u/Brigite66

In other words, it ended just as it began.

That room is where Tommy is with his prostitutes, and hotel rooms are where you experience fleeting pleasure, nothing permanent. That is why they chose a hotel room to show Tommy saying, "In this moment, in this room, I love you." He set those conditions, "in this room, but not beyond it", because it wasn't permanent; it was only for that moment. Tommy never stopped seeing her that way; in Season 5, he told her, "In my mind, I'm still paying you."

In Season 3, he paid her in front of the whole family; in Season 4, he was still paying her, stating that he pays for sex, "nothing for nothing ". In Season 6, we see he still views her the same way: when he speaks to her on the phone, he is in a hotel room with a prostitute. That is how the season begins, showing that nothing has changed in their relationship.

So, the fact that he went to a hotel room with her, delivered that speech about regretting their marriage, and then said he loved her *in that room*, it’s as if the circle closed. In his mind, he never stopped seeing her as a prostitute. It wasn't a declaration of love, yet what he said wasn't a lie either; in that moment, he *did* love her because they shared the pain of losing their daughter, a pain only she could understand. However, the choice of a hotel room, given their history, serves to show that she never escaped that role in Tommy's mind. She is someone he pays, whether with money or in his mind, for "love."

In the end, Campbell was right

"Men like us, Mr Shelby, will always be alone, and any love we get, we will have to pay for."

Steven Knight’s writing was brilliant because of its subtlety: the way Tommy saw Lizzie in Season 1 is how he continued to see her right up to the end of her story in Season 6. And just as Tommy saw Grace in Season 1, he continued to view her as his one true love, right up to the final moment of his story in the movie.

This is the only episode that has made me cry, and it was also the most shocking. I couldn't believe they had killed Grace, but seeing Tommy so broken, that was the saddest and hardest part to watch.

I think Cillian Murphy should have won numerous awards for this episode alone. You could see and feel the anger, sadness, pain, and desperation he felt over losing Grace, and through that, you could also see and feel the love he had for her.

He wanted to stop the pain by seeking revenge on old Changretta, but it was as if he had no idea how to go about it. In the end, he realizes that the pain will never stop.

I also loved the scenes with Polly and Michael, and then the ones with Arthur and John. Cillian did a fantastic job showing how his desperation slowly built up, you knew it was going to explode, and it finally did with John when he shouted at him; I have no idea how Cillian managed to change his voice like that in that moment. He is an acting genius.

I also noticed that this is the episode where he switches back to the black horse, and he doesn't switch again until the end of Season 6, when he swaps to the white one in the final scene.

I also think this is the episode where he distances himself from the family; whether it was because they weren't there for him or for some other reason, it marked a real turning point.

And when Arthur reveals he’s going to be a father, you can see the look on Tommy’s face change. It’s not just that he’s losing his right-hand man; he’s also reminded that he’ll never have a happy family again, Grace’s death had already killed the dream of a happy family, as we saw later in Seasons 5 and 6.

It’s sad that some people disparage his performance by claiming he only felt disgust toward Grace and never truly loved her, insisting that Lizzie or May was the one he loved. Some people just don't know how to appreciate phenomenal acting. It was one of the best episodes in terms of both acting and writing.

We never saw such a masterful performance from Cillian again, well, the Tommy from the beginning died in this episode, which is why we never saw him that broken again.

The director of Seasons 5 and 6 shared a behind-the-scenes photo of Cillian and the actress who plays Lizzie having a good time, noting that we would never see Tommy and Lizzie smiling at each other. It was, therefore, completely intentional on the part of the director, writer, and actors never to show Tommy smiling when he is with Lizzie, unlike when he is with Grace, thereby highlighting a stark contrast between the two relationships, like night and day.

Actions speak louder than words.

You could say Tommy scorned Grace at the wedding because he wanted to be with Tatiana rather than his wife, and that this proves Lizzie is his true love or real match, or that Grace wanted to change Tommy and make him leave that life behind; but in this case, scenes speak louder than words.

In Season 1, it is Tommy who tells Grace he wants his company to go legitimate, not the other way around. Tommy can’t stop smiling whenever he’s with Grace; he even gets angry with Tatiana, shouting that he doesn't want her entering the house because he doesn't want any of that shit near his home, meaning, near Grace and Charlie.

Some say Tommy wasn't interested in protecting Grace, but rather Lizzie, yet the scenes show otherwise:

Tommy doesn't want to let Tatiana into the house; he is angry that the Russian is there and even warns the family not to do anything that might embarrass Grace. At the event, when Tatiana and Grace are talking, Tommy tries to pull Grace away because he doesn't want her mixed up in a situation he hates being a part of. The moment he joins their conversation, he makes it clear he has no interest in impressing Tatiana. After Grace leaves, Tatiana suggests they sleep together for the sake of the cause, but he turns her down and goes to Grace, confessing that he needs her.

Now, with Lizzie, he does the opposite: he lets the enemy, Mosley, into the house; in fact, he even hosts an event to impress him. In Season 6, when they meet Diana, he tells Lizzie he needs to impress her and that he’s going to act as if Diana is beautiful. When Diana suggests sleeping together for the cause, he agrees. Now, , Lizzie wasn't supposed to find out, just as Grace wouldn't have found out if he had said yes to Tatiana. So, the point is that he said no because he wasn't interested in being with another woman while he was with Grace, yet that wasn't the case when he was with Lizzie, since he cheated on her constantly. And every time they humiliated her, he never defended her, except once.

Tommy never told Lizzie about the business; in Seasons 5 and 6, she actually gets angry about this, admitting to the Mosleys that she knows nothing about the business. He didn't trust her even in Season 4, when she was his secretary; he didn't tell her about the plan to fake Arthur's death or the scheme involving Polly. And in Season 3, he didn't tell her about the plan to rob the Russians, she found out from Esme. Whether she was his secretary or his wife, Tommy never told Lizzie about the business, let alone shared emotional matters with her. He didn't open up to her, nor did he show vulnerability. In the Season 5 finale, when Polly quits, he calls everyone, Ada, Arthur, and Finn, but not Lizzie, because she was never at the forefront of his mind; this stands in contrast to Grace, about whom he said not a single day went by without him thinking of her. Or consider the moment everyone is celebrating at the reopening of The Garrison: Tommy walks off alone, filled with sadness, to think about Grace while holding her letter. In fact, when Tatiana suggests that he doesn't love Grace, he replies, "She's by my side, telling me not to trust these people," demonstrating that he valued and listened to her opinion.

He trusted Grace completely; he told her he wanted to share things with her and asking for her help with both business and life matters. He told her he wanted to legitimize the company and eventually get rid of his gun. He admitted he was afraid regarding the deal with the Russians—and then he told her everything about it. The fact that he put her in charge of the foundation shows he wanted her managing the legitimate side of the business. He didn't want that for Lizzie; he wanted her at home looking after the children—not involved in business or events, and not by his side in that capacity, but rather in the role he saw for her: someone to care for the kids. As he told Grace back in Season 1, he wanted her involved in every aspect of his life.

That is the difference between a real partner, which Grace was, and a false one, someone meant only for appearances, like Lizzie.

I think some people harbor the fantasy that if you stay in a relationship, enduring the suffering instead of leaving, it eventually turns into "true love." That’s where the idea comes from that Lizzie, not Grace, is Tommy’s true love.

And I believe that kind of relationship was very common during the era the series is set in; that’s simply how women were expected to behave toward their husbands, acting as loyal servants, putting up with infidelity, and staying silent. Because that’s just how things were.

I do think the show wanted to portray that kind of marriage with Tommy and Lizzie, much like John and Esme’s marriage, where they were forced to wed. That was common for the time, too.

But I don’t believe Steven Knight intended to present it as something positive; he never wanted to show Tommy falling in love with Lizzie and living happily ever after.

Nor did the writer want to portray Arthur’s mistreatment of Linda, or Tommy’s treatment of Lizzie, as something positive or as true love; he has always maintained that his goal was to show that violence always has consequences. It was never going to turn from an abusive marriage into true love. What would the consequence or the message be there? "Stay in a marriage where you’re mistreated because maybe, in ten years, he’ll fall in love with you"? No, that was never the writer's intention; quite the opposite, the aim was for Lizzie to finally open her eyes, choose herself, and leave that marriage.

And Tommy's story is about showing a broken man who found true love for a moment but lost it because of the life he leads, a life he could never escape. That was his tragedy. He does love Grace, he loves the person, he fell in love with her, and he was happy for a time. Like it or not, that is what the writer wanted to show. He has said so countless times.

For me, it’s obviously Tommy and Grace, because of the way they brought out the best in each other, how deeply in love they were, and the way they understood and accepted one another; plus, Tommy never stopped loving her, even after her death, and never replaced her with anyone else. And how Grace was the only person who brought Tommy peace.

And another story I loved was Esme and John. They didn't know each other and were forced to marry, but luckily for them, they ended up falling in love. I think they were a perfect match. Esme wanted the best for him, and John wanted the best for her too, since he understood her need for freedom.

At the company, all the employees were loyal to Tommy and the Shelbys, we saw this in Season 1. But there was one employee who wasn't: Lizzie.

She decided to defy the Shelbys by breaking their one rule: not dating outsiders. When warned against seeing Angel Changretta, because the family was involved in a dangerous deal with the Russians at the time, Lizzie defied them further by attempting to bring him to Tommy and Grace’s wedding. This led to a confrontation between John and Arthur and Vincent Changretta, and the ensuing disaster culminated in Grace’s death. Her death devastated Tommy and, in turn, destroyed the entire Shelby family.

It all stems from the decision Tommy made in Season 2, but what would have happened if he had never hired Lizzie as his secretary? The war with the Changrettas wouldn't have happened, because no one would have broken the rule in the first place. What path would the writer have taken?

I feel a bit sorry for Tommy; because of that one decision alone, his life would have been very different.

For me, the Tommy and Lizzie storyline was the least interesting and made the least sense.

The storyline involving the IRA woman in Season 6 was also quite boring; I didn't find her threatening.

And as for Polly and the painter, I liked her story with Aberama much more than the one with him.

These are the scenes I skip when I rewatch the show.

"You can change what you do, but you can't change what you want."

Tommy may have sought the company of other women, he even married and had a child with another, but he wasn't truly with any of them; nothing changed what he wanted: Grace. His heart belonged only to her, and the only reason he wasn't with her was, first, because she left, and later, because she was dead.

"It is harder to lie with your body than with your words."

And that is precisely what they showed us. Tommy was involved with different people, rich, poor, political figures, women of different nationalities, but to him, it was all the same; after being with them, he felt empty. His body didn't lie. He didn't feel satisfied, complete, or at peace, because none of them was the woman he loved.

I suppose that’s why Tommy gave that answer: "This I have learned", because by then he had shared his bed with others, and no one made him feel the way Grace did.

So, he might use words to win them over or whatever, "your cause is my cause," "I wanted you to stay," "in this moment, in this room, I love you", but those are just words; the body doesn't lie.

I loved that Steven Knight and Cillian Murphy stayed true to the idea established in Season 1: that Grace is Tommy's one true love. No one replaced her. Tommy never wanted that.

They could have had him move on and fall in love with another woman after she died, but they didn't; they didn't want to show that, having established the premise in Seasons 1 and 2.

In Season 1, Polly says, "There will be others," and Tommy replies, "To the others." Season 2 begins two years later with Polly saying, "She was just a woman; maybe it's time you forgot about her." And that season ends with Tommy saying, "Oh, there is a woman I love, and I almost got fucking everything." It has already been established that there is only one woman for Tommy, the one he loves, and that, for him, there is no comparison or competition between her and any other woman. As he told Tatiana: "You didn't even come close." And that applied to all of them.

As for what the other women meant to Tommy, that is up to the audience to interpret; everyone will have their own view, and each of those women gave Tommy something different.

But true love, the woman who brings Tommy peace, the woman he fell in love with, is Grace alone.

One of the many reasons I love Tommy and Grace's story is seeing this side of Tommy. I love seeing him go soft and vulnerable for someone.

And for that very reason, I hated his relationship with Lizzie and loved his relationship with Grace more, thanks to May, too. Seeing him with Grace in his mind while he’s with May makes him an even deeper character.

From Season 1 (1919) to the end of The Immortal Man (1940), 21 years pass in Tommy’s life.

He was happy only during the years she was alive.For the remaining 16 years, he was just surviving, completely consumed by her memory.

Tommy lived alone in that massive house with nothing but Grace’s photo. He never moved on, not even a single bit. That's pure devotion.😪💔

From Season 1 (1919) to the end of The Immortal Man (1940), 21 years pass in Tommy’s life.

It’s tragic to think he only got to experience Grace being alive for roughly 5 years. For the remaining 16 years, he was just surviving, completely consumed by her memory.

In the movie, Tommy lived alone in that massive house with nothing but Grace’s photo.

He never moved on, not even a single bit. That's pure devotion.😪

Even Tommy would pull away whenever Lizzie wanted to touch him—almost as if he were rejecting her—and this was before Ruby got sick.

You can see, not just in Tommy's actions but also in his gaze, how much he loved and missed Grace. I’m glad that even in the movie, they continued to show that she was his true love and was never replaced.

They were awesome 🤣 so funny and badass; they didn't take shit from anyone, especially Tommy. I would have liked to see more of their friendship.

For me, Episode 1 is the best episode of the show. And is the last one to still have some funny scenes, from E2 through the end of S6, those moments ceased to exist..

And this season is when Tommy's soul dies, and the man without limitations is born

S1.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PeakyBlinders/comments/1v6s3fd/i_love_s1_its_the_only_one_ive_rewatched_its/

S2

https://www.reddit.com/r/PeakyBlinders/comments/1vav82x/now_s2_its_similar_to_s1_but_a_bit_darker_alfie/

I realized that whenever Tommy faces his own end, or wishes to find peace, he always thinks of Grace.

S2 – When he believes his time has come and faces his final moments in the field, his thoughts are only on Grace and the fact that he has almost everything.

S3 – After being severely beaten and suffering a head injury, the priest and the other man rouse him roughly; Tommy likely thinks he has passed away and calls out for Grace.

S5 – He is on the verge of ending it all and imagines Grace beside him, telling him it’s all over. There is also another scene where he sits in his car, hesitating to start it for fear of a bomb; he imagines Grace sitting behind him, telling him to push the button and come home with her—so he doesn't hesitate and pushes it.

S6 – The script for the scene where he is about to pull the trigger indicates that the last thing Tommy sees is a photo of Grace, and he says, "" This time, Grace".

The Immortal Man" – his final flashbacks are primarily of Grace.

So, when she is alive, he wants to live to build a life with her. When she is gone, his only wish is to cross over so he can finally be with her.

I loved those details; they simply show that Grace is the woman he loves and the only one who means everything to him.

Many fans find the dance scene between Tommy and Jessie Eden in Season 4 romantic, but if you look at the musical choices and the narrative context, it’s actually one of the coldest and most manipulative things Tommy has ever done. It proves that even in his dark schemes, he is completely haunted by Season 1.

During their dinner, Jessie mentions Grace’s murder, and we see a flash of genuine sadness on Tommy’s face. He is desensitized, but that wound is still wide open. However, instead of closing off, Tommy does something different : he decides to use his own trauma as a weapon of seduction.

When he goes to put on a record to dance, he chooses "The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery".Jessie Eden has no idea what that song means. She just hears a slow, romantic melody. But we, the audience, know exactly what it is.

It is the song Grace sang, the first time Tommy heard her sing.

Using that specific song to seduce Jessie Eden for political and business leverage isn't Tommy moving on; it’s Tommy desecrating his most sacred memory. He knows Jessie is a smart, tough union leader who won’t fall for money or power, so he creates an artificial vulnerability. By matching her tragic past (her first love who committed suicide) with his own ghost through that music, he traps her in an illusion of deep emotional connection.

I know some Grace fans didn't like it, but to me, it’s fascinating how the smallest details, like the use of a song, reveal that for Tommy to seduce a woman, he has to go to a place in his mind, to a memory of the only woman he ever loved and with whom he was vulnerable.

And the fact that he could talk about Greta but had to change the subject the moment Grace was mentioned speaks volumes about how deeply her death affected him and how much he still loves her.