Enter, The Don

“Peaky Blinders” SEASON 4 Episode 2 “Heathens”, and the arrival of Luca Changretta

Season 3 of Peaky Blinders was a marked departure from the previous 2 seasons.

Leaving Birmingham and Small Heath behind, the members of Shelby Company Limited trounced about lavish mansions.

They decorated them in the traditional style of the aristocrats who had held them downtrodden for generations.

It was like, Downton Abbey for Gangsters.

These up-jump, cutthroat’s weren’t well adjusted to high society. And they did not improve their reputation during their time amongst their social elites.

Watching Polly grapple with the indecision of whether or not she was worthy of the portrait an artist she was banging had painted for her…

Was different than watching her overcome the death of her long, never-found-again daughter, and the reemergence of her long-lost son into her life.

That and her near death experience, plus everything she did to lead the Peaky Blinders to the rich asses (like assassinating a certain Irish Inspector by the name of a popular chicken soup).

Which one was more compelling:

Their arc through the gutter? Or their wallowing in the guilt of their sin?

Gee, I don’t know.

What I do know, is that what they did to Polly’s character in Season 3 was bogus.

But I digress.

Season 4: Christmas Dinner.

The perfect scene to set up a reuniting family? Or to break it apart?

Jon gets shot. So does Michael.

Jon’s dead. Michael isn’t.

So who did it?

What we missed most in Season 3 was a villain.

Who was he?

The Priest?

The Russians?

The Coal Miners?

Who fucked them over the most?

Alfie Solomons?

The point is, cases can be made for any of them.

These are all villains.

Even the heroes are villains.

But who’s THE villain?

That’s what we missed.

In Season 1 it was Billy Fookin Kimber.

He ran the races.

And the Peaky Blinders fixed one of them.

Season 2 was Sabini/Solomons. Mostly Sabini

(I fucking love Alfie, but I don’t understand him).

And there was of course, Inspector Campbell.

Season 3 had too many bad guys.

This is well documented; the best stories have a bad guy.

Not bad guys. A bad guy.

A villain.

I think the show runners were really in touch with their work and their audience.

They understood that bringing the show back to its roots, after the big mansions and geo-political schemes, was important.

What I love most about this season, is that the show runners were bold enough to make the simple play: Bring in a new villain.

They brought in THE villain.

Thanks to a masterful performance by Adrien Brody, ladies and gentleman, we got ourselves a badguy.

Adrien Brody’s Godfather is a little different than mine.

The pinstripes and toothpick are inspired editions.

Luca Changretta, the Mob Boss, has the sinister growl, and the shadowy look.

I like the playful way he raises his hands in surrender, knowing he has the upper hand.

When he tells Tommy to guess where he’s from, it scares the shit out of me.

I also enjoy the fact that he doesn’t just kill Tommy straight away.

When he talks of “traditions of honour”, I believe in his authority on the subject. I also beleive that the line “you people have traditions of honour, as do we”, is excellent writing.

I want Tommy to win because he’s the hero. I want Tommy to kick this guys ass.

I just don’t think he can.

And I’ve never thought that anyone could beat Tommy Shelby.

Except for Alfie and Polly.

Alfie still might do it too.

Tommy Shelby is on the backfoot. His family threatened in his own office, one bullet at a time, and there’s nothing he can do about it?

To his credit, Tommy knows somethings up the moment Luca walks in the door.

He’s not caught unawares. He is caught completely off guard.

Luca points out that he’s from another dimension. And he might as well be.

No one in this one has ever schooled Tommy. Not like this.

This is a cat playing with its food.

And Tommy’s Tweetie Bird.

Luca’s not Billy Fookin Kimber.

He’s a god damned Don.

Here we have The Peaky Blinders in a vendetta against the Italian Mob.

They’re angling to take down an icon. The greatest group of the gangster genre.

To be the best, you gotta beat the best, right?

The Cavs might’ve held out against The Warriors in Game 5, but now it’s Game 6. It’s The Finals, Curry’s in town, and Lebron’s gotta defend home court.

Luca Changretta; The New York Mob, The Sicilian Mafia, The Golden State Warriors

Lebron James; A Flat Earther, Kevin Love, The Peaky Fookin Blinders

From one coast to the other,

WHO WILL BE THE CHAMPION?

Let’s find out.