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'Peaky Blinders' season 5 episode 4 preview: Arthur Shelby's insanity could cost him his life in 'The Loop'

'Peaky Blinders' is halfway through the current season with three episodes already down - the hysteria is building up and a bombastic twist seems to be in the pipeline.

The fifth season of 'Peaky Blinders' is all set to turn into a raging war as the Shelby clan is surrounded by enemies on all sides. The show is halfway through the current season with three episodes already down - the hysteria is building up and a bombastic twist seems to be in the pipeline. In the third episode titled 'Strategy', Thomas Shelby chalked out a plan to set things in order but it conked out in the face of a bigger crisis as the shrewd and cunning politician Oswald Mosley emerged on the scene.  It seems like Mosley has a connection with Jimmy McCavern, the head of Billy Boys, and also has a political deal for Shelby that he cannot deny. 

Armed with a dangerous demeanor and in true Thomas Shelby style, Mosley asks to light a cigarette and subtly makes sarcastic remarks aimed at the Shelby brothers, Arthur (Paul Anderson) and Michael (Finn Cole). "You lost the money in a club in Detroit and found a wife. And poor old Arthur standing there is afraid that his wife will never return. My spies tell me she's been seen with another man."

It is particularly that moment when Arthur seethes with rage and breaks the backrest of a chair with his bare hands. Arthur is angry and if you've watched the previous seasons, it comes as no surprise what he does when his temper erupts like a volcano. At that moment, Thomas warns his brother: "Arthur, do not let these people get inside your head." However, the crazy side of Arthur takes over as he tracks down his wife Linda’s Quaker friend and suffocates him to death. Beating his chest, he cries out loud, "I am a God-fearing man, and there is good in my heart, but these hands belong to the devil." A visually enticing scene, it manifests how love can turn a man into a heathen.

For literally no real offense, an innocent man ends up losing his life. Well, the consequences will be heavy. In the very next scene, when asked if Linda (Kate Phillips) came back to him, Arthur blurts out, "No!" Moreover, there is trouble brewing as Arthur and Aberama Gold (Aidan Gillen) together trap the Billy Boys and blow a bomb right in their faces. 

Towards the end of the episode, McCavern says, "It's war you shall have." Will Arthur be able to shoot the Billy Boys' leader or will they manage to torture and kill him to take revenge?  Show creator Steven Knight has been quite unsparing when it comes to chopping off roles of key characters—from John Shelby (Joe Cole) to Grace Shelby (Annabelle Wallis) and Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy). Until now, this season has not seen any major heartbreak. So will it be Arthur, who will pay for his rage and hysteria, or will it be his wife Linda who loses her life next? And if both survive towards the end of the episode, it is to be seen whether their marriage hits the rocks or they manage to reconcile. 

As 'The Loop' unfolds next Sunday on BBC One, there are many questions waiting to be answered and this calls for major suspense.