tassi at Forbes points out, the real Mosley and Mitford did not die in the ’30s and so, it would appear the writers are following the trajectory of their actual stories here. No matter how much the audience would like to see sweet retribution served to them.

Guess we’ll have to wait and see what Tommy has in store next, hey?

You can find all seasons of Peaky Blinders streaming on Netflix Australia.