Peaky Blinders season 6 episode 1 recap: What happened to Polly? What is "Beng"?
The premiere was bookended by two significant moments. **CONTAINS SPOILERS**
When we left Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) at the end of Peaky Blinders season 5, he was planted in the middle of a fog-drenched field, roaring into the gloom, with his gun, which had laid waste to so many, pointed at his own skull.
His plan to assassinate fascist politician Sir Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) had collapsed in spectacular style and, given the scale of the failure and its implications, Tommy's sanity rapidly unravelled.
The dramatic cliffhanger left us with a multitude of burning questions: who snitched? Did Mosley uncover Tommy’s plan? Where are the Peaky Blinders going to go from here?
With Peaky Blinders season 6, episode 1 having finally landed on BBC One with a bang, we now have some answers.
The episode linked us back up with Tommy again after a two-year wait, as well as addressing the untimely death of Helen McCrory, who died of cancer in 2021.
So, what happened in the hotly-anticipated Peaky Blinders season 6 premiere? Read on for everything you need to know. Be warned: full spoilers for season 6, episode 1 follow.
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Peaky Blinders season 6 episode 1 recap
Did Tommy Shelby pull the trigger?
Tommy did pull the trigger but Arthur (Paul Anderson) had removed the bullets without his knowledge – a turn-up for the books indeed given that it's usually the former looking after the latter. The head of the Shelby clan, then at his lowest ebb, would live to see another day, albeit reluctantly.
But the same cannot be said for Barney Thompson (Cosmo Jarvis). The former comrade of Tommy's had been hired to deliver the fatal shot to Mosley, but instead wound up pushing daisies himself.
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) had ensured Mosley's protection, for the time being anyway, with soldiers from three Dublin brigades carrying out the operation. IRA boss Captain Swing (Charlene McKenna) informed Tommy over the phone that it's imperative Mosley remains alive, at least for now.
"That's all you need to know," she added.
While not strictly socialists, the IRA shares common ground with the cause, while Mosley's totalitarian politics stands in stark contrast to that. But could he be the key to Irish self-governance? Is that why Swing wants him alive?
According to The Dublin Review (TDR), Mosley envisaged an arrangement between Britain and Ireland that mirrored that agreed between the United States and Cuba, with the former granting the latter independence, but permitted to intervene in its affairs if deemed acceptable on a legal basis. While not a perfect system, with the IRA gunning for wholesale severance from British order, Mosley's supposed vision would be a significant step towards the liberty they were fighting for.
Mosley, while not pro-IRA, reportedly criticised Prime Minister David Lloyd George's decision to dismantle the group using the notoriously violent Black and Tans, police groups used by the government during the Irish War of Independence. He was said to have believed that such an approach reflected poorly on Britain.
"No Empire, no Government has been long sustained except by the power of moral force," he later declared in the House of Commons, according to TDR.
With both factions intent on overthrowing the current British rule, could their combined efforts allow both Mosley and the IRA to achieve their respective aims?
Keeping the MP alive wasn't the IRA's only concern.
"We've made some changes to the structure of your organisation," said Swing.
It's revealed that Aberama Gold (Aiden Gillan) was also murdered by a member of the institution and not one of Jimmy McCavern's Billy Boys, as many initially assumed.
What happened to Aunt Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders?
But while the deaths of both Barney and Aberama cost Tommy dearly that fateful night, given their key roles in the assassination plot, it's the death of Polly Gray that has the greatest long-term impact on Tommy.
Helen McCrory's matriarch had been a staple of Peaky Blinders right from the off, but illness prevented her from appearing in season 6 and she passed away in April last year. Her husband Damian Lewis delivered the desperately sad news, with both those in the industry and audiences who have long enjoyed her performances expressing their sorrow.
Swing acknowledged the importance of Polly's support, both practically and emotionally, during Shelby Company Limited's continued expansion.
"You've had a crutch to lean on," she said. "Last night, we kicked away that crutch."
From now on, it is the IRA who Tommy must turn to for support.
What does the Gypsy phrase "Tikna Mora O Beng" mean?
As the episode drew to a close, Tommy's wife Lizzie (Natasha O'Keeffe) contacted him to explain that herself and the children wouldn't be able to meet him in Boston as agreed. Their daughter Ruby has a fever and the doctor has advised them not to travel.
Tommy was concerned but initially maintained a calm demeanour. That quickly shifted when Lizzie revealed what their child had been mumbling in her state of delirium.
"Johnny's kids have been teaching her to speak Gypsy," she said, before relaying her utterances. On hearing the Romani phrase "Tikna Mora O Beng", Tommy flew into a state of panic. It's hardly surprising: "Tikna" means little girl or daughter, "Mora" translates to friend and "Beng" means supernatural being or devil.
Tommy then announced that he intended to return home immediately and in the meantime, demanded that Ruby be kept out of school and away from the river and all horses, including her own. He also instructed Lizzie to place a Black Madonna around Ruby's neck.
The Black Madonna, also referred to as Sara-la-Kali or Black Sara, is the patron saint of the Gypsies. People offer up their prayers to her for support and, crucially, protection.
Ruby also claimed that "a man with green eyes" stood before her, which agitated Tommy further. Is the shadowy figure a reference to Mosley? And if so, what does it mean? Is Tommy staring down the barrel of another seismic tragedy?
Given that we're now four years on from the events of the season 5 finale, Mosley's power and influence have grown exponentially. Is Tommy capable of neutralising him and the damage he's inflicted upon British society?
Peaky Blinders season 6 continues on Sunday 6th February at 9pm on BBC One.
Read more:
- Peaky Blinders season 6 review: Helen McCrory tribute is a breathtaking triumph
- Peaky Blinders' Steven Knight on Helen McCrory tribute: "I think we've done it right"
- Peaky Blinders creator hopes fans are "surprised” by Stephen Graham’s character
- Peaky Blinders' boss teases Alfie Solomons "chaos" in season 6
- Peaky Blinders' Sophie Rundle says season 6 ending “isn’t neat"
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
