'Peaky Blinders' season 5 will decide if Sophie Rundle's Ada Shelby will stand by Tommy Shelby when he becomes MP
Set in the aftermath of World War I, 'Peaky Blinders' might have the gangster group led by Cillian Murphy's Thomas Shelby in focus but it certainly doesn't ignore its women characters. That, in fact, is one of many strong points of the show. From Helena McCrory as Aunt Polly to Annabelle Wallis as Grace Burgess, the female power is even with men, if not more in certain sequences.
The only girl among a band of brothers, Ada is a strong-minded Shelby and Sophie Rundle plays it just like it needs to be played. Right from the beginning, she has a mind of her own and follows her own set of rules. No one knows about Ada's secret romantic relationship with known Communist and Thomas' ex-best friend, Freddie Thorne. When she gets pregnant with his child in season one, she is bold enough to think of eloping with her lover.
While everyone is scared of Tommy's reaction to it, she doesn't budge. In the scene where he comes to ask the name of her partner, she has a fearless stance: "Freddie f**king Thorne! Yeah! Your best mate since school. The man who saved your life in France! So go on! Cut him! Cut him up and chuck him in the Cut! [Thomas leaves] Oi! I'm a Shelby, too, you know. Put my f**king film back on!"
She even considers Aunt Polly's advice to abort the child, but Freddie comes back and soon, the two are happily married to each other.
In season two, her life takes a turn when Freddie loses his life to Tuberculosis. A single mother, she takes the responsibility on her shoulders and moves to London. Her strong mind for the Communist cause distances her from her mobster family. Taking on Freddie's surname Thorne, she goes around telling everyone, "I'm not a Shelby!"
Nevertheless, Thomas does keep an eye over her to ensure she is safe and looks out for her welfare. Although she accepts his concern and goodwill, she is openly critical of his choices and decisions. In one scene, she tells him: "Of course. I'm sorry. Tommy Shelby is going to stop the revolution with his c**k."
In season three, she does make a comeback to the family by taking a leading position of the Shelby Company branch in the United States, dealing mostly with the legitimate business. The Communist side in her hasn't died as she names her son after Karl Marx.
Putting their differences aside, the family even moved back home to Small Heath in Birmingham after the Changretta threat. As Ada is under investigation by the military for her links to Communism in season four, it is yet to be seen if she will support Thomas Shelby when he gets elected as the Labour MP.
There is a big shadow of doubt looming over the fact whether she will actually support him, considering her late husband Freddie was against enormous privileges of the noble classes and the clergy, and she too followed his footsteps over the years. BBC's season five trailer that just dropped might have a few hints about it. "We own the ropes. Who's gonna hang us now, ey?" Tommy's voice trails at the back. In a scene from the series, Ada sharply tells him, "No one is going to hang you, Tommy, you are going to hang yourself?"
Is that a sign of tension between the brother-sister duo? Well, only time will tell what the new storyline that 'Peaky Blinders' has in store for its fans as it drops on Netflix!