COMING UP: Peaky Blinders 3

Published Oct 27, 2016

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BY DEBASHINE THANGEVELO

CILLIAN Murphy couldn’t have chosen better in agreeing to the role of Tom Shelby, the charismatic leader of Peaky Blinders, a criminal gang operating in Birmingham, England, during the aftermath of WWI.

Now in its third season, and renewed for two more, the series has won several awards. And the 40-year-old Irishman, who has starred in hits like 28 Days Later, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Breakfast on Pluto, Sunshine and Inception, has ingratiated himself into the hearts of viewers with his powerful gangster depiction, more so, as his character has many redeeming traits.

Having amassed more wealth than he could have dreamt of, Tommy considers going legit with his operation before he is ensnared into committing his most audacious crime yet. And he is most divided on compromising on all he holds dear. Shedding light on how life has changed for Tommy since the end of the second season, Murphy reveals: “At the end of series two, we all thought Tommy was a goner and we start series three two years later. What I like about television is that when you come back to a new series, you can create a gap where the story continues that the audience isn’t privy to. In series three, we see him and the family on an upward spiral. Tommy and the family are now very wealthy, with big houses and fancy cars, so materially they are doing very well. Emotionally, however, that is another matter.”

And with him about to get married, he is forced to make some big decisions.

He notes: “I think the gangster part of his life is still the most important. In the first couple of episodes, the contrast between his personal life and the business clashes, which makes for a dramatically interesting conflict.”

Murphy continues: “I think having a semblance of family life helps Tommy in many ways, in terms of making the Shelbys more cohesive. It creates a communal environment for the family and there is a newly formed support network later in the story involving Polly and Ada. There is a big junction between family life, criminal life, violence and Tommy’s ambition and it’s a tricky one for him to negotiate this time around.”

In the third season, Tommy is on quite an emotional roller-coaster ride. On preparing for the barrage of emotions that Steven Knight (creator/writer) had penned for his character, he offers: “What is great about Steve’s writing is that having played him for a while, you think you know the character of Tommy, but you can never predict what Steve is going to do with him. It is so exciting to get the scripts, as they always astonish me and he pulls out a few shockers in this series. I also think by the time you get to a third series, you need to be quite bold because the audience are so invested in the characters, they feel like friends to them. It is important that you move on with the characters and take leaps so that the audience feels that they are going on a journey with them. I feel that Steve has really nailed that in this series.”

He adds: “Weddings are usually intensely boring affairs, except to the bride and groom, but Steve has managed to create an opening episode (which is a wedding day), that is riveting. There are so many layers of drama going on and right from the get-go it’s a really stunning piece of writing. On the one hand, it is supposed to be the union of these two people who love each other, and then on the other, there is the business of gangsters, violence and familial tension going on. I found it really compelling and I hope it will be equally engaging for the audience.”

Interestingly, Tommy grudgingly visits his gypsy roots. Murphy reveals: “For somebody who doesn’t believe in religion and is completely godless, Tommy is an incredibly superstitious man. I think people who have that belief in superstition don’t really use it when things are going well; it becomes something to blame or a way to justify something that has gone wrong. In this series, things go wrong quite quickly and Tommy uses the gypsy superstition as a means of getting himself out of a situation.”

As for giving Polly more seniority in the company, the actor offers: “Tommy and Polly’s relationship is a fascinating one and it keeps growing and evolving from series to series. They represent a number of roles within the family. They are brother and sister, but can act like husband and wife, and mother and father to the family, yet they are none of those things and all of those things all at the same time. Each series Polly seems to go through different phases. Series three is about her growing independence and being upwardly mobile, and perhaps even having relationships. However, it seems that any time somebody moves away from the role that Tommy has designated for him or her, he finds it very difficult to deal with.”

While Michael looks to be the successor of the business, Tommy finds himself most preoccupied with the Russians, helmed by Duchess Tatiana Petrovna, who is a female incarnation of himself. Loyalty becomes a highly-sought after commodity, while demons are confronted and fears conquered in another compelling instalment of Peaky Blinders.

Peaky Blinders 3, BBC First (DStv channel 119), Wednesdays, 8pm.

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