Is no one going to talk about how in that first scene, Grace and Lizzie are wearing almost identical colors of clothing?? Grace disappears and then comes Lizzie, looking like a darker version of her.
This scene right here is the reason l’ll never root for “another mrs shelby”… this scene…THIS SCENE tells us everything we need to know about tommy’ and grace’s relationship , his love for her and what she means for him. l will never get over this scene… DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND ME!!!? l’ll never fucking GET OVER IT!!! This scene is such a bittersweet moment…the way he’s talking about grace…This is supposed to be a fucking sad story, a sad moment, something depressing but not for him!!! She is dead he knows it, he saw her dying…she died in his arms several years ago. She shouldn’t be in this world he shouldn’t be seeing her since she’s dead, he also knows it. He knows his mind is playing tricks on him but he doesn’t care because he gets to see her… grace the woman he loves and will always love. The way his face lights up when he says grace was there broke,breaks, and will always break my heart. she’s been dead for years but she’s still very much alive in his mind….Y’ALL THAT’S ON SOULMATES. NOT EVEN DEATH CAN DO THEM PART.
RIP HELEN MCCRORY (17 August 1968 - 16 April 2021)
The most powerful life force. The most ferocious and commanding actress. I learnt so much watching you work, watching you light up the room with your intelligence and wit. Your laughter infectious. Thank you for the whiskey fulled rehearsals late into the night. Thank you for showing me that it’s okay to not take shit. You will be deeply missed. My heart goes out to Damien, your children and the entire family.
We all already knew about the tattoo Tommy has of his , Grace’s, and Charlie’s initials … and now I find out HE ALSO HAS THEIR INITIALS ENGRAVED ON HIS WEDDING RING! I am cryyyyyyyyyying
SmallTheory: Confirmation from SK that Grace is alive
I honestly don’t know why I didn’t realize this before when I first read it, I guess I was blinded by the idea of Grace being dead due to the elapsed time between S3, when she dies, and S5, when I started watching the series.
Forget all the previous theories and focus for a moment on this small compilation of answers from Steven Knight when he is asked about Grace over the years.
2016-17 (after S3)
With these declarations he already gave us hints about what Grace’s role was going to be in the following seasons and how long it was going to last despite being dead, and subsequently, that was exactly what we saw. SK’s words are revealing and (maybe) tricky.
2018-19 (before S5)
I don’t think it’s necessary to remember that Alfie Solomons came back from the dead in that season. And I also want to highlight the abrupt change in his answer on Grace.
In the first interview, made after she “died”, SK confirms that’s true, but doesn’t give a definitive closure to the character since her presence will continue being in the series. But now that the end of the story is approaching and also the redemption of Thomas, his answer is a very different one. (Personal Perception: I suppose after seeing the insistence of the fans with this topic he avoid ambiguous answers, or with double meaning as I explain below, so as not to be accused of lying).
Answers with double meaning: another important fact to be considered is the belief in this series that when someone IS CLOSE to death undergoes a kind of psychological metamorphosis in which these people think they are dead, or at least, they are more dead than alive, and that’s why the author said Grace was dead, because by his own rules she is.
At this point and now taking everything into consideration, I could almost say it’s an open secret that Grace will return and not exactly as a hallucination… But since SK may come up with one of his fantastic plot twists along the way I keep this affirmation to myself and will only say the probabilities of her return have increased exponentially.
[Disclaimer: the dates of these interviews are unclear, for this reason I don’t set an exact date, but it’s obvious that all this happened after and before those seasons respectively due to the context of the questions and answers].
Praise coming from the enemy. That way, Churchill is now aware of her excellent espionage skills
An unfinished dispute whose hidden objective is to remind the viewer of the role of agent of the crown that she played in S1
Thomas, and with him the narrative, never finishes giving a definitive closure to her character
The government and Churchill have the Shelbys under control. They are able to access and manipulate them at will for their own benefit
Series of photographs of Grace wearing her uniform, seasons 4 and 5. Another reminder of her former occupation
The three elements of the beginning come together: Churchill, Campbell and Grace. The protagonist is not suffering from any delusions in those moments, however, her presence is there to point out their shared past
THEORY #2 Why everyone thinks she is dead
Catalepsy, or apparent death, is a symptom that can occur due to chemical poisoning among other reasons, whose characteristics are: rigid body, lack of response to visual and tactile stimulous, loss of muscle control and slow down of bodily functions; such as respiration, digestion, and heartbeat. Cataleptic attacks can last minutes or even days. The person appears to have passed away. (It could be a possible and good justification…specially for a tv show).
As we saw in season three, Thomas was transported in an ambulance controlled by Section D so as not to arouse suspicion, and then they injected him with some drugs to bring him round because they needed him active.
What do I mean by this? It’s clear that Thomas and Grace are a reflection of each other, hense the same situation could have happened to her in that same season. The government, or Churchill, would have needed to use her espionage skills for a secret mission in which it was imperative that her true identity disappear. She had to be dead to everyone. Nontheless, all these hypothetical answers and explanations about what happened still leave me more questions that I hope will be answered satisfactorily in the future. For example:
In S6 we’ll be placed in 1934 (confirmed), so she’s been missing for ten years, which leads me to wonder: Has she tried to make contact with her family in any way at some point? Or are there too many obstacules in the middle?
And there is Churchill, who has been subtly connected to Grace two of the three times he has appeared in this season. Does he know anything about all this? He should, I think.
Brief explanatory note about the latter:
5x1 Thomas receives a letter from Winston Churchill for no apparent reason -”He was in New York and had a dinner with Charlie Chaplin”. Grace lived in New York for a couple of years and Chaplin contributed to Thomas and Grace reconciliation. Their son was named after him, SK confirmed.
5x6 Campbell, Churchill and Grace -“Was it you who killed that Ulsterman intelligence officer?” (Grace’s breathing)
Also it wouldn’t be the first time that this series has tricked us with graves and the content inside them…I do believe there’s some sense in this madness, feel free to share your opinion ^^
[This is a mix of conversations and hypotheses that I had with @craziigamerchick who has a good analytical eye]
♫ The boy I love is up in the gallery, The boy I love is looking now at me, There he is, can’t you see, waving his handkerchief, As merry as a robin that sings on a tree. ♫
Hi everyone! Today I’ve got a new theory related to the song “The Boy I love is Up in the Gallery” whose hidden meaning passed unnoticed from my point of view. Of course, all of this is just speculation based on small details collected throughout the series, Steven Knight has the final word.
So, let’s go…
When Grace sings the song “The boy I love is up in the gallery” she mentions the handkerchief and the robin. On the other hand, Thomas is looking at her captivated but he is also listening to the music lyrics. This becomes a symbol between them, the song and its lyrics.
It should be noted this bird is not red actually, in any case orange, but even in other languages this animal is considered red despite of its orange tones, (Anecdotally in Spanish is called ‘’petirROJO’’) that’s why we have to focus on the ESSENCE of these details.
Clothing and clothing accessories are also important because express secret ideas and messages.
Now, Thomas telling Grace to buy the matching dress with ‘his handkerchief’ (1x3)… He doesn’t mean Billy Kimber’s, but the boy’s in the song which will be a foreshadowing of her feelings towards him. Moreover, he’s never seen Kimber wear a red handkerchief, yet. The man appears for the first time in 1x2, but he is not using that.
♫ The boy I love is up in the gallery, The boy I love is looking now at me, There he is, can’t you see, waving his handkerchief, As merry as a robin that sings on a tree. ♫
Hi everyone! Today I’ve got a new theory related to the song “The Boy I love is Up in the Gallery” whose hidden meaning passed unnoticed from my point of view. Of course, all of this is just speculation based on small details collected throughout the series, Steven Knight has the final word.
So, let’s go…
When Grace sings the song “The boy I love is up in the gallery” she mentions the handkerchief and the robin. On the other hand, Thomas is looking at her captivated but he is also listening to the music lyrics. This becomes a symbol between them, the song and its lyrics.
It should be noted this bird is not red actually, in any case orange, but even in other languages this animal is considered red despite of its orange tones, (Anecdotally in Spanish is called ‘’petirROJO’’) that’s why we have to focus on the ESSENCE of these details.
Clothing and clothing accessories are also important because express secret ideas and messages.
Now, Thomas telling Grace to buy the matching dress with ‘his handkerchief’ (1x3)… He doesn’t mean Billy Kimber’s, but the boy’s in the song which will be a foreshadowing of her feelings towards him. Moreover, he’s never seen Kimber wear a red handkerchief, yet. The man appears for the first time in 1x2, but he is not using that.
So, why is Billy Kimber wearing a handkerchief of that color later? To mislead. SK does this to make Thomas’ feelings for Grace unclear. The best example of this is at the end of that episode when she asks him why he changed his mind. Thomas doesn’t answer but it is obvious that he likes her, a lot. It is a way the author utilises to intrigue the viewer about what kind of feelings there are between them.
But it doesn’t end there, in subsequent episodes we find Thomas wearing a beige scarf to match her dress, implying they are on the same page. It is an element that links them once again. Yes, it isn’t a handkerchief; it is a scarf, even so, is still a pretty similar accessory. The essence is there.
After what happened that night, we never saw him wearing anything like that until now. Recently, we’ve seen him using a maroon (dark red) scarf in France. If you ask me, it’s the same colour Grace dressed for S1 and S5.
But the most decisive proof of this theory was shown to us a few days ago… when a part of the PB team was caught in Scotland due to inclement weather. It was then when some sources reported there was a robin on the crew. They probably used this little bird to make reference to Grace in France, in order to finish that narrative arc created from the first season. In fact, the song in question is recovered in S4 during Thomas and Jessie Eden meeting for a similar purpose.
1. Thomas played along with Grace and she wasn’t aware of that
2. There’s a real connection between all these elements and for that reason I think Grace (the real one) still has unfinished business in S6, and will appear alive at some point in the story. I mean, If she disappears after Thomas shots his hallucination (I do think that will happen), it makes no sense that they continue creating symbolism or manipulating the old one, in this case the handkerchief and the robin. It’s exactly the same as with the swan thing. Why do you create a completely new symbolism for someone who is dead?
3. More Grace content is coming!!
UPDATE 5/3/21
Thomas Shelby wearing a suit and scarf suspiciously similar to the ones he wore to the charity dinner in S3. However, it’s not a flashback. The situation seems to be linked to an important event connected with Oswald Mosley and his fascist political party. And at the same time, all of this takes place in St George’s Hall, a building previously used for the secret meetings between Campbell and Grace and the fateful charity dinner. Once again, I think it’s not a mere coincidence, but one of many callbacks that point to Grace.
Um. Y'all see this from earlier today? Peep that photo in the background. Style inspiration? Do we know if she’s working on anything atm? Or could all of your Ghost Grace worst fears be true?
A Connemara Girl is an early 1870s painting by the Irish artist Augustus Nicholas Burke. One of the most identifiable paintings in Ireland, it depicts a young girl in traditional Connemara attire carrying a bundle near the shore. It is one of many paintings Burke created of daily life around his native Connemara. It hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland and is one of the more popular paintings despite its simple subject matter. The painting is oil on canvas and was presented by Mrs Ida Monahan in 1951.
The National Gallery of Ireland label text is:
“Showing a young woman in traditional Connemara attire, this painting might be said to evoke rather than illustrate Augustus Burke’s beloved west of Ireland. It was probably painted before the artist’s reluctant emigration, prompted by his brother’s murder alongside the Chief Secretary in the Phoenix Park in 1882. While the artist has relied on authentic detail, particularly in the girl’s costume and the terrain, he has made no attempt to disguise the contrived nature of the composition. The central position of the figure, her head and shoulders framed by a heavy shawl, calls to mind devotional Christian imagery.”
(little)THEORY: Is this Thomas’ new tattoo? What does it mean?
First image of Peaky Blinders, Season 6
As a result of the new image shared on the official Peaky Blinders accounts, I’ve had a number of doubts related to the curious drawing on the clapperboard, which could be Thomas’ new tattoo.
In the drawing you can see some rays, very similar to another tattoo that he already has.
A precious stone, most likely a sapphire, like the one he gave Grace.
And some guns with a bloody razor that could represent the criminal and violent life they have led.
Here are some statements that were made about the firts tatto.
Therefore, the combination of the sapphire with the weapons in the place where Jesus, believer’s spiritual and moral guide, should be, make me think that perhaps this is a foreshadowing in which Thomas allows himself to be guided by the supernatural (gypsy’s superstitions and magic to which Polly also listens to), as SK communicated to us at the time. This probably will end up affecting the gang with a fatal outcome.
Or, the sapphire could represent his incurable guilt about Grace as we all know, or just be another symbolism of her, in a more positive light, as Thomas’ saviour. Actually she did it before, in S1, so it could perfectly happen again. Of course, for this to happen, she should still be alive…which I do think…
I have discussed this point with @craziigamerchick and, despite my reluctance at first, I think she’s quite right.
In any case, the sapphire is the most important element of the group, and hence its meaning, because if you look closer it is superimposed with respect to the others.
OK. I love this drawing! the symbolism of it ties into the symbolism from s5, so while they may have lost a season, they still seem to be following the same path they have been. Which as you know, I was very worried about. :)
JUST SO WE ARE CLEAR, THIS IS GOING TO BE A GRACE IS ALIVE POST!
Alright, lets get into it…..We have the sun rays on top and in place of Jesus (which represents goodness and light) we have the Sapphire (guilt) and the guns, a razor, and maybe a noose at the very bottom by the K (death) or is that blood maybe..
So guilt and death are in the place of Jesus. But it’s not really in place of Jesus, more in Place of Grace. Tommy isn’t religious (as said above) and the only person that really brought him peace and light like Jesus is supposed to do is Grace. let’s look at the symbolism from s1 if you don’t believe me.
Look at the light behind her. She is Tommy’s light and sun. Think of the light behind her as the rays on his chest.
But anyways, back to the drawing on the clapperboard. It shows his mind frame going into this next season. Where Jesus (Grace) is supposed to be, bringing light into his life, is instead guilt over her death and items of destruction, which are ruining his life.
Until he can get rid of the guilt over her death and get away from his gang related activities, he’s never going to be able to move on and heal.
And I’m sorry but I just don’t think there is any way that Tommy is going to get over the guilt of her death unless she turns up alive. I really don’t.
Good thing the symbolism in the show says she’ll be back. Let’s take a look at s5.
Does this window not remind you of the rays in that drawing and his tattoo?
So you’re saying that window even has his PTSD connected to it just like the new drawing has his PTSD and guilt tied into the rays as well. But like someone on twitter said the rays in the drawing actually look like cigarettes, and that makes it even better. They aren’t even really rays anymore, the light is gone and replaced with darkness and smoke because of all his guilt and his PTSD.
But who is going to bring back the light?
Look back up there at the window during the day. Where is she standing? In the place of the sun! The rays are behind her. And even some light! She is even blocking his PTSD (the bear). She’s his rising sun and hope. If you don’t believe me let’s look at what else the people behind the scenes have to say about the window.
Now I could see them having all this symbolism around Grace and them just having Tommy kill himself to be with her at the end if it wasn’t for that last paragraph in the picture above. He’s supposed to go back to optimism before the show is out. How is he going to do that without his light? He’s not. Now they could have put hope and light symbolism around his children or anything else really and I wouldn’t have batted an eye about it. But they didn’t.
Don’t forget Grace isn’t just standing in front of a sun but a RISING sun.
(little)THEORY: Is this Thomas’ new tattoo? What does it mean?
First image of Peaky Blinders, Season 6
As a result of the new image shared on the official Peaky Blinders accounts, I’ve had a number of doubts related to the curious drawing on the clapperboard, which could be Thomas’ new tattoo.
In the drawing you can see some rays, very similar to another tattoo that he already has.
A precious stone, most likely a sapphire, like the one he gave Grace.
And some guns with a bloody razor that could represent the criminal and violent life they have led.
Here are some statements that were made about the firts tatto.
Therefore, the combination of the sapphire with the weapons in the place where Jesus, believer’s spiritual and moral guide, should be, make me think that perhaps this is a foreshadowing in which Thomas allows himself to be guided by the supernatural (gypsy’s superstitions and magic to which Polly also listens to), as SK communicated to us at the time. This probably will end up affecting the gang with a fatal outcome.
Or, the sapphire could represent his incurable guilt about Grace as we all know, or just be another symbolism of her, in a more positive light, as Thomas’ saviour. Actually she did it before, in S1, so it could perfectly happen again. Of course, for this to happen, she should still be alive…which I do think…
I have discussed this point with @craziigamerchick and, despite my reluctance at first, I think she’s quite right.
In any case, the sapphire is the most important element of the group, and hence its meaning, because if you look closer it is superimposed with respect to the others.
Do you think you could do a meta of the difference’s between tommy’s romantic relationships? Mainly between Grace, May, and Lizzie. Especially G and L. I see so many people say he’s starting to fall for L (saying she was his property and hand holding this season).
OK, l don’t know if you’re new to this fandom , if you are l want you to know that 95% of the fandom is anti grace shelby which means that the fandom will only give you a distorted and very partial view of grace and lizzie !!
The FANDOM would have you believe that tommy wasn’t in love with grace, that tommy loves the idea of grace not grace, that tommy has been in love with lizzie for years but he just didn’t want to admit it because she wasn’t from a higher social class, they would have you believe that grace didn’t love tommy but his money….that grace and tommy had nothing in common when they were basically the same person but in different sides of the law(l could point out all their similarities here but not the topic) .The fandom as a whole hate that woman so take anything people say with a large pinch of salt lol.
Quick summary:
The fisrt season is set in 1919 and season 5 is set in 1929 which means that lizzie has known tommy for at least 12 years (She was in tommy’s life before grace we know this because tommy mentioned it in their first scene and she’s still in his life years after grace’s death).
Lizzie has known tommy for 12years… 12 years during which they had an off and on no strings attached sex. Tommy used her sevice when there was no woman in his life and stopped using it when he was with grace and maybe may .
For tommy it was just sex but lizzie wanted it to be more than what it was.
We saw it in 2x01 when she asked to be treated like a woman with whom he had a relationship with instead of a prostitute
“ l wish just once you wouldn’t PAY ME .”
“As if we were ordinary people” but tommy brushed her off.
We saw it in 2x06 when she was excited he was taking her to the derby and she proudly showed off her dress , lizzie “what do you think” tommy “about what” lizzie “about the dress” his answer to her was “ undo two buttons”.
We saw it when she tells him “there’s been no hardship (giving up prostitution) you know why?“....she was probably going to mention her feelings for him but he ignored her again….Because she agreed to do what was asked of her, tommy offered her money
”l’d like to pay you an extra five–”.
So….why did I bother quickly re-capping up to this point?
Because that summary…the scenes l mentioned are not lizzie’ and tommy’s marriage origin story but their whole story.
l’m going to point out a few of the differences between tommy x grace and tommy x lizzie pairing and similar moments with dramatically different outcomes since that’s what we are here for:
-Tommy and lizzie had sex with no emotional connection and without knowing each other personnally for years / when tommy and grace spent a year getting to know each other and only slept together when they were already in love .
-The child that lizzie and tommy had together was conceived while he was “fucking someone else in his head”/trying to reconnect with his past / when the child that tommy and grace had together was conceived when tommy was trying to reconnect with grace a woman he loved and failed to get out of his system.
-When grace was with kimber tommy was in the car the entire time, and couldn’t stop thinking about her / when lizzie was with the soldier she was supposed to seduce to help tommy, tommy was with campbell talking about grace and her feelings for him.
-Lizzie’ pregnancy reveal
Tommy loves children and having another child was a good news…. to lizzie it was also a chance to establish an emotional connection with tommy something she’s failed to do for years .
Tommy“l got three. lizzie”
Lizzie“l know tom”
Tommy“one of them point blank”
Lizzie with tommys’ hand in hers and a tender smile on her face “A baby a little you and me.”
Tommy doesn’t react to what she just said, he breaks the eyes contact and then repeats “point blank lizzie” .You could see the smiles gradually disapearing from her face. She was trying to connect with him but he wasn’t listening to her , and all he wanted to think or talk about was luca changretta and his men .
Tommy added “and he looked up to me” then said “fuck” . He drank his wisky and ended up the conversation by saying
” you will get an allowance every week from the company business is booming l will buy you a nice house , eh . “
Once again he offered her MONEY, when all she wanted was to share a special moment with him, she wanted him to share her excitement….that news could’ve been the beginning of something beautiful between them but it didn’t work because he still didn’t reciprocates her feelings.
-Grace’ pregnancy reveal
Grace with her tenderest, most loving expression on “Because the thing is , I love you , not him ”
Tommy still shaken to the core by the baby news can’t stop looking at her in wonder. In his softest voice he answered “that is a thing”
Grace “a baby thomas” tommy’s eyes went downward to her baby bump while saying “yes”. They stared at each other for a few second without saying anything… She loves him, they are having a baby and she LOVES him…and she chose him…tommy put his affairs in order because he thought he was going to die. He was prepared to die and was at peace with the idea of his death . But now he’s not because a life with a person he’s been moping over for years is suddenly possible but he’s going to die. That pregnancy reveal was a very bittersweet moment for tommy.
All the scenes mentioned above prove one thing that tommy was emotionally invested in grace and emotionally close to her SHE WAS HIS HAPPY PLACE….that’s why her presence calmed him. They were so emotionally connected that she was able to silence his demons ,he stopped hearing the shovels when he was with her…
THE SHOVELS STOPPED WHEN HE WAS WITH HER.
Silencing tommy’s demons is something lizzie’s presence was never able to do and is stil not able to do, we saw it in season 5. Grace’s death is tommy’s after war trauma 2.0 and he’s till struggling dealing with that trauma 6 years after grace’s death…6 YEARS AFTER HER DEATH . The only times lizzie comes close to what grace was able to do is when they are having sex,
“lizzie l want it known that money was for you.
Because SOME nights it was you who stopped my heart from breaking” . (SEX….Sex…having sex with two women just after he burned grace’s letter stopped his heart from breaking, sex with tatiana stopped his heart from breaking , sex with lizzie just after grace’s death…SEX… It’s less about love for tommy but more about having a woman’s presence by his side to avoid his thoughts and the unbearable pain in his heart that won’t leave him…SEX….SEX IS HIS COPING MECHANISM and what he said to lizzie before giving her his money confirms it).
Grace was the only woman tommy ever loved (maybe with the exception of greta but it wasn’t the same). He contemplated walking away from everything for her,
HE COMTEMPLATED WALKING AWAY FROM EVERYTHING FOR HEEER , knowing she had been undercover and sent to destroy him. And she’s also the only woman he ever envisioned his life with . The idea of her waiting at home for him made him so happy… tommy “Now is this how you’re going to be? You waiting at home for me, saying, ‘What time do you call this?‘” The smile on his face was the perfect illustration of pure happiness.
Lizzie is a good hearted woman but her and tommy have a very few things in common . She is a bit ( for a lack of a better word l would say) peevish when tommy is calm , calculated ,manipulative ….The only similarities between the two is the place in which they were raised and the fact that they are both on the “wrong” side of the law.
She’s the mother of tommy’s child and a loyal member of his clan. Lizzie was/is submissive and that’s one of the reasons tommy trusts her . I honestly think tommy cares for lizzie but he doesn’t love her and he only married her for image purposes.
I’m not sure that there has been any point in the show where we’re meant to believe that tommy is falling for lizzie… ( l mean you just don’t wake up one morning and realize that you’re in love with the woman you have been having no strings attached sex with for the past 12 years nope …it’s not realistic because love doesn’t work that way and because it’s not in tommy’s character)
…during season 5 we had quote like:
“Well you know in my head l still PAY YOU FOR IT!! “
“You said, in your head, you STILL PAY FOR IT. So I’ve decided to continue to take the PAYMENT and balance my heart against my head, as though it were a book of accounts.”
“When was the last time you had worry about shillings”
“The deal is you belong to me. My property, No one touches my property, everything is mine lizzie. Evrything.”
“Lay your claim”
Those quotes speak volumes!! during their conversations they were talking about money, MONEY, money again,
ownership and MONEY
they talked about money in season 1, 2, 3 ,4 and 5… they are always talking about money, it’s not love but
a financial transaction.
The phrase “lay your claim” was used for tommy and lizzie’ dynamic , that phrase relates to things not people. The use of that specific line reinforces the narrative established in this and the previous seasons, that Lizzie is someone he bought, his property, something he owns…it’s not love , it’s all about tommy’s ego, his love of power and his needs to control eveything and everyone.
People have misinterpreted their scenes. There is definitely a shift in their dynamic but not in the way people think . Lizzie has come to terms with the fact that tommy will never love her nor treat her like a wife should.
Tommy and lizzie have a whole deal in place where lizzie will stay and enjoy the perks of being Mrs Shelby and tommy can be with other women under certain conditions. Their marriage is somewhere between convenience and companionship.
MAY X TOMMY
May and tommy are too very attractive people, who were attracted to each other. Tommy respected her but was never in love with her. He loved her influence-her connections in the racing world, her social status and the opportunities that came along with it. May wasn’t in love with tommy either. She was fascinated by tommy’s violent, criminal world . She loved his ganster persona, his power- the fact that he was feared and respected “When I drove into Small Heath I thought I was going to be murdered,” she told him. “Then I mentioned your name. It was like being escorted to see a king” …She loved the idea of tommy shelby but wouldn’t have loved the man…the broken tommy, the violent tommy, the emotional tommy . She glamorized tommy’s life but she didn’t know the half of it. The thruth ismay would have hated it… not everyone can live in constant fear and not everyone is made for that life .
l believe he could’ve loved her but it would never have worked because they were from two different worlds.
Steven knight depicted / depicts 3 types of relationships that’s why the 3 ladies have different perspectives of tommy ( love , business and sex)
may believed that tommy would’ve picked her over grace because he was all about business. grace knew that tommy was all about love when it came to her and lizzie knew/knows that it was/is just sex and nothing else.
Love aside, lizzie is the perfect partner for tommy’s illegal activities she knows the peaky world, may is an aristocratic which makes her the perfect partner for tommy’s legal activies and his career in politics. Grace was the mix of both…she was an agent to the crown who thrives in tommy world. She knew politics and could’ve deal with them and she also knew the peaky blinders’ world and couldn’ve deal with gangsters if needed. SHE WAS THE PERFECT MATCH FOR TOMMY.
I’m very surprised that no one has mentioned these facts before, or at least I’ve not seen this topic, so in this theory I’ll talk about the evidence that I’ve been collecting throughout the series that lead me to think that Thomas not only lost his wife that fateful night but also his unborn child. Once again, all the details that appear insignificant at first glance are of great importance.
* The two clues that most reinforce my theory *
CLUE 1: Goldfish
The first thing that caught my attention was the colourful goldfish in S2 and their reappearance in S3, especially because of the relevance the camera gives them by showing us exclusive shots of them.
The first time we see them, there are three fishes and they are in a trough in May Carleron’s stables, a few scenes before Thomas and Grace had a torrid encounter.
(2x5)
Here is a brief analysis of the elements that appear in the image and their symbolism.
-Water: intimately linked to life in the narrative, it can have different approaches depending on its state.
• Flowing water, symbol of the flow of life, female fertility and birth. Although this option could also be valid, I prefer the following one for the reason that I will explain below.
• Stagnant water, symbol of death. The alternative that I choose because during the next and last episode of the season death is very present in Thomas’ mind, even he thinks he’s going to die carrying out the suicide mission, and in his surroundings, with the threats of Sabini and Campbell. He wasn’t misguided as he was about to die at the hands of Campbell’s subordinates. He was narrowly saved.
(2x6)
With this image we are literally seeing death surrounding Thomas and threatening him, while he is helpless in his own grave.
(Off topic: Will this symbolize a new rebirth for him when he comes out of the hole and hopes to reunite with his little family? Was he born and died, then, twice?).
-Fish: we find that in many cultures fish signify the flow of life, fertility, union and abundance.
(3x2)
The reflection of the three fishes.
Thomas Shelby: “They look happy in there, eh? And why wouldn’t they be? ”
In conclusion, water means death and fish life or the flow of it.
And to end this point, here is their last appearance in S3.
(3x2)
Four fishes in stagnant water. Death returns and this time Grace and someone else’s life are claimed…
CLUE 2: The Godfather
In case you didn’t know, Peaky Blinders take many elements seen in Mario Puzzo’s work (SK is a fan of that work) such as the strange boss-brother relationship, the consigliere Tom Hagen / Michael Gray, Connie / Ada as sister who tries to get away from the family and then end up coming back… And among others is the idyllic romance between Michael Corleone and Apollonia Vitelli / Thomas Shelby and Grace Burgess, both relationships ended in tragedy. In the first couple the first wife was killed by her husband’s enemies and, surprise, she was PREGNANT.
(The Godfather Part I)
* Disconnected signs *
These are clues that are somewhat less powerful but viable enough to share.
Lack of appetite: a common disorder during pregnancy.
(3x2)
Plans: both had very much in mind the idea of having more children and it’s something that SK wants to be evident in their atmosphere.
(3x2)
Sex: in the same way we witnessed the moment of the conception of Charles Shelby, like so many other important events in Thomas’ life once he returns from the war, we could also have witnessed the conception of his second son. In this series, sex isn’t unjustified, so if they decided to show us those scenes in 3x1 it would be for a reason. In addition, remembering events, that must have taken place a few weeks before her death, allowing time for the first symptoms of pregnancy to appear.
(2x5, 3x1)
Arthur and his fatherhood: The gesture of shock but also of pain is more than obvious on Thomas’ face during the scene in which his brother announced that he was going to be a father and the cold hug and congratulations that followed that makes me think that the idea didn’t bring an ounce of joy to the future uncle, not even momentarily. It could be said that he was still very affected by Grace, but months had passed and in this case we are talking about a joyous event and completely unrelated to the previous tragedy. He made an effort to smile but it didn’t work out. This must have touched him deeply.
(3x3)
* Ultimate Goal *
I think that if the theory were true, and assuming both parents were aware of it, it’d be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, catalyst for Thomas to move away from crime and take the path that would allow him to become in a man of integrity. Of course, before reaching his redemption (which SK wants to happen), he must go down to hell and once there earn his release.
Parallels between Swan Lake & Peaky Blinders + Black Cat
In summary, this tale/ballet tells us the love story between Prince Siegfried and the queen of the swans, Odette, and how the sorcerer Rothbart tries to destroy this union through his daughter Odile, whom he apparently transforms into Odette to deceive Siegfried and due to that he swear eternal love to the false one. In the end, the prince fights Rothbart and wins, freeing Odette from the spell that turned her into a swan.
Well, reading this little work I realized the great similarity in things that PB has this season (S5) and why SK chose this particular ballet.
Parallelisms between the main characters in Swan Lake and Peaky Blinders
-Principe Siegfried / Thomas Shelby. He is the protagonist around whom the love conflict revolves, who also feels great devotion to one of the female characters, but both cannot be together due to the situation that she suffers. And he is in a one-sided / damaging relationship with another woman (although the relationship between Thomas and Lizzie is not as bad as Siegfried and Odile there isn’t ´´love`` but many demons there).
-Odette / Grace. She belongs to the upper class and is symbolized as a white swan which means purity or pure love (I understand it’s through the eyes of the protagonist). In the same web page of the series there’s a section in which they explain the relationship between the figure of the swan present throughout the season and Grace’s presence.
-Odile / Lizzie. She’d be the third wheel, who takes the place of Odette / Grace and wants to win the love of the man at all costs (that’s why Lizzie endures being treated with such contempt). Interestingly, she also has a strange relationship with Rothbart / Oswald Mosley when previously Lizzie has rarely related to other male characters, much less if they were the villain of the season. However, here that relationship seems to carry weight.
- Sorcerer Rothbart / Oswald Mosley. There are far fewer similarities between them, but what cannot be denied is that he is the protagonist’s manipulative adversary and as I said before he maintains a connection with Odile / Lizzie and a desire with Odette- Grace that I will explain later. Plus, he wants the kingdom of Odette’s father (Thomas’ empire)
Parallelisms between situations in one story and another
-Birthday: the story begins with the birthday of Prince Siegfried in the garden of his palace to move on to another celebration the next day with the porpous of finding a wife for him. He isn’s interested in any woman, he’s just thinking about seeing Odette again. / Lizzie’s birthday in the garden of their house. Thomas is fascinated with the dancer who plays the swan (the camera shows you), ignores Odile-Lizzie when she grabs his hand and ironically he leaves just before the swan dies in the play. And not only that, but the essence of Grace is there and they are telling you with her breathing.
Here’s a sidelight, in both situations there’s the figure of the queen as the prince’s sentimental advisor (in this case it’d be Polly Gray, remember when she introduce herself as queen of the gypsies to Mosley).
-Men whom forvidding is forvidden: Not much is specified about this in the tale but it seems that Rothbart turned a daughter of a king, Odette, into the queen of the swans and since then she can only be human again between midnight and the sunrise. IMHO Rothbart did this because he wanted her but he isn’t able to married her because he isn’t royalty, so he devises a very selfish way to keep her by his side. Of course there is a latent sexual desire that I interpret when I read that she is only capable of being a woman during the night, and as we all know it’s during that time that this kind of thing happens in the narrative. / Oswald Mosley is a very narcissistic and immoral person who doesn’t care doing bad things to get what he wants (he likes to look at himself in the mirror while having sex, he sleeps with his relatives and insults Thomas’s people whenever he can). Ofc when he is denied the possibility of doing something, sleeping with the dancers, that becomes his objective. That’s why he ends up wishing the main swan again.
Having established the connection between some elements and others, I think perhaps in the near future Lizzie could fall prey to Mosley’s manipulations. If you pay attention Lizzie in S5 it’s very different from the previous ones, physically and psychologically. Even her way of acting is more cold and determined. She accepts the rules of the game (<< You don’t get what you deserve. You get what you take >>). Therefore it’s possible that somehow she aligns with Oswald to obtain what she wants most and considering how much SK likes to create tragedy and drama in the lives of his characters this plot twist wouldn’t surprise me.
Anyway, maybe I speculate too much but I really think the clues are there and I’ve just pick up some of them. Personally I prefer this much more for Lizzie because the actress and her role is so underrated in many levels and I don’t buy the happy and lovely family portrait because that thing we had/have with Grace and that’d be very repetitive. I’d like to see her on a role which contributes in her own way to the story even If she has to be the villain or the black cat and not like someone else’s shadow…
UPDATE: In 5x1 Lizzie is wearing a coat with black swans patterned on it. (Thanks to Tumblr user craziigamerchick for sharing this detail that I didn’t see)
