Warning! SPOILERS for Peaky Blinders season 6, episode 3.
Peaky Blinders season 6 episode 3 "Gold" finally fixes the show's biggest problem: ignoring the Shelby family characters. The BBC show's sixth and final season focuses on Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) as he tries to complete an increasingly complicated deal that will earn him a way out, four years after Polly Gray's (Helen McCrory) death. Episode 3 came with devastating news for Tommy, but it also gave the other Shelbys a chance to shine: this is good news for Peaky Blinders, as the first two episodes of season 6 seemed to forget precisely the complex family dynamics that made the show great.
Peaky Blinders' episode "Gold" saw Tommy leave Lizzie (Natasha O'Keeffe) with Ruby (Orla McDonagh) in the hospital as he goes to find Esme (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) and lift the curse on his daughter. While he is away, Tommy asks Ada (Sophie Rundle) to take charge of the company. Ada wastes no time in getting things done, seizing power in a room full of fascists and giving Arthur (Paul Anderson) a much-needed direction, pairing him with Isiah (Jordan Bolger) on a mission to Liverpool. As Tommy returns from his quasi-spiritual journey, Lizzie delivers the terrible news: Ruby is gone and Tommy (not only didn't help but) wasn't there to say goodbye to her.
With the focus shifted from Tommy's dealings with the IRA, Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin), and Jack Nelson (James Frecheville) onto the Shelby family, Peaky Blinders is raising the show to the level of excellence it's been known for. Ada truly shines in her role as Shelby Company boss - in fact, Ada is replacing Polly in strength, wit, and grace, demonstrating that in season 6, perhaps it's her (not Tommy) that's best suited to run the family business. And if Tommy tried to use Linda as a motivator to stop Arthur from using opium, Ada actually gave him something to do, forcing him to stay clean and reminding a very confident Isiah that he's still a Shelby soldier. Meanwhile, Lizzie also shines as a character, but at the other end of the spectrum from Ada: she has reached her lowest point, losing her daughter and realizing (over and over again) that she needs "a normal man," not Tommy Shelby. Consequently, season 6 episode 3 showed very complex and intertwining character arcs with great potential to develop over Peaky Blinders' last season.
One character with great development potential in season 6 is Arthur Shelby. For a long time, he was Tommy's soldier (with a brief exception when he was Linda's), and in the aftermath of Polly's death, he went down a rabbit hole, losing all power and motivation. When Ada sends him to Liverpool to deal with thief Haydn Stagg (Stephen Graham), Arthur initially rises from his lost, forgotten state, taking control of Isiah's gang and teaching them to be Peaky Blinders. But as Stagg offers Arthur a very dark alternative to his substance abuse issues, Arthur crumbles once more. This goes to show a powerful internal struggle that can escalate this season: perhaps if he survives, Arthur will finally develop his own personality, escaping the grip of his younger brother.
With Arthur back at the forefront, Isiah finally a relevant character in Shelby Company Limited, and Lizzie delivering her most piercing monologue yet, it's safe to say Peaky Blinders season 6 is rescuing the show by returning to its great family dynamics. And with Tommy reaching rock bottom as he learns about Ruby's death (and his fault in it), Ada might be the one to reluctantly take over the company and save Tommy from his self-destructive journey. With only three episodes left to air, viewers are eager to see how the Shelby family will transform while Tommy involves them in his most dangerous scheme yet.
Peaky Blinders releases new episodes every Sunday on the BBC.
