(25): Review of Peaky Blinders.

MA Iliasu.

The Shelby family were of gothic macabre who took advantage of flawed social institutions that were denigrated by corruption and greed to impose their mob will upon the smokey city of Birmingham. Weak policing institutions notwithstanding. How a group of people could disagree with the rules of polite society and get away with it call for a far bigger reason than anything covered by social tolerance and society's tendency to retain the alternative to morality. The Shelbys' barbarous definition of justice is what I percieve as a psychological trigger which enable people to maintain the social courtesy they grant them, in the absence of which they would have fallen victim of collective revolt. And that psychological trigger, is in my opinion, the most relevant thematic ingredient the producers could lend a television series that exposed a great deal of information about the most critical point in the history of mob enterprise across the last century.

A very long time after the American Civil War, and a few years before the first World War, the relevance of a soldier suffered a massive hit in the sight of western society. The period between 1800-1900, as Jenni Calder would agree, was a defining period for the elevation of artistry, utopian literature and purely artistic, classical behavior which was unrelated to the social harmony enjoyed during the phase. Such determinants gave immense relevance to courteously imaginative literaries like Byron, and luxurious analysts like Carlyle, who invested so much thought on imaginative and practical depiction of Gothic hero. Among other reasons, because the hero was absent in reality due to absence of violence, and there was overwhelming need to feel him around, for the role of aggression was subtly relegated, including the role of a soldier into a mere uniform wearer and title bearer.

But during the first World War, when the society learnt once again about the barbaric potentials of man and politics, the general perception of soldier in western society changed. From a mere uniform wearer to a classic example of super hero. From a mere title holder to the saviour and role model. And after the war, both the actual army and the volunteers recieved a hero's welcome. The name of the dead live forever. While the wounds of the survivors were worn like an ancient jewelry. May be after all, the society thought, a soldier is more important to an evolving wicked world than any luxury provided by the words of a literary. And that's the chance cold social icons like Winston Churchill, Roosevelt, Elche Guevara, and social sweethearts like Garribaldi, George Orwell etc, intercepted to cement their relevance in the society. The Shelby family, if we can be so kind as to remember, were at the forefront during the first world war in France.

In this instance, the fear factor of the Shelbys as a mob enterprise, which was supposed to be the function of courage and rebellion, earned a far more significant contribution from the elevation of the name by War, courtesy of heroism. Its very imaginable how outlaws whom everyone feared, who also possessed medals for fighting and surviving horror, earned a social goodwill. And that made the mob relevance to quadruple. The producers of the show did incredibly smart not to totally rely on the mob dynamics of Mario Puzo which relied on wealth and friendship that was questionable by the popular opinion, by giving the Shelbys the social relevance of history instead. That way, the character development will be warranted in whichever flow way possible, without bringing any defining social question. And in the event of institutional question, the role of war medal will come into the play, just like Thomas Shelby did when enquiring about the exportation rights of liquor to the United States, from the mighty Winston Churchill. 

Another fascinating aspect of Peaky Blinders is the careful depiction of Marxism. The character of Freddie Thorne as an honorable mention, played the gargantuan role of a marxist at the period in history when the consumption of the Communist Manifesto and Das Capital was endemic on the lawns of London, streets of Manchester and the factories of Birmingham. Standing up against the Shelbys and not fearing one bit of their wrath as to marry Ada against their wish, was as defining of the mob might upon the society as the cold display of valor the Shelbys showed against Winston Churchill - it informs the notion that camaraderie inspire mutual belief among comrades in the event of adversity and expose indifference of fear in the event of disagreement, all due to inside knowledge. It was only natural that the Marxists were hunted like preys in the wild. In an effort to maintain the capitalist agenda centered around the exploitation of factory workers.

The role of women in the early 20th century wasn't left undefined. The constructive relegation to a mere participant rather than a decision making body with considerable stake in the social echelon defined how the hands of women like Esme were given to John for marriage as a settlement for Vendetta. And how an adult's hand could be forced against one's own choice, as in the case of Ada. But the spirit of the social justice activist, Jesse Eden, rendered the phase a monumental for the rise of feminine power in sociopolitical platform of the west. And that's why the role of Polly Gray is one of the most impressive aspects of the television series. A woman in the midst of men. In a relatively uninspiring era to be so. With equal strenght of presence, useful cun and sheer will power.

Polly Shelby represented a rare woman dimension in a power struggle operation and the running of mob enterprise. Her alternative feminine wit often provided the Shelbys with exhaustive perspective while accumulating the details of their decision. All while checking the power excesses to maintain the balance. Her calmness when others are panicking and the eye to see danger where the men could not, like the undercover mission of Grace Burgess, the misfit of naive Arthur with Elizabeth the whore, the weak spot of the dangerous Sicilian mob, Don Luca Changreta and mischief of Aberrama Gold. “I am twice the man you're” - Polly told Freddie Thorne and he didn't dispute the notion. That's utterly informing.

The role of Polly is hardly seen in any Mafia establishment or an organized power struggle. Mario Puzo had no place for women in his epic Mafia. And James Hardley Chase was notorious of misogyny. The fantasy of George RR Martin, despite being a different genre, often use the absence of wise woman to punish an organised power struggle. Evident from how he demolished the Barratheon brothers and incited carnage among the divided Lannisters, all due to the absence of wise woman. Along the line granted the Starks with upper hand while lending a lifeline to the Tyrells for having the strongest and wisest of women.

Strong line of succession line is where Thomas Shelby, the main character of the show, did greatly to inform us about his own distinguished approach to the Mafia enterprise. Vito Corleone was very concious of that. And though the Godfather was defined by his culture of "Payback". Thomas Shelby was more sensitive to "Insurance" to consolidate his pragmatoc approach to uncertainty. Both are adequate strategies in running the mob enterprise.

Thomas Shelby's insurance policy won him the battle of supremacy against Alfie Solomons the Jew, who belongs to everybody and to absolutely nobody, and Sabini the Italian, who could go any length to ward off threat, and Luca Changreta, who could do anything for the satisfaction of vendetta; all while carrying many passengers like Arthur, Grace and Finn. A foreseeable lost of John or Arthur inform the decision to trim the number of passengers by bringing on board Michael Gray, and after the assassination of Grace the marriage of Lizzie, who could be up to the challenge as any of the established boys in the enterprise like Johnny Dogs, Charlie Strong and Cully.

Tommy Shelby is a very practical character. Even though some of his decisions give off the vibes of double standard and sublime cunning. When he was presented with a choice between Grace Burgess, a backstabber, and May Carleton, an eligible widow, he chose Grace despite her treachery. Men can be anything for the satisfaction of love. Nevertheless, Tommy's double standard in denying his brother to marry a whore only for him marry her later warrant a critique of first order. But not when the critic is acquainted with the power of proper masculine. It was so clear that John Shelby had all the aggression but not half the cunning of an ideal alpha male. That weakness as a masculine will make his marriage to Lizzie an avoidable disaster that'll allow the Shelby enemies a chance to neutralize them through her religious reluctance to repentance. But if the masculine is Tommy, her reluctance to repentance will even serve as a contingency to execute any ambitious enemy. Sacrifice is mandatory in organised crime. That notwithstanding, a strong man offers a weak woman the chance to become strong as much as a weak man offers a strong woman a chance to become weak. The underlying factor is strength in masculinity. Which Tommy had in abundance while John was pitifully lacking. It was a decision making 101 for dummies showcased in Peaky Blinders.

The television series helped in understanding the side effects of a weak father in a struggling world to the future of his own children. It impressively educate about the psychological trauma of war upon volunteers. And how many would live a deranged and crippled life later on. The new path the show is taking after killing Luca Changreta and the recovery after the Crash of 1929 with Tommy getting into politics and his union with the fascist, Oswald Mosley, means the series is peaking very later into the story. The dilemma of getting in bed with Mosley and the unsuccessful attempt to have him murdered, which costed Aberamma Gold, left a lot to be seen in the next season. That much been covered, I personally think the television series earned a solid 7/10 despite slow second season.

Firstly written on 31st January, 2021