Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders, a British crime drama series set in Birmingham, follows the exploits of the crime gang called Peaky Blinders in the direct aftermath of the first World War.
Grace Shelby, one of the major characters of the show was introduced in the very first episode of season 1. She worked as a barmaid in the Garrison Pub. However, she actually was working as an undercover agent for the Birmingham police and her mission was to get close to the protagonist, Thomas Shelby, in order to retrieve weaponry.
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She does get close to Tommy and the two fall in love. However, when Tommy comes to know of her initial motives, they separate. In season 2 of Peaky Blinders, Grace is reintroduced to Tommy’s life, though being married to another man.
Since their feelings remain the same for each other, they decide to have a child together and get married. Unfortunately, for all the happiness Grace brings to Tommy, it does not last long as the character gets shot by Vicente Changretta in the second episode of the third season and is killed.
Why is Grace killed in Peaky Blinders?
Though Grace’s killing comes as extremely shocking in Peaky Blinders, it makes sense in terms of the show’s progression. On a Reddit thread, Steven Knight explained the reason behind Grace’s assassination on the show.
He explained that had Grace been alive, she would have given Tommy a reason to be happy and that might have eventually led him to leave Peaky Blinders. He said,
"The point with Grace is that if she had lived, Tommy would have been happy. He wasn't meant to be happy."
Moreover, another justification that was given in terms to Grace’s death was that it gave Tommy more emotional depth and added more layers to his on-screen persona, which made the viewers connect with his grief and guilt in a more intimate way.
As the show progressed, Grace often manifested herself as ghostly hallucinations, including in season 5 finale, when Tommy tried to kill herself. However, she was not present in the final season of Peaky Blinders.
Why was Grace’s ghost absent in Peaky Blinders Season 6?
The primary reason that Grace’s ghost does not return in the final season of Peaky Blinders is that by the final season, Tommy starts reaching the beginning of his redemption arc after hitting his lowest point.
After years of grappling with an opium addiction that fueled his guilt and made him hallucinate Grace’s ghost, Tommy finally does not feel that he needs to join her in death.
This change of character ties well with the rest of the arc of Tommy in Peaky Blinders season 6 as by the end of the series, it seems that he is leaving his criminal life and the Peaky Blinders, giving the empire and its responsibilities to Charles and Arthur, his sons.
Who plays the role of Grace Shelby in Peaky Blinders?
Grace Shelby’s character is portrayed by English actor Annabelle Wallis. After Peaky Blinders, Annabelle has appeared in various other projects, including the role of Jenny Halsey in the 2016 The Mummy reboot.
In 2016 itself, she starred in Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword as Maggie.
She was also cast in Tag, a 2018 comedy film as Rebecca Crosby, opposite comedy legends like Jake Johnson and Ed Helms. She also starred in The Loudest Voice, a SHOWTIME miniseries. She played the role of Laurie Luhn, head of booking at Fox News Channel, in the show.
Peaky Blinders can be streamed on Netflix.
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