"No need to rush": When Tommy Shelby proved that he's always planning things beforehand for the Peaky Blinders with a calm head

Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby had several iconic moments in Peaky Blinders, where he portrayed his masterful planning abilities, but none more notable than the season 2 finale.

The Peaky Blinders Season 2 finale, which many fans believed was the best in the BBC crime drama series, saw Inspector Campbell blackmail Tommy into assassinating a high-ranking officer. While Campbell thought that he had finally gained the upper hand and outshone Tommy, the Birmingham gang leader had one more trick up his sleeve, which got the ball rolling back in his court.

During the Derby races in the season 2 finale, when Campbell asks Tommy to focus on the job at hand, he replies:

"When you plan something well, there’s no need to rush."

This iconic Tommy Shelby quote proves he's always planning things beforehand with a calm head.

More on the Peaky Blinders Season 2 finale in our story.

Tommy Shelby's iconic quote from the Peaky Blinders Season 2 proves that he is always ahead of his enemies

While Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders were in a major bind in the season 2 finale, thanks to Campbell, the gang leader ultimately triumphs out of the ordeal while successfully eliminating his enemy.

In the season 2 finale, while Campbell practically blackmailed Tommy into assassinating Marshal Russell, he also had a plan in motion to have Tommy killed after the deed was done. And even if Campbell had not planned to kill Tommy, murdering Russell would bring problems for the Shelby family as he was a high-ranking officer, whose assassination would potentially start a war.

During a key conversation between Campbell and Tommy, the former says that Shelby should be busy as he has such a dangerous job at hand (assassinating Russell). Tommy then delivers this iconic line, which underscores his confidence and his ability to plan ahead.

While the iconic line suggests that Tommy had already prepared for the assassination, it also suggests that the Birmingham leader had plans for Campbell, too.

Knowing Campbell, Tommy knew that he would never let him off the hook even if he assassinated Russell for him. Proving that Tommy is always ahead of his enemies, he had already arranged for Campbell's downfall in the Peaky Blinders Season 2 finale.

Before leaving for the Derby races, Tommy wrote a letter to the New York Times' editor, detailing Campbell's blackmail and his situation with the British Intelligence Service and Winston Churchill. He left the letter with Ada and asked her to send it if Tommy does not return from the race.

Tommy's move and his letter detailing Campbell's blackmail prove that while the antagonist had him in a tight spot, he was always one step ahead. And since Tommy knew 'law-abiding' men like Campbell inside out, he had Aunt Polly plan his murder, which she successfully orchestrated.

Tommy's hunch was correct as the Peaky Blinders Season 2 finale saw Campbell send his men to take the Shelby leader away and kill him. But while he was planning his murder, Tommy had made arrangements for his too.

Just when Campbell was about to phone somebody about Tommy's fate, Aunt Polly fatally shot him, as she says:

“Tommy thought it should be me who finished the job.”

Polly's dialogue confirmed that it was Tommy who planned Campbell's murder, and it once again proves that while he may look calm and stoic from the outside, he always has things in control.

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Also Read: I wonder how this Tommy Shelby line from Peaky Blinders might materialize in the upcoming sequel film

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