Summary
- Finn Shelby's small role in Peaky Blinders season 6 suggests he is not heavily involved in the family business, while his announced marriage receives an unenthusiastic response from his family.
- Finn's absence implies that his past mistakes within the family business have finally caught up with him, potentially explaining his diminished role and lack of trust from the rest of the family.
- The finale confirms that Tommy knew about Finn's mistakes and lack of trust, leading to Finn being excommunicated from the Peaky Blinders and suggesting a potential return in the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie.
Warning: spoilers for Peaky Blinders season 6.While the family dynamic of the Shelbys is a big part of Peaky Blinders, youngest brother Finn Shelby (Harry Kirton) played a small role in the final season. Peaky Blinders season 6 follows Tommy Shelby as he aims to thwart the British fascists Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) and Diana Mitford (Amber Anderson) and conclude his business with Boston gangster Jack Nelson (James Frecheville). He also must contend with former ally Michael Gray (Finn Cole) who wants Tommy dead. With all this going on, Finn Shelby is pushed to the side until the final episodes.
Tommy Shelby's story is at the forefront leading to the end of Peaky Blinders, but there is another reason for Finn's small role. His absence implies he is not heavily involved in the family business during season 6 and even his announced marriage gets a very unenthusiastic response from his family. In contrast, the emergence of Duke Shelby, Tommy's long-absent son, feels like he was brought in as a replacement of sorts for Finn. This hinted that some of Finn Shelby's past mistakes within the family business may have finally caught up with him.
Related
Though the series concluded with season 6, Peaky Blinders is living on in a feature film, and there are already exciting updates about the new movie.
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Why Peaky Blinders Season 6 Has Sidelined Finn So Much
Finn Is Made A Less Important Part Of The Family
Whilst Peaky Blinders season 6 confirmed that Finn Shelby was still connected to the Shelby family, that connection seemed to be getting very strained. While his duties in the betting racket business alongside Billy Grade (Emmett J. Scanlan) appeared to be continuing, it became clear that the rest of the family didn't trust Finn to do much else.
The bookmaker had always been a hub for the Shelby family enterprise in Peaky Blinders, but Isiah (Daryl McCormack) was in charge there, not Finn. Instead of Ada sending Finn to Liverpool, she sent Isiah and Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson), who was barely capable of standing up. The lack of trust the family had for Finn was not a sudden development, as there was more than one instance that could have accounted for Finn Shelby's demotion.
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The Secret Reason Finn Has Been Missing In Peaky Blinders Season 6
Tommy Partially Blames Finn For Polly's Death
The reason why Finn is no longer trusted is linked to the tragic loss of Polly in Peaky Blinders. In season 5, Finn was entrusted to look after Billy Grade. Finn let slip about Tommy's plan to assassinate Oswald Mosley, leading Billy to inform the IRA who stopped the assassination and killed Abarama Gold (Aidan Gillen), Barney Thompson (Cosmo Jarvis), and Polly Gray. Whether it was accidental or ignorant on Finn's part seems irrelevant with all the devastation he caused with his recklessness.
However, that was not the only drastic mistake Finn Shelby made on Peaky Blinders. As the youngest member of the family, he seemed eager to prove himself but not cut out for the business in the same way that his brothers were. Disobeying Tommy's orders and getting himself into compromising positions put everyone at risk and proved Finn was a liability long before allowing the IRA to save Mosley. Given that he was kept away and treated as a child by his brothers for so long, it is perhaps not surprising that Finn failed to live up to their legacies.
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The Finale Proved That Finn's Sidelining Was Deliberate
Finn Shelby's Failures Are Confronted In The Finale
While Finn Shelby's absence for most of season 6 seemed strange, it all made sense in the finale. It is confirmed that Tommy knew about Billy Grade telling the IRA which led to Isiah and Duke forcing Finn to carry out the necessary justice. Finn is given the opportunity to kill Billy or leave the family. However, Finn turns the gun on Isiah and Duke only to find that it is empty. With the confirmation that the family didn't trust Finn anymore, he is excommunicated from the Peaky Blinders.
Having the family keeping their distance from Finn leading up to the finale shows that they were ready to cut ties with him and wanted to keep him in a position where he couldn't cause more damage. However, Finn's promise that he will come for the family suggests he might return in the Peaky Blinders movie.
Peaky Blinders
TV-MA
Crime
Drama
History
Thriller
Peaky Blinders is a historical crime drama created and written by Steven Knight and starring Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill, and Helen McCrory. The television show is based on the gang, Peaky Blinders, a group that banded together after the end of World War I.
- Release Date
- September 12, 2013
- Cast
- Annabelle Wallis , Ian Peck , Helen McCrory , Paul Anderson , Cillian Murphy , Ned Dennehy , Aimee-Ffion Edwards , Sam Neill , Sophie Rundle , Tony Pitts , Joe Cole
- Seasons
- 6
- Writers
- Steven Knight
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Directors
- Otto Bathurst , Tom Harper , Colm McCarthy , Tim Mielants , David Caffrey , Anthony Byrne
- Showrunner
- Steven Knight
