To think that this show is set at the same time as Downton Abbey season three is really surprising because it gives two different sides of the UK at that time.

Peaky Blinders follows a family of book keepers for horse racing who also like to take justice into their own hands. They’re known as the peaky blinders because they keep razorblades in the peak of their caps that they use to blind people, I know, I didn’t know that going into this either.

This show is set just after World War I so it has a really interesting story to tell, not only of the PTSD of the men who have come back from war that are dealing with the changing world, but also the women who have to deal with their husbands, sons and brothers coming back and being people that they were not before. It’s also fascinating to see what else was going on historically in that time including the IRA, which I did not realise was so far back in history, as well as the usual crime you would see on the streets.

Now lots of people watch the show for Cillian Murphy, and to me he’s just not that attractive as what other people seem to make out. His character of Thomas is fantastic, he is a really good actor for these sort of roles (especially as I only know him from being Scarecrow in the Batman movies) however I can appreciate that while most people may watch it for him and his cheekbones, the actual storylines going on are also very fantastic and interesting. While there are some moments in the show that do feel like they drag on a bit or aren’t as exciting as others, it all comes together and really paints a picture of what this family is going through in Birmingham at this time.

I especially love how over the course of the season each of the characters go through their own issues and storylines. I especially enjoyed the fact that while the main cast is the three brothers, Tommy, John and Arthur, they do also have a younger sister Ada who unfortunately falls pregnant out of wedlock and her baby daddy is a Communist that is not seen in favour during this time. It’s really interesting to see how different the world was back then and how gritty and dark it all was. I especially appreciated how realistic this show was in its brutality, and while some things were very hard to watch, I did appreciate the style that they went for making it seem so harsh and dark to really add to that foreboding feeling of postwar Britain.

I do recommend this show however I don’t feel it’s for everyone. It is a dark show with a lot of brutality, a lot of swearing, and quite a lot of crude moments. Of course in this time prostitution was rife, men weren’t the most faithful to their wives, and death and disease were rampant. So while it is a fantastic show to watch if you’re into these sort of things it may not be for everyone as it is quite stomach churning at times and can be quite on the nose and transparent with it darkness.

I am interested to see where they go in season two but I do feel season one wrapped up well and wasn’t really that much of a cliffhanger, apart from the last five minutes of the show. And while I feel it definitely intrigues you to continue watching based on the characters, if you do not connect to the characters on that level, then it may not be a show that will entrance you to watch continuously throughout all of the seasons.

What do you think of Peaky Blinders?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding