BWW Column: More People Should be Talking About PEAKY BLINDERS

To many people who don't know about it, PEAKY BLINDERS sounds less like a television show and more like a confusing phrase. I myself was guilty of writing the show off before even watching an episode. However, thanks to the recommendation of a close friend (with impeccable taste in television), I decided to watch the first episode of the Netflix series.

Unfamiliar name aside, PEAKY BLINDERS is one of the best television series' I've seen. A show that is billed as "A gangster drama located in the streets of post-war Birmingham on the verge of the 1920s" is so much more. PEAKY BLINDERS centers around a gang of the same name, with the Shelby family at the center of it. Thomas Shelby, played by Cilian Murphy, is the head of he Blinders, and he is the fierce boss who will stop at nothing to make the PEAKY BLINDERS successful.

The show sounds like a typical gangster drama filled with violence and illegal activity, but what makes PEAKY BLINDERS so special is that there is so much depth to the characters and even to the time period they're in, which makes the show feel relatable, even though I'm assuming the majority of viewers aren't Birmingham gangsters.

The Shelby family may be gangsters, but they care for each other and for those in their community-as long as those in the community don't try to wrong them or hurt them that is. The Shelby boys-Thomas, Arthur, and John-are the heads of the Peaky Blinders, but they are also soldiers who fought in WWI. Their experiences in France changed them, and made them the men they are today: broken, confused, and searching for happiness. The three brothers found themselves coping in different ways: Tommy won't stop until the Blinders are on top, Arthur fights like an animal and deals with suicidal thoughts, and John feels lost and unsure of what he wants.

The men aren't the only complicated and interesting members of the Shelby family, the women deal with just as much pain and frustration. Polly, the boys aunt, runs the company with Tommy, but she also acts as the logical head o the family. Ada, the boys' sister, struggles with identifying as Shelby because of all the pain they can afflict, even though she loves her brothers. The women may not have fought in the war, but they have lost just as much being on the other side.

The Shelby family may be in the business of illegal activity, but they are such complex characters that it is easy to sympathize with them, even after watching them cut a man. (The term PEAKY BLINDERS comes from the fact that the gang hides razor blades in the peak of their hats, in case of a fight). And that's because the writing and the acting on the show does an amazing job conveying emotion and making you feel for these gangsters.

Cilian Murphy has been in many films, most notably as the Scarecrow in the Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy, but his role as Tommy Shelby is one of the best acted television roles in the past decade. Murphy captivates the viewer and commands every scene with his presence-even the scenes with Tom Hardy (a Season 2 guest star), which is saying a lot.

The visuals of the show are one of the most stand-out features. Every shot feels incredibly thought out in the best possible way. Camera movement, shot type, and editing further the mood of every scene and add to the emotion. The cinematography is impeccable, and every shot looks beautiful, which is difficult to do in the setting of 1920s Birmingham. Not only are the visuals incredible, but the music choices-including PJ Harvey and the Arctic Monkeys-fit perfectly with the mood of the scene and add to the overall feel. I haven't seen a show this well-done yet underrated before. Perhaps it's because it's originally a BBC2 series, that was picked up by Neflix for American audiences.

I could talk about this show for hours, but I don't want to give too much away, since I'm hoping everyone reading this decides to give the show a chance. Luckily, a 3rd season will be airing on BBC2 in May (if rumors are true) and they were already picked up for a 4th season, so the Peaky Blinders are far from over. With 6 episode seasons, catching up isn't hard (I did it in one week)!

If I could make one "what should I watch on Netflix?" suggestion, it would be PEAKY BLINDERS.

Photo Courtesy of BBC2

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