5 Peaky Blinders characters that deserved a better ending 

BBC's crime drama Peaky Blinders owes a large amount of its success and critical acclaim to its strong characters, who added depth to the narrative,

Led by Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby, the show was a hit among audiences, partly because of its grey characters, who we hate to love so much. While there were outright villainous characters like Inspector Campbell, who fans hated, there were a few fan-favorite characters who deserved better.

Here are five characters from Peaky Blinders who deserved a better ending.

*Disclaimer: This article is based on the author's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.*

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5 Peaky Blinders characters that deserved a better ending

5) Lizzie Stark

Lizzie deserves a spot on this list because she always wanted a life away from prostitution and to become independent. Still, she never got this because of her association with the Shelbies and Tommy. Lizzie started as John's love interest, but they broke up when he suggested he had spent many nights with her.

While Tommy eventually married and freed Lizzie from prostitution, she never managed to gain independence because of her love for Tommy. Tommy never viewed their marriage as equal and continued mourning Grace, which turned Lizzie into a bitter woman.

While she sets on an independent path with her stepson Charlie in the Peaky Blinders series finale, she lost her daughter Ruby and became a bitter woman because of her husband's many infidelities.

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4) Polly Gray

A fan-favorite character, Polly Gray, is the baddest character in Peaky Blinders, and that is something to say against Murphy's Tommy. After having a difficult early life, where she lost her husband to alcoholism and her children to Parish authorities, Polly handled the Shelby business while the men were fighting in the war,

Despite doing so much for the Shelby brothers and being a pillar for the family, she was assassinated by the IRA in Season 6 while the Blinders were at war with Oswald Mosley. This creative decision was made because Helen McCrory tragically died due to breast cancer before filming for Season 6.

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3) John Shelby

One of the Shelby brothers, John Shelby, was also a fan-favorite character, and fans are still shocked over his unexpected death in Season 4. John often provided comic relief in the otherwise grim setting and was a devoted brother to Tommy and Arthur.

After his eventual falling out with Lizzie and compromising marriage with Esme, he became a loyal husband and a family man. However, he was shot dead by Luca Changretta's men in Peaky Blinders Season 4, in front of his wife and Michael.

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2) Freddie Thorne

Freddie Thorne, Tommy's best friend and a comrade who served in France, deserves the second spot on this list because of his limited time in Peaky Blinders. Thorne was a communist, which means he was already not well-liked in 1920s Birmingham and was often chased out by the coppers.

His views have caused a rift between him and Tommy, but this did not stop him from chasing Ada, the Shelby sister. After much hassle, he finally married Ada and also had a child with her. But before the two could have started their new life together, he was taken by the Spanish influenza in the Season 2 premiere.

While Freddie's arc on the show was very short, his fearless spirit and determination made him another fan-favorite character who deserved better.

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1) Grace Shelby

Well, no surprise here. The character who deserved the best on Peaky Blinders but did not was Grace Shelby, Tommy's wife. While Grace originally started as a spy for Inspector Campbell, she eventually fell in love with Tommy and saw his humane side.

She recognised Tommy's darkness as her own, and after much effort, the two finally got married and had a son in Season 3. But their happily ever after was jeopardised after Grace was shot at a dinner party by Vicente Changretta's men in Season 3.

All she wanted was a crime-free life with her husband and son, but she died without seeing it. Tommy went on a guilt trip and continued to mourn his wife's death for the rest of the show.

Also read: When Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders proved that heartbreak doesn't hold him back

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