'Peaky Blinders' season 5: Fans wonder why Linda isn't dead and whether she and Arthur could reconcile in the future
What a relief! Linda Shelby (Kate Phillips) is not dead on the fifth season of 'Peaky Blinders'. Episode five saw a chaotic beginning as Arthur (Paul Anderson), Thomas (Cillian Murphy) and the entire Shelby family carried Linda inside and Tommy pulled the bullet out of her arm. In all the confusion and chaos, Linda survived. Isn't that a good thing? Well, fans are in two minds about it.
"Yeah Linda may have been annoying but Arthur treated her like shit, tried to hunt her down to stop her leaving him and beat up a man just for talking to her and now she’s dead..am I the only one who feels bad for her? #PeakyBlinders," one user wrote, and another tweeted, "Only up to series 4 of peaky blinders...but my god how annoying is Linda Shelby can't they just shoot her? Hahaha." Another fan posted: "Oh for god sake! Not being horrible but I hoped Linda had gone, she annoys me so much."
Calling out the makers' decision to keep her alive, some fans tweeted out. "Peaky Blinders killing off everyone but Linda is the worst take," one tweet read, while another said, "When they saved her in yesterday's episode, I was shouting at the screen so much ugh what was the reason!!!!"
It is a tad more disappointing for the fans as episode 5 saw the death of another character. Tommy's friend from the Great War Colonel Ben Younger loses his life to a bomb blast. It is not clear as to why then Linda was saved even as she leaves Arthur in the very next scene. Is there scope for Linda and Arthur to revive their relationship or will she come back to take revenge from the Shelbys? There has to be a major surprise packed for the future because keeping Linda alive does not justify the plot of a series that is famous for being unsparing towards killing its key characters.
Arthur and Linda might have had to see tough times but she always stuck by his side and tried to save him from his own demons. If the two are ready to forget the complications that erupted and disrupted their lives, they may have a chance for the future. As Tommy said in a scene: "Marry a Shelby, stay f**king married!"
"If Linda's dead, what a waste of a character," one Reddit user opined. Trying to make sense of the consequences of the show, another Reddit user wrote: "I've never really liked Linda and Arthur is my favourite character but I’m not really sure I can say she was wrong in her actions tbh. If she’s dead, I’m glad it’s her and not Arthur but still....she did have a point. Arthur permanently disfigured and most likely ruined the rest of a good (& innocent) man’s life. I love Arthur but that was way too far. It’s tv so it’s like whatever, I’ll let it slide but Linda had a pretty realistic reaction to her husband doing something like that."
As the final episode premieres on Sunday, September 22, it is yet to be seen whether Linda's revival will make sense this season or will she return in another season.
