'Peaky Blinders' season 5: Linda Shelby might try to dominate Arthur's business deals as Tommy becomes MP
'Peaky Blinders' may be about the crimes of a nineteenth-century urban gang but the BBC series takes the prize by carving a splendid arc for each trivial character. As the show proceeds towards the financial crash of 1929 there is much conflict in the air as Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) gets elected as the MP. While he has many battles ahead, the burning question is: how will it affect his family?
At the onset of season three, Linda Shelby (Kate Phillips) made her entry as Arthur Shelby's (Paul Anderson) wife. She started off as a religious woman who would visit the church on Sundays and say her prayers regularly. At the wedding of Grace (Annabelle Wallis) and Tommy, she helps Arthur with his best man speech for the wedding. She has quite a large influence on Arthur, much to Tommy's disdain.
Moreover, she tried to stop Arthur from working at nights and the latter did comply, especially when he headed straight home after burning a pub for the Blighters, despite John's (Joe Cole) mockery. When she is pregnant, she convinces Arthur to leave the family and stay with her at the shire. Thomas never really appreciates her presence in Arthur's life and at a point in the series, she manages to have more control over him than others. He even starts leading a sober life as a farmer and is seen as a devoted husband and father to his newborn boy, Billy.
With Luca Changretta (Adrien Brody) entry, things shuffled. This became the turning point in their relationship, as Arthur resumed his role as Thomas's right hand, which meant he would go back to gambling and snorting cocaine. Season four saw Linda in a role reversal. First, she barged into Arthur's office in the third episode and tried to seduce him to keep his mind off work.
John's sudden murder once again distracts Arthur. This time he goes back to Thomas and reprimands Linda to stop trying so hard. When she is left all by herself, she starts to resort to ill ways. She is seen snorting cocaine in the washroom with the other ladies. Linda's transformation from a God-fearing woman to an unruly wife is just another example of the kind of dominance the Shelbys have over the people around them.
However, as Tommy gets busy with his political world, will Linda enter Arthur's life again? Perhaps, she will try to win him over, dominate his business deals and also try to keep him away from the dark world of drugs and crime. It is important for the series as Linda needs a new and important position. However, if that happens, it could tick Tommy off and also create a rift between the couple, or will Arthur take Linda's side this time? No matter where the storyline goes, the consequences are going to be huge.
Season five of 'Peaky Blinders' premieres on Sunday, August 25 at 9 p.m. ET on BBC One. However, international viewers might have to wait a little more. The series will only come to Netflix on October 4.