Review: Peaky Blinders

I enjoy the comfort of knowing I have a ‘series’ on the go in my life. Whether it’s the latest Apprentice or Geordie Shore, having something to immerse myself in and escape to after a busy day is vital for me. Once Doctor Foster finished I felt like I needed a thrilling drama to get my teeth into since it was a particularly ‘dry-spell’ for TV dramas this month. I took to the all-too familiar Netflix screen and begun to flick through its best Drama offerings. ‘Peaky Blinders’ popped up with a five star rating. After missing its original air in September 2013 I had heard it’s endless throughout the years and therefore felt it was time to embark in the six episode adventure.  

I instantly took to main protagonist and family leader, Thomas Shelby. The Peaky Blinders are a family ‘gang’ made up of four brothers, a sister and an auntie who run a family business. It is set in Birmingham in 1919 after World War 1 has ended. The story follows the gang culture of Birmingham in a working class area which sparks a fight between the police force and, in particular, The Shelby’s.

The first episode launched me into a Netflix-binge-athon and it only took a matter of three days to finish the season. What deserves the most credit is the beautiful and realistic mise-en-scene.  Each scene felt like you was really back in 1919, although post-world war, there was still charm within the sets. Working with cinematography it brings these elements beautifully together to create aesthetically pleasing scenes. The Peaky Blinders have their iconic look of a half shaven head which makes them quickly recognizable characters, and it action-packed scenes, it was easy to keep track of who you wanted to win. I’ll admit, I felt ‘cool’ while watching this series, the gang culture is brutal however I found the characters (particularly the Aunt and Tommy) have this interesting and collected aura about them where even in the most despair times they think logically of ‘what needs to be done’.

What I find is another successful point is that the characters we find ourselves rooting for aren’t necessarily always moral and good characters. The Peaky Blinders partake some pretty horrendous acts yet the audience will still be attracted to their likability, through how we are delivered the narrative, which allows us to never turn our backs on them. Like myself, a lot of people enjoy characters who have flaws and Tommy Shelby and his family are definitely rough around the edges in that respect. Although in contemporary society we view the police as ‘good’ and criminals as bad, through seeing how working class culture is presented, it highlights the inequality in classes and specifically the justice system’s attitudes towards lower classes within this time period. This allows us to build up sympathy for the ‘gangs’ even though they are criminal and stereotypically viewed negatively.

My hat comes off to the BBC for this fresh drama I wished I had watched oh so long ago so I could participate in the ‘buzz’. Don’t worry, you can to join the buzz of the fans in time for the Season 3 release in 2016. Which is why I urge people to drop everything and organise a date night with Netflix.

On that note, I will have to end the review here. For I just heard a magical noise of what I believe may be Season 2 delivered through my letterbox.