The Peaky Blinders give their final orders in an explosive finale that brings six seasons of the Shelby family saga to a close — at least for now. The series, which follows the rise of Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) from the street gangs of Birmingham to Parliament, is set to continue as a movie at some point in the future. But for now, “Lock and Key,” the series finale that has left fans quaking, serves as the conclusion of this chapter of Peaky Blinders. Naturally, not everyone survives. Remember when Aunt Polly (Helen McCrory) prophesized that “there will be a war and one of you will die”? Well, we now know the identity of that one unlucky Shelby. We answer that, and some of your other burning questions about the last episode, below.

Who dies in the Peaky Blinders finale? 

As is the theme of Peaky Blinders, not everyone’s going to make it through the final season. Of the surviving Shelbys, it’s Michael (Finn Cole) who meets his maker in the 81-minute tension-filled episode. Once he’s released from prison in Boston, where he’d been simmering all season and blaming Tommy for Aunt Polly’s death, he tries to get revenge by planting a bomb in Tommy’s car. But Tommy is one step ahead, planting the bomb in a different car and offing Michael once the bomb explodes and his deception becomes clear.

Of course, the show’s most unexpected death came earlier in the season, due to tragic real-life circumstances. The untimely death of Helen McCrory, who played Polly, forced Peaky Blinders to reshape itself. “When we found out that she was ill, especially during COVID, Steve [Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders] had to choose a direction to make the plot make sense,”  Peaky executive producer Caryn Mandabach tells Tudum. “And that’s exactly what happened. In other words, he pivoted. We had a script, we were all ready to shoot.” 

In the show, Aunt Polly’s actual killer, Laura “Captain Swing” McKee (Charlene McKenna), meets her end thanks to the oldest Shelby brother, Arthur (Paul Anderson), who lures her and her associates into a gunfight, complete with mustard gas, before killing her (and making sure she knows it’s for Polly). 

Another who meets his fate is Billy Grade (Emmett J. Scanlan), for his traitorous behavior. And although younger brother Finn (Harry Kirton) is banished from the family for his duplicity, his life is ultimately spared.

Who guest stars in the Peaky Blinders finale?

Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy) makes one last appearance, and Michael’s wife, Gina (Anya Taylor-Joy), encourages her husband to kill Tommy and Arthur. (But more on Tommy’s fate below.)

What happens to Tommy’s brain tumor?

Well, he thought he had a brain tumor. But once he discovers that the doctor who diagnosed him is friends with Tommy’s onetime fascist political partner, Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin), he realizes it’s all a ruse, and he isn’t sick at all.

Does Tommy believe he’s going to die?

He absolutely does. Tommy even has a banquet with his nearest and dearest and torches his mansion with dynamite (told you it was an explosive episode) before setting out on the road in a Gypsy wagon to prepare for death. He decides to kill himself to beat the tumor, but once he realizes Mosley’s scam (and, uh, has a vision of his dead daughter who tells him to live), he rushes back to his camp to find it set ablaze, with all his personal effects inside. 

The groundwork for Tommy’s choice here was laid at the very outset of Peaky Blinders. “We were told at the very beginning, right,” Mandabach says. “Harry the bartender says, ‘Oh, that's Tommy. He was a happy kid, you know, wonderful kid. Then he went to war, and now he is dead inside.’ ” Tommy’s decision to live offers up a more optimistic reading of the show’s finale; we don’t know if Tommy will find redemption, but there’s always hope.

What happens to Tommy at the end of Peaky Blinders?

Well, his wife, Lizzie (Natasha O’Keeffe), leaves him. That isn’t great (but he deserves it). He’s able to make peace with his family, including a newly clean Arthur, before setting off to die. Oh, and his illegitimate son, Duke (Conrad Khan), joins the Peaky Blinders.

But that fire with all of his possessions is Tommy’s last tie to his criminal life, so once his effects are destroyed, he’ll be free and clear. As far as the world is concerned, Tommy Shelby is dead — meaning our hero (or antihero, depending on how you see his criminal activity) has a future of possibility ahead of him. Or at least no criminals on his trail. In the final shot, he rides a white horse to safety, a juxtaposition with the black steed he rode in the opening of the series. 

The cautious optimism of the series’ finale was always in the cards. “I think Steven decided to do it long [ago]. I don’t think he was ever gonna kill him,” says Mandabach. But Knight’s choice was also influenced by the show’s globally beloved status. “You walk down the high street here and you see a peaky blinder or a peaky blinder coffee shop,” Mandabach says. “We know that it is embedded in society, so we couldn’t kill him. That would’ve been just kooky.” So, Peaky Blinders fans: In a way, you saved Tommy.

So, what’s next for the Peaky Blinders franchise?

According to Mandabach, they’ll be back in a movie. “The decision was to make the movie separate from the TV series, because it’s pretty much clear what’s happening to everybody at the end of the thing,” she tells us. “We’re hopeful to do a movie that will not be at the same time period. It won’t be 1938. We’re gonna skip a few years as we do every year.” In other words: There’s another war on the way.

Can I watch the Peaky Blinders movie?

Yes! Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is streaming now on Netflix.